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Post by hoodwink on Nov 11, 2020 13:15:14 GMT -5
Small urchins peppered different pockets of the seafloor rock. Tall and lush green plants swayed and drifted in the water, pockets of colors poking out in between—oranges, blues, purples. Small fish of countless colors drifted by lazily, the area bright from the sun that shone above the water, high, high up—out of reach on the surface. Disturbing the otherwise tranquil grotto beneath the sea, a tear seemed to disrupt the waters themselves as light poured out. The nearby fish quickly scurried away at surprising speeds, other small or lazy entities merely resuming to ‘chill’. Emerging from the ‘tear’ were two teenagers—well, if you could actually call them ‘teenagers’. One was a Spirit, the other a ‘Fake’. For the sake of convenience, we’ll call them teenagers for now.
Huh? Blinking as he emerged from Tori’s Rift, Henoke’s eyes adjusted to the new world around him—though he had never been to the seafloor before, so nothing really registered as familiar. ”What the—?” It was then the teen realized he was not standing, but floating, suspended in the endless water around him. ”WHAT THE HELL?!” Flailing his arms at his side, the teen seemed panicked, his eyes wide with surprise and his head whipping from side to side. ”WHYTHEHELLAREWEUNDERWATERTORIWHATDIDYOU—“
For a moment the sudden panic stopped—the teen’s hand shooting up to his neck as he realized he was talking and breathing right now. Shouldn’t there have been bubbles, in place of words, coming out of his mouth? That was also when he managed to fully take in Tori’s form—causing him to shout out in surprise once more as he visibly attempted to back away. ”WOAH—?!” Tori’s top half looked normal—other than the slight shift in clothing—it was the bottom half that was making Henoke tweak out. S-she’s a…FISH?! Indeed, instead of Tori’s legs, the girl had a long, blue aquatic tail, which swished effortlessly and lightly in the water, keeping her afloat.
Speaking of tails; noticing his friends form, Henoke finally looked down at himself. Not only was he suddenly shirtless (something that otherwise would have been weird if not for this next thing), but he didn’t have legs either! In place of his usual appendages was a large, single tail—resembling a whale (not that Henoke knew what a whale was). Jet black with a white underside with a unique design, the powerful muscle swished calmly as it kept him afloat. ”WHAT’S GOIN’ ON?!” Well, it wasn't calm anymore. Now the tale was thrashing about, throwing Henoke's balance off as he wobbled back and forth underwater. Not one who was into the ocean by any means (let alone being literally IN it), let alone having a tail instead of legs, Henoke gripped at his spiky orange hair in frustration as he gave Tori a glare and look of pure contempt.
”Where the hell are we, Tori?! Why’d you bring me here?!” Thankfully the other fish had vacated the Tranquil Grotto (immediately less Tranquil, now that Henoke resided in it) upon the Rift’s appearance—otherwise the whole concept of ‘World Order’ would have been blown the moment they had arrived. Who could blame the hotheaded teen, though? This was by far the most different experience he’d ever had, going to another world. He’d never changed before—physically, that was. ”Where the hell are my legs?!”
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Post by therunawaygirl on Nov 11, 2020 13:43:20 GMT -5
Emerging from the Rift, Tori immediately felt the embrace of water. Not wanting to fight the feeling, Tori dove into it, her eyes closed and allowing herself to be moved by the water —already very used to the feeling. Once she was fully in, she looked around, noticing the world around her, while also feeling the changes.
Since they had arrived there via Tori’s Illusions, they were bound to use any tricks necessary to blend in and avoid breaking the World Order —hence, the reason why they had tails instead of legs now. She noticed her attire had changed, but only slightly —just replacing her usual purple-magenta top with a strapless, purple crop-top underneath her usual vest, whose hood floated gently underwater.
”WHYTHEHELLAREWEUNDERWATERTORIWHATDIDYOU—“ Tori blinked, looking at Henoke’s panicking, only able to draw an uneasy smile. Right —Henoke hated water. The only reason he even agreed to swimming that one time was because of the mood —but he’d be damned if he entered willingly to another pool of water. And since they were underwater, his panic was obvious.
The girl decided to get used to the feeling of a tail, rather than legs, finding it rather easy to keep herself moving at a decent pace. Having swam almost all of her life, it was easy to keep a pace and adapt —unlike Henoke. Hearing him berate her for the reasons why they were there, Tori stopped, looking away with a frown.
“We shouldn’t have come here” she explained, “At first, anyways. Unless the reason why we’re here is because we needed to get out of the Realm Between into the Realm of Light… And for that, whatever world was closest would help us…” Tori sighed, “Being honest, I can’t say why here, since we had a goal in mind…”
Tori forced herself upright, bringing a hand to her chin in thought. Sure enough, if she’d been the one to control their travelling path, then by all means they should’ve arrived to Radiant Garden —the place that would most likely hold the answers the two were looking for. Yet they were in a world not even close to it —instead completely different.
They had to blend in to actually arrive. Which, speaking of, apparently the Keyblade Wielder didn’t understand. His frustration evident, it was quite the spectacle —although at the time, it wasn’t one to be laughing at.
“You don’t have legs because we need to blend in” Tori pointed out, “Otherwise, we’d really stick out. Shouldn’t you know that, given that you’re a Keyblade Wielder and all that fuzz?” the girl perked up, looking away, “Shoot… Sorry, that was insensitive…”
She caught herself from saying any more than that, knowing how tactless she’d been. Henoke’s memory wasn’t complete, after all —if he was confused by it all, then most likely he didn’t remember it. Of all people she should’ve known —but the momentary confusion caught her off-guard. Taking a deep breath and swimming closer towards him, Tori tried to make things clear.
“You know about the World Order at least, right?” she asked, calmly, “The one thing both you and me have to do whenever we visit worlds outside —not meddle in the world’s affairs and keep the secret of other worlds to ourselves. You remember that much at least?” she tried to make sure before continuing, “In some worlds, just those things alone won’t suffice —a disguise of sorts is necessary. Hence, the reason why we’re like this, currently.”
“Speaking of… Are handling alright, or do you need me to help you?” she asked, a caring smile written on her lips, “I don’t mind helping you get the hang of things —I’m already used to it.”
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Post by hoodwink on Nov 11, 2020 14:42:28 GMT -5
”We shouldn’t have come here. At first, anyways.” Tori’s words were confusing enough to quell some of the teen’s temper—though Henoke still glared at her with a furrowed brow, struggling to balance as his powerful tail swished and swayed beneath him. ”Being honest, I can’t say why here, since we had a goal in mind…” He gave an aggravated sigh, scratching at his head in annoyance. ”Tch—you’re as bad as me, then!” Unlike Henoke, typically Tori was able to control her powers that allowed them to travel between worlds. If her ability spit them out at random somewhere—what was going on? ”You don’t have legs because we need to blend in.” Looking around the empty Grotto they floated in, the teen had a visible look of skepticism.
”Blend in with what? The freakin’ fish?” Fish were just fish. What did they know about ‘World Order’ or other things? Nothin’! That’s what! Damn straight, Henoke! No way could fish of all things be sentient or intelligible on a different world, right? ”In some worlds[…]—a disguise of sorts is necessary.” He really wasn’t getting it. They were in the damned ocean, after all. Who would there be to ‘disguise’ themselves from? ”Speaking of…are you handling alright, or do you need me to help you?” Despite Tori’s caring smile, Henoke gave her an indignant look before grimacing down at his whale tail. ”Gr….” Grumbling a bit, the teen swished and flopped the foreign appendage, only causing him to spin upside-down for a moment as he floated.
”Fine! I guess it’s harder than it looks…” With a look mixed between sheepish and aggravated, the teen got himself rightside-up once more, with the help of waving his arms around (lol). Never a strong swimmer even before having a new body, Henoke wasn’t looking forward to being in a world that was completely submerged in water. Just what’s the point of this place? Begrudgingly, it seemed he’d allow Tori to help him get the hang of the basics. For the time being, the Tranquil Grotto was their own—though after a short time, some of the local aquatic life would slowly begin to inch their way back—wary of the sudden chaos coming from within…
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Post by therunawaygirl on Nov 11, 2020 15:39:50 GMT -5
”Tch—you’re as bad as me, then!”
Tori couldn’t help but irk at the comment, her face reddening with a fiery gaze. She simply clicked her tongue, bitter as her pride was only slightly hurt by the cocky comment. Her powers didn’t even compare to Henoke’s, being much more powerful, and yet he had enough audacity to call her just as bad as himself. Even though she wanted to retort with a defense for her case, she knew it wasn’t the right approach.
“Tch” Tori replied, crossing her arms looking away, “Then I might as well leave you here, right? Since apparently you’re better than me?”
That would be enough, for now. As if to ascertain her decision, she swan backwards, taking distance from Henoke as he grumbled and tried to prove himself —failing miserably as he tried to get a hang of how the “tail” worked. Tori smirked, feeling her pride being replenished after seeing his pitiful attempt of trying to swim, only to find himself upside down.
She knew exactly what he was doing wrong, but whether he wanted her help or not was up to him. For all Tori knew, Henoke might as well try until he figured it out himself.
”Fine! I guess it’s harder than it looks…” Seeing him accept begrudgingly, Tori sighed, swimming back towards him and even teasing him a bit by showing off —swimming around him while giggling playfully. Stopping in front of him, Tori held her hand towards him, finally over the irritation of his bitter comment earlier.
“Do you remember how you swam, that one time?” she asked, “Following that form might be a good starting point —since this is more swimming rather than walking. Here, let me give you a push.”
She waited for him to grab her hand before pulling him forward, swimming with ease thanks to the tail. Swimming about, Tori hoped that the little pull would help him figure out how to move around, by moving his own tail and moving as if he was swimming.
His form overall could be worked on later —he needed the basic of basics first and foremost, given how, unlike her, Henoke wasn’t exactly an avid nor an experienced swimmer.
“…Hmm?”
Tori would stop soon after, looking around with unease. There was a strange sensation nearby, despite being in a peaceful enclosure. Something too familiar… Something a bit too dark. She frowned, wondering just what would happen if a fight began to brew.
“Are the Heartless here, then…?” she thought, “I might not be enough to fend them off, even if I’ve gotten a little bit of my old power back… We might need to be careful here, given that we’re on real thin ice…”
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Post by hoodwink on Nov 11, 2020 16:16:11 GMT -5
”Do you remember how you swam, that one time?” He grimaced at the memory, but nodded nonetheless. Having finally gotten himself upright, it was taking most of his focus to stay that way as the powerful wale appendage that had become his lower half swished and swayed with impatience. ”Here, let me give you a push.” Seeing Tori’s offered hand, Henoke still seemed somewhere between the lines of embarrassed and annoyed—but he took the hand offered to him all the same. ”Alright…” Was he pouting, a little? Having Tori help him certainly made it easier for him—though the sensation of moving his tail—fins?—was still so bizarre. This’s so weird… He had never been to a world that had transformed him. Thinking back to Belle’s home world, Henoke was grateful that the ‘World Order’ hadn’t turned him into furniture back then—otherwise how would he have gotten anything done?!
”…Hmm?” Henoke had finally gotten the general basics, though he was somewhat slow compared to a natural and experienced swimmer like Tori. Nonetheless, the teen was able to keep himself rightside up and move around now—which was a lot of progress. Raising an eyebrow at Tori’s pause, Henoke came to a stop himself, looking around the Grotto in curiosity. ”What’s up?” Almost as though on cue, a shout pierced the otherwise tranquil little cove—coming from the distance just outside of the Tranquil Grotto. ”They’re back! Swim!” Another shout could be heard faintly as well from ahead—”Where are the guards?!” It seemed somehow, there were people needing saving? Hearing the yell, Henoke turned to Tori with a suddenly determined look on his face. ”C’mon! If there’re people here, they might be in trouble!” Of course the Heartless would be here—why else did he ever get popped up on other worlds?
With the basics under his belt (er…fin?), Henoke swam forward, summoning his Keyblade in a ray of light as he did so—it seemed when it came to fighting the Heartless—the teen gave little thought about being surrounded by the literal ocean (which he hates).
Emerging from the Tranquil Grotto, the two would be greeted with a vast seafloor expanse—crafting countless alcoves, tunnels and secret passages throughout the entire area. Bizarre Heartless Henoke had never seen swam after a school of fish menacingly, shaped like Jellyfish. ”W-what the—?” Where were the people? Hadn’t he heard a shout? ”Oh, good! Guards! Quick, help us!” Henoke blinked in open shock as one of the many fish shouted out to him and Tori, seemingly the source of the distressed shouting. Many of the fish were shouting and panicking, swimming in countless directions—some immediately beginning to flock towards the newcomers in desperation. Th-they’re talking?! Fish on this world could talk?! If the Heartless were attacking them…did they have hearts, too?! The teen was baffled, but thankfully his body was trained and accustomed to the presence of these demons. Without fully realizing what he was doing, the teen swam forward with a powerful push of the wale tail that was now his lower half.
”Back off!” It didn’t matter if they were fish, rocks or people! If something had a ‘heart’ and could talk—there was no way Henoke could stand (float?) idly by and watch them be attacked! Swish! Swinging his weapon underwater felt bizarre, but thankfully the teen was rather strong—fueled further by the power of the Keyblade as it sliced through the dense water that surrounded the world. Immediately locked into a struggle with one of the large Jellyfish-like Heartless, Henoke had saved the larger school of fish from peril as they all swam in countless directions, fleeing into the underwater flora or countless caverns. ”Heh—these ones’re uglier than usual!” Grunting with effort as he slashed the Heartless away from him, Henoke regained his fighting stance, his tail swishing in place to keep him upright as he prepared for the battle.
Reinforcements were already arriving, as more Heartless emerged from dark portals in the water—sensing both the new hearts and the Keyblade itself. Green armored Heartless by the likes Henoke had never seen swam alongside the Jellyfish-like ones, wielding sharp and jagged looking tridents. It seemed the battle was upon them!
[[ENEMIES: 2 Sheltering Zones, 3 Screwdrivers]]
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Post by therunawaygirl on Nov 11, 2020 17:19:41 GMT -5
Had she been able to reply, Tori would’ve. Having helped Henoke get a grip and see him improve, if only a little, she’d been distracted by the already too familiar presence of darkness —feeling it far more vividly after her encounter with its literal manifestation.
Was it going to haunt her again?
A shout caught her off-guard, forcing her on the defensive. Almost immediately, she tried reaching for her broadsword, only to notice that it wasn’t there anymore —most likely in order to “blend in”, as she’d explained earlier. That didn’t explain where it was left —she’d hate it if she lost it.
“Now’s not the time!”
Alongside Henoke, Tori swam as fast as she could, thankful for the tail’s aid that allowed her to cut through the water much easier —as though a fish in water. Her focus was to first observe the battle, then use whatever she needed to do in order to achieve victory. That was her usual work plan, anyways.
The fish that talked hardly shocked her —after having seen talking furniture, of all things, Tori was more than accustomed. Not to mention that Fay —the fox they’d met back in Castle Oblivion, and apparently her familiar— was an animal-like creature capable of speech. Was it really that shocking, then, to see fish talk? Not for Tori, at least.
The battle was afoot —and Tori was unwilling to lose. Calling onto her own Keyblade into battle, the girl readied her spell. Freezing mist gathered on her hand before she chanted Blizzaja onto the Screwdrivers, aiming to freeze them in place before rushing towards them with the Keyblade in hand. Even though her speed was a bit lacking compared to what she was used to, Tori was still able to swim fast towards the enemies, slashing her way through in a straight line, knowing she couldn’t do any fancy tricks while she was at it.
Despite having a Keyblade, her movement underwater was limited —she didn’t deny that. It didn’t mean, however, that she couldn’t adapt.
She would use her speed differently, is all.
Having ended at the opposite end of where she’d been standing, Tori glanced back, readying herself for another assault. If she had to, she would play support, but both she and Henoke were on unknown waters (literally). Without any prior underwater combat experience, the battle seemed like some sort of trial and error.
“Henoke!” she shouted, “Focus on the simple things for now! We can’t use a lot of tricks we usually could before!” she warned, “Let’s get this over with, first —then we can talk about how we adapt to all this!”
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Post by hoodwink on Nov 12, 2020 14:34:44 GMT -5
Fighting underwater was certainly different—the only familiarity being his top half. Henoke was obviously awkward, his movements somewhat jagged and sluggish in terms of his tail—though thankfully the teen made up for it with his raw power. Smacking down one of the Sheltering Zones to the sea floor, the teen aimed to close the distance and deliver a powerful combo—finding that he was stuck having to swim. Of course, without legs, the wielder’s Sliding Dash was all but a dream now—something he hadn’t really thought much of as he tried to slowly cover the distance. ”Focus on the simple things for now!” Tori’s shout caused him to glance over his shoulder with a raised brow. ”We can’t use a lot of tricks we usually could before!” Groaning a bit, Henoke finally closed the distance to the Jellyfish-like Heartless, though the second one had followed after him. ”Tch—now ya tell me?!” It was a little late for that—he had already butchered his opening. So far Henoke's impression of this world wasn't great. Not only was he literally underwater, but now he couldn't use all of his skills, either?
”Eat this!” Raising his Keyblade in the air (er—water), the teen summoned forth a small bunch of lightning bolts that pierced through the water and cascaded down on the two Heartless surrounding him with a Thundara spell. Thankfully, Tori had shown him that magic seemed to work fine, even if their skills didn't. Sure enough, the creature’s seemed almost stunned for a moment—though the teen knew he wouldn’t be fast enough to take both of them on. ”Let’s finish this!” He had to figure out which ones worked and which ones didn't, after all. Aiming for the one he had nearly finished off, Henoke’s weapon began to surround itself in a faint yellow and orange light as he swung his Keyblade with all his might—using his Blitz ability. The powerful attack caused the Heartless to burst—for a moment making the teen shout out in victory. What actually happened was now instead of one large Heartless, the Sheltering Zone had been ‘defeated’, bursting into three separate smaller Sea Neon’s.
The teen now had four Heartless on his hands, only one stunned. ”Argh! Stupid fish-thing!” Clearly frustrated at having wasted his attack, Henoke continued to swim with choppy and amateur movements, swinging his weapon with ferocity as he continued to fight.
Tori’s combo with her Blizzaja was brutal—freezing all of the armored Screwdrivers in place before rushing up with a speed far surpassing her comrades. CRASH! Even with her speed lessened, the girls attack had successfully shattered one of the enemies into pieces, a small heart releasing and floating up in the ocean around them. The others were hardly faring better, slowly recovering from the attack with sluggish and jagged motions. Fueled by a senseless and instinctual rage, the Heartless swam forward in a last-ditch desperation attack, charging with their Tridents at Tori!
[[ENEMIES: 1 Sheltering Zone, 3 Sea Neon’s, 2 Screwdrivers]]
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Post by therunawaygirl on Nov 12, 2020 14:48:22 GMT -5
Tori saw Henoke defeating the Sheltering Zone, noticing how it seemed to split into smaller selves —which only brought her to groan with annoyance. However, she couldn’t do much about it, having the leftover Screwdrivers charge at her. The grip on her Keyblade loosened, having an idea in mind as to how to fend the attack head-on.
She didn’t need to block, it the enemies were going after her —she could use that opportunity.
Once the Heartless were close to her, Tori’s Keyblade was thrown around her, 3 Ruinga bullets alongside it as she made use of her Cross-up Magic ability —working both as an attack and a shield. She was temporary stationary, but it wouldn’t matter if the ability did what she wanted —block and parry, to hopefully win an opening window.
“They’re just small-fry —I don’t need to waste time on this” she thought.
In a sense, it was training, but the risk of death was always present —not that Tori was unfamiliar with it. The thought caused her to smirk, quickly grabbing her Keyblade after hopefully achieving the result she expected, to then quickly swim upwards before helping Henoke out.
Following up Henoke’s Thundara, Tori chanted her own thunder spell. Small sparks would gather around the remaining Sheltering Zone, before her Thundaja spell zapped! with impressive might. Not losing momentum, she charged forward with her Keyblade at the ready. If the Heartless had burst into smaller enemies, well…
Tori wasn’t about to be caught off-guard. She’d be at the ready.
“Heh… This helps a bit in training…” she teased, glancing towards Henoke, “You can’t go wrong with a new experience, after all…”
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Post by hoodwink on Nov 12, 2020 15:43:36 GMT -5
Tori’s Ruinga combo would achieve exactly what she hoped for—obliterating the remaining two armed Heartless rushing her way. As the hearts released and floated away, the girl’s Thundaja spell would rupture throughout the cavern—causing the water around the area to tint with a faint yellow glow as snaps! and cracks! exploded around the Heartless Henoke fought. Unlike the hotheaded Teen, Tori had powerful magic spells—ones that ruptured the tide of battle—typically always in their favor. Having finished off the small-fry with the aid of Tori’s spell, Henoke turned to find the remaining Sheltering Zone already broken apart, finished off quickly by Tori’s flashing Keyblade. ”Tch—show off…” She was definitely better at this ‘underwater fighting’ than he was. It was as clear as the water in front of his face. Having a rather competitive spirit and not enjoying losing, the teen had a faintly sour expression as he dismissed his Keyblade, the Heartless threat defeated.
”Still…weird how they were after a bunch’a fish.” Then again, Heartless had gone after Lumiere, Chip and the others, too. But they had originally been people put under a spell, right? Wasn’t that different than this? This place’s confusin’… Before the two had too much time to reconvene or talk about their situation—more shouts cut through the Undersea Valley. ”You there! Are you okay?” Jolting in surprise at the gruff authoritarian voice, Henoke spun around, his tail swishing as he raised an eyebrow in confusion. ”Who’re they?” Coming their way were two more individuals that appeared like Henoke and Tori themselves. There was one man and one woman, both wearing mildly ornate golden armor in sections over their torsos. Merpeople?! Their lower halves were fishlike, just like the two Wielder’s, swishing and swaying with trained expertise that showcased they were indeed locals to these waters. So this was why their 'disguise' had been what it had...
”We heard those monsters had attacked the Valley—we came as soon as we could.” It was the woman who spoke to them this time, long blonde hair shimmering in the underwater light, contrasting against the mans shorter and darker brown hair, which waved around him. ”It seems we rushed for nothing, though.” The man gave the two of them a suspicious look and a raised brow. ”Uh…hi?” Unsure of who these merpeople were, or their role, Henoke was immediately reminded of the ‘World Order’ Tori had been talking about earlier—something his Master and Chirithy had drilled into him as well. ”I’m Henoke. This’s Tori.” Gesturing to his friend as he made introductions, Henoke couldn’t help but keep a raised brow at these merpeople’s mild armor, noticing now that each carried a long spear and small circular shield.
”Neither of you look familiar…” The woman scrunched her brow, seemingly trying to recall if she’d seen either of these rather characteristic people about her kingdom. ”Oh—yeah! We’re—uh—from some…waters farther away…” It was weird, considering they were under the ocean. He had almost said ‘town’. Unfortunately, both merfolk grimaced a bit at Henoke’s words, glancing between each other. ”You’ve come at a troubling time, then.” It almost looked like the two had some sort of shame about something. ”The Kingdom isn’t fit for visitors at this time.” Recovering their composure and fixing a rather determined and stern expression on his face, the man who had still yet introduced himself straightened a bit. ”Sorry. But you’ll need to go back to wherever you came from.” The woman however was glancing between the two ‘outsiders’ and her companion.
”Well—let’s not be hasty, Jed…” Henoke raised an eyebrow, confused by all of this. Glancing at Tori, the teen shrugged a bit. ”What’s goin’ on? Is it these ‘monsters’ we ran into?” He made sure not to use the word ‘Heartless’. It seemed that when it counted, the hotheaded youth could indeed maintain some rules and boundaries. He wouldn’t have lasted this far as a Keyblade Wielder, otherwise. ‘Jed’ grimaced towards the woman, eyeing Henoke and Tori once more before sighing a bit. ”Forgive him. He’s truly just a dedicated knight to His Majesty.” Swimming forward a bit, the woman pushed ahead of Jed, giving Tori and Henoke a friendly smile. ”Indeed, it is as you say. These unknown beasts emerged shortly after His Majesty departed on royal business—attacking our citizens and the locals of these waters.” A look of anger came across her face at the mention, glancing around the area incase any of these ‘beasts’ emerged once more.
”No matter what we do—they won’t seem to stop returning!” Jed finally swam forward too, a look of clear frustration on his face as he fumed. ”How many times must we kill the damned things?!” It seemed that however long these merpeople had been dealing with the Heartless threat, it had been long enough. ”It doesn’t help that Sa—“ The woman was cut off as Jed quickly shot her a look. ”Quiet, Elane. They needn’t know of that matter.” Turing back to Henoke and Tori—Jed gave them a stern look, though he bowed and his tone seemed genuinely apologetic. ”Apologies. There are some things we simply must not speak freely of with outsiders of the Kingdom.” Henoke frowned a bit, though he merely gave a shrug at Jed’s secrecy. All he needed to know was where this world’s ‘heart’ was. ”Well, we can help out with the monster problem!” Henoke gave Jed and Elane a broad smile, resting his hands on his hips—ignoring the slimy feeling of the tail at his waist.
”Well…I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to have more hands on deck when it comes to clearing them out…” Jed still seemed somewhat hesitant at trusting these newbies. ”But still—the Kingdom isn’t fit for visitors, at this time. We won’t be able to let you through the gates.” Henoke frowned a bit, wondering what an underwater kingdom looked like. ”Well, then how’re we supposed to help?” Giving Jed and Elane a skeptical look, Henoke wasn’t used to this kind of resistance from locals being plagued with a Heartless problem. ”There’s actually a few citizens who have been scattered, since the first attack.” Elane spoke up, clear concern on her face. ”We haven’t been able to get to them all, with just the two of us…” Jed sighed, crossing his arms as he floated with a grimace on his face. ”True. Our lack of person power has been hindering our capabilities tenfold. We know of some vague locations they’ve managed to hole themselves up in, but while guarding the Castle at the same time…”
Ah, so they were going to help out the Kingdom, just not set foot in it. ”Tch—that’s kinda one-sided…” Sighing a bit as he rested his hands behind his head, the teen figured there was little else they could do about it. He wasn’t just going to ignore the Heartless issue—and frankly, exploring this area would only help them find the ‘keyhole’, to close off this world from the Heartless. In that regard, helping them did in turn make Henoke and Tori’s job at least a little easier. ”Alright—fine. I’ll help ya out, even if you’re bein’ stubborn about lettin’ us in.” Henoke gave a smirk as he crossed his arms and nodded at Elane and Jed, committed now. ”How ‘bout it, Tori?” He grinned at her—not really giving her much of a choice.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Nov 12, 2020 16:07:42 GMT -5
Tori was quick to dismiss her Keyblade, the Heartless thread now defeated. She took a deep breath, calming her nerves while analyzing the prior encounter. They didn’t do half-bad, but they weren’t in their top shape, either —it would most likely come to an improvement the longer they fought underwater, with aquatic tails instead of earthen feet.
“…Heh” Tori scoffed, hearing Henoke’s comment, “You say that, but friendly reminder that the Heartless chased after furniture? If it has a soul, and therefore, a heart, Heartless chase after whatever it is they want. They don’t discriminate.”
“You there! Are you okay?” Tori perked up, turning around to see two merpeople coming their way. Thankful for the “disguise” Tori’s Illusions had managed to conjure, it seemed that they would be able to pass slightly unnoticed —so long as they didn’t blow the cover. Henoke covered the introduction and cleared their origins, although it didn’t seem to fly past the two ornate knights in golden armor —but they didn’t inquire further.
“Worst case scenario, I just manipulate this meeting in their recollection…” Tori frowned as she thought, “Even if I don’t like using this power for that…”
Oh, well —no point in thinking it for the time being. Tori listened quietly at the conversation around her, noting how it seemed that the “Kingdom” wasn’t suitable for visitors with the Heartless running rampant. The girl shook her head as the merman seemed suspicious —although he had a point behind them. After all, weren’t they strangers?
“It doesn’t help that Sa—" The comment being cut short caught Tori’s attention. Her gaze scrunched into a suspicious one, even if she was being suspicious herself. However, she couldn’t quite see thought the mermaid’s memories, somehow a tad foggy for her liking, with many thoughts in a turmoil. Henoke mentioning that they could help with the monster problem was enough to have her focusing elsewhere.
“Right —since we fought them and all, just now” Tori followed, nodding.
“We won’t be able to let you through the gates.” It didn’t matter —if they were supposed to help with the Heartless, it was more likely to help from outside, rather than inside. And besides, hearing how they would most likely be looking for people helped reassure the need of hands outside the “Kingdom”.
“How ‘bout it, Tori?” Ah, there it was —Henoke taking the lead and half-dragging her into the mess without asking before agreeing. The motion caused her to sigh, her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose with feigned annoyance, but the smirk in her lips would reveal her true intentions.
She wasn’t backing off.
“Y’know, you’re supposed to ask first, and then agree…” she told Henoke, but quickly took a more serious look as she faced Jed and Elane, “Leave it to us. If it’s just finding people, we should have no issue finding them, so long as we have the directions” the grin in Tori’s face was prideful —a truthful one, “Even if we don’t know the area, I doubt we’ll have much trouble finding out way around.”
It didn’t matter if they got lost, anyways. With the power of Illusions in her hand, Tori wasn’t afraid of getting lost —easily able to move around worlds both in between and inside of them, while also concealing whatever identity she pleased. Be it World Illusions or straight memory manipulation, Tori was confident in her abilities.
She just hadn’t had the time to showcase them to its fullest.
“So, then —mind sharing that little bit of info with us, so that we can help you back?” she asked, calmly.
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Post by hoodwink on Nov 13, 2020 1:10:19 GMT -5
”Y’know, you’re supposed to ask first, and then agree…” Henoke merely chuckled a bit, returning Tori’s smirk with one of his own as he rested his hands behind his head. He knew she was going to agree regardless. That was just how she was. ”Leave it to us.” Tori’s affirmation caused Elane to sigh in visible relief, while Jed merely nodded, remaining serious and gruff. ”Excellent! We have to get back to the Castle, but you should start that way!” Elane pointed behind them all, across the Valley where one of many tunnels lay exposed between underwater flora. ”That passage will take you to the Gorge—we heard there were a few fish holed up in a clam…” She seemed concerned.
”Once you’ve found them, follow the Trident markings. That will lead you to the Palace, of which you’ll be met by us at the gates.” Jed was always so quick to reinforce the fact they weren’t going to be let in, huh? ”That should be good 'nough, I guess…” Shrugging a bit, Henoke glanced at Tori. That was the information she had been after anyway, right? Where to start? It seemed Elane and Jed thought so, as they bid the two goodbye for now, waving and departing with swift swimming speed that only reminded Henoke of his own uneasiness in the water. ”Well…at least we got somethin’ to start with.” It was weird though, having the Heartless attacking underwater. Before now, the teen had never even heard of underwater Heartless. It wasn’t exactly an ‘exciting’ bit of information to learn…
”Let’s go! Those fish need our help.” Back on track, Henoke’s eyes were on the tunnel in the distance up ahead, the one Elane had pointed out for them to go through. Keeping an eye open for any potential Heartless, the teen swam with a pace that still wasn’t as fast as he’d like, but a little more steady by now. Swimming upwards and across the Valley, the two would make their way to the first tunnel that had been pointed out to them…
”Woah!” Barreling out of the tunnel exit, Henoke was disoriented and swaying as he floated. The tunnels had their own systems of water flowing, creating a powerful current that had swept the two of them up and through the passage at a fast speed. It was convenient…but not being one used to such things, it had really taken its toll on Henoke, who floated groggily and swaying still. ”Urgh…they could’a warned us…” Recovering himself a bit, the teen glanced around. The tunnel had spit them out into a vast area, similar to the last in the sense where it had countless alcoves and tunnels protruding in different pockets all over. Podium-like rocks careened throughout the Undersea Gorge, some adorned with large clam-shells, large enough to where even Henoke could most likely fit comfortably within.
Familiar Triton markings adorned different walls, pointing in the direction of the Palace. Gawking and spinning around to take it all in, the teen seemed mildly distracted. Underwater’s so…weird. Looking around, he took note of each large clam in the area—though there were a good amount. With a faint groan, Henoke turned towards Tori with a faint frown. ”Got any way of findin’ ‘em faster?” If they were forced to inspect each individual clamshell, it would surely take some time. ”Don’t you got weird powers?” It seemed the unfamiliarity of his form and the world had curbed some of his enthusiasm. It was a lackluster request—but regardless, Henoke began to swim his way into the Gorge, noticing how empty it seemed. Guess the Heartless scared everyone off… Frowning at the thought, he kept his guard up as he made his way towards one of many podiums peppering the seafloor.
Reaching it, the teen gripped at the clamshell lid with both hands, his muscles flexing as he pulled up. "Urk!" Visibly staggering a bit, Henoke's pride took a hit as he scrunched his face up at the shell. "Tch—open!" Going for a second attempt, the teen's face visibly turned red a bit as a vein emerged on his forehead, his muscles nearly seeming to bulge from his skin as he exerted his strength. "Grrr...fine! If that's how ya wanna play it!" With a look of pure frustration, Henoke's Keyblade emerged in a ray of light into his hands as he swam forward, swinging the large steel-grey weapon at the closed clamshell. TWANG! Sparks flew as the weapon hit its mark, the raw power clashing against the shell's durable exterior before ricocheting backwards, causing Henoke to be pushed back a bit with a look mixed between astonishment and rage. "The hell is up with these stupid shells?!" How the hell were they supposed to find the hiding fish if the stupid shells didn't open!?
With a look of rage, Henoke readied a stance as he prepared another assault. If Tori didn't step in with any brighter ideas, it looked like the hotheaded teen was prepared to obliterate it completely—caught up in a fit of anger.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Nov 13, 2020 3:14:17 GMT -5
”That passage will take you to the Gorge—we heard there were a few fish holed up in a clam…”
It was a starting point, at least. Tori nodded along, being a good a lead as any other. She followed Henoke towards the tunnel Elane had pointed out, her pace kept slow in order to be besides the Keyblade Wielder and not in front of him —something she knew would bother him. Still, at the very least he was slowly getting steady in his form…
Perhaps he was getting better at swimming in general, too? The thought was amusing enough to cause her to giggle. She hardly thought Henoke would change his ways, when it came to water…
“The only reason he’s putting up with this is because he has little to no option, really…” Tori thought, amused.
The water currents were too strong at first, but even after it ended, Tori felt the strength of the current in her body. Being washed away by something like that wasn’t a good feeling at all. Even though she managed to stand somewhat upright, rather than being thrown out like Henoke, Tori was still a tad dizzy.
“I’m… Not doing that again…” she muttered, shaking her head as she tried to regain balance.
The Undersea Gorge was intriguing, with many shells in podium-like rocks scattered about. The markings on the rock walls were intriguing, the shape of a trident pointing at a specific direction —the Palace. Still, they had been told that, as things were then and there, entrance would be denied to the two.
They were helping in a way, regardless, but it still felt… Degrading, in a sense.
”Don’t you got weird powers?” The comment caused Tori to pause, only to glare at Henoke with clear unamuse. Sure, she could work her way around to find the people they were after with her Illusions, but was that the proper way of wording it?
“Keep that up, you’ll be at the end of it” Tori threatened with a monotone expression. Tori went her own way, tapping on the clams with her knuckles, gently —trying to see a reaction. None seemed to react, which was disappointing —although for Henoke, it was something to be angry about. She perked up when he shouted, noticing his Keyblade at the ready —only to bring a sigh from her part.
Was he always like this? She shouldn’t have been surprised, really…
“That won’t solve anything, y’know” she berated him, her arms crossed, “For all we know, you might hurt the people we’re supposed to find.”
With that all said and done, Tori didn’t know much about the issue herself. Only thing they had to go along with was that people got literally clammed up inside one of those shells —but looking through them all would take a while, and time wasn’t exactly something they could afford to waste. So, how to work it out? Tori’s knocking around didn’t seem to cause any reactions —not from the clams, and not from people possibly inside. In a sense, they didn’t have much to go with. The thought was enough to cause another sigh from her part…
“The least they could’ve done is told us how these things work…” she muttered.
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Post by hoodwink on Nov 13, 2020 14:46:16 GMT -5
”That won’t solve anything, y’know.” Tori’s comment halted Henoke’s attack as he scowled at the closed clamshell. ”Tch—how the hell’re we supposed’ta open ‘em?” There wasn’t any ‘lock’ on the shells, meaning their Keyblades would be no help there. Though it was hard for Henoke not to take out his frustration on the defenseless clam—Tori was right. He didn’t want to risk hurting those hiding within—though there wasn’t really any sound coming from any of them. ”The least they could’ve done is told us how these things work…” Tori had swam around to multiple clams, knocking on the tops in hops of hearing some sort of response or get some reaction to no avail. Henoke’s brows furrowed as he dismissed his weapon, crossing his arms as he scrunched up his face in annoyed thought. Grr…it’s probably a fish thing… Of course they wouldn’t have any idea how to work these things—all of this was beyond new to them. For a moment, it seemed like the two teens were stumped.
WHOOSH! Suddenly a blur of motion cut through the Gorge, the water rippling as though a tunnel due to the speed of the creature at its source. Speeding through the waters was a Dolphin, weaving between the large rock-podiums looming throughout the seafloor with ease as they headed towards one of the many alcove tunnels in the area. ”Woah! That’s fast!” Henoke’s eyes widened as he watched the sea creature exhibit mastery and skill that he could never dream of. ”Look out!” Shouting out as it swam by the two, the Dolphin seemed panicked. Sure enough, emerging from one of the many alcoves in pursuit were all too familiar annoyances.
A large Aquatank brought up the rear of the small squad of Heartless in pursuit, it’s lantern antenna glowing with sparking electricity. At its sides were more of the armored Screwdrivers, their jagged tridents flashing as they swam with flippered feet after the heart they sensed. ”Tori—help the fish!” It seemed Henoke wasn’t really knowledgeable about sea life. ”I’ll deal with these guys!” Tori was the stronger swimmer of the two—if either of them had a shot at catching up to the Dolphin to calm it down and protect it, it’d be her. Besides—he still had some frustration towards those damned clams that he needed to vent. Summoning his Keyblade in a ray of light, Henoke hurled his massive weapon directly at the group of Heartless with his Reflect Raid. Smacking into the first Screwdriver and ricocheting off of the Gorge walls and seafloor, Henoke swam as fast as he could muster to intercept the group.
”Oi! Chill out! We’re here to help!” Cupping his mouth as he pumped his powerful tail, Henoke shouted out to the Dolphin, hoping it would ease its weariness about Tori hopefully approaching it. Finishing striking multiple Heartless and getting their attention, the teen’s Keyblade returned to his hands just as he finally managed to close the gap. Immediately lashing out against the frontline enemies, it seemed Henoke’s interception worked! Now it was up to Tori to either heed his request and try to calm down the Dolphin, or jump into the battle!
[[ENEMIES: 1 Aquatank, 3 Screwdrivers]]
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Post by therunawaygirl on Nov 13, 2020 16:37:38 GMT -5
WHOOSH! The blur of motion left a trail of bubbles on its wake, and was enough to catch Tori’s attention —she quickly turned to where the movement headed towards, only to find a Dolphin moving swiftly and weaving as it ran away from a threat.
Sure enough, it was being chased by the Heartless.
At first the girl was going to fight, but Henoke’s urgency was right on point —for once. The Dolphin was in a panic —if it went around like that, it was bound to be caught in the fight and be heavily wounded, unable to fight back. The girl nodded, not before shooting a Ruinga spell to help the Keyblade Wielder if only a little.
“Got it!”
Tori nodded with vigor before turning around and chase after the Dolphin. Even if the creature was fast, she was able to keep up with it, surprisingly enough. Her expertise in swimming helped her cut the distance, but it wasn’t enough.
“Hold on —we’re here to help you!” she shouted, a bit nervous, “Come back here!”
Even if Tori knew how to swim, she still wasn’t used to the tail that compromised her lower half in that world —she wasn’t as swift as she wanted. Tori frowned, worried, wanting to catch up to the Dolphin but unable to cut the little distance between them.
“C’mon —I don’t wanna do this…!”
If it came to a last-ditch thing, then Tori was going to try and trap the Dolphin inside an Illusion —one where the Dolphin wouldn’t be able to escape her, but the intention behind it wasn’t to trick it, but reassure it. Again, though, if she couldn’t get the Dolphin’s attention and make it come to her, then she’d do it —if the Dolphin heard her voice and turned around, then she’d dismiss the idea.
“Come on…!” Tori reached forward, her hand open as she tried to grab the Dolphin’s fin, “Stop running —you’ll hurt yourself!”
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Post by hoodwink on Nov 13, 2020 19:50:09 GMT -5
Tori’s Ruinga spell collided with the Aquatank, just as it was preparing to charge at Henoke while the teen fought against the Screwdrivers. Though stronger than the medium sized Heartless, the Wielder was hardly accustomed to underwater fighting yet, his movements still slower and sloppier than usual. With the Screwdriver’s agility and long weapons, it had proven to be slightly more annoying than he’d thought. ”Grrr…back…off!” Fending off yet another charge by one of the trident bearing Heartless, Henoke lifted his Keyblade above him, summoning his magic. Bzzt! Crack! Sparking electricity crashed down from above, hitting all of the armored Heartless surrounding him as his Thundara spell took affect. Crreeeeeaaaak! What the teen didn’t notice was that his spell had hit one of the clams on a nearby podium-like rock protruding from the seafloor. Hit with the magic spell, the clam slowly began to creak open, bubbles escaping from within.
Caught up in the battle at hand, Henoke managed to finish off two of the stunned enemies before finally returning on the defensive. WHOOSH! The Aquatank had recovered from Tori’s earlier attack, rushing back directly towards the teen for a head-on charge!
Tori’s shouts at first did little, as she swam after the Dolphin with all of her might. ”Come on…!” As the girl finally managed to grab onto the its dorsal fin, she would immediately feel herself tugged along at the creatures superior speed, trailing in the wake of water parting around them. ”Stop running—you’ll hurt yourself!” It seemed it took a moment for the Dolphin to even realize Tori had managed to cling onto them. ”Ah! But what about those things?!” It seemed panicked, but Tori would be able to feel its pace slow, albeit only slightly, as it it continued to wave throughout the Gorge. ”I need to find the others! I can’t get caught now!” It seemed the Dolphin had a mission of their own. ”They’re near here! I can sense them with my sonar!” As though to prove it, Tori would hear a sudden clicks and trills coming from the Dolphin. ”Aha!”
Without waiting for Tori’s response, the Dolphin would suddenly zig-zag out of its original trajectory, instead heading towards a small alcove entrance nearby!
”Urk!!” Slamming against Henoke’s hefty Keyblade, the Aquatank wasn’t able to break through the teen’s powerful guard, though it did continue to be able to push him backwards. Unable to swim at a pace or strength that matched the fish-like Heartless, Henoke was soon SLAMMED! against the Gorge wall as he crumpled beneath his guarding weapon. ”Ack! Damn…it!” Coughing with a wince, the teen pushed with all his might against the ramming Heartless, finally managing to push it enough to get some breathing room against the wall. The remaining Screwdriver was closing in, its trident out and sharp as it sped forward. Wait a second! With how close he was to the cavern wall…the teen didn’t have to swim. With mild effort, the powerful whale tail that was now Henoke’s lower half pressed up against the wall of the Gorge, curled up behind him as he prepared what he had in store.
”Get—OUTTA HERE!” Pushing with all the strength he could muster in the weird new muscle of his, Henoke’s tail pushed off of the wall with such force that the teen managed to ram the Aquatank back, slashing out with his Keyblade and causing it to propel backwards. Diving forward and spinning in the water, the teen narrowly avoided the charging Screwdriver’s attack, forcing the armored Heartless to reel back around and try again. ”Heh—I’m gettin’ the hang o’ it…” Rubbing and cracking his neck, wincing a bit at the visible bruise and welts on his exposed back, the teen had a cocky grin on his face.
[[ENEMIES: 1 Aquatank, 1 Screwdriver]]
Swimming through the dark alcove entrance, Tori would find the light returned as the Dolphin swam her into the secluded Grotto. A small room crafted by the seafloor, the tall walls were lined with shelves, stacked with countless knick-knacks and chests. In the center of the room was a small lifted rock podium, a large clamshell sealed tightly, nestled on top. Coming to a stop near the shell, the Dolphin glanced back at Tori with a concerned look. ”I can sense them all in here!” Tapping on the shell with its nose, the Dolphin shouted out as it heard muffled and intelligible shouts from within. ”Ah! It is them! I knew it!” Once Tori would remove her grip of its dorsal fin, the Dolphin would spin in the water to turn to her, glancing between her and the shell.
”Why, this is perfect! I can’t open these myself. Can you do it?” Glancing at Tori and giving her a curious look, the Dolphin seemed to be lingering on the colorful tail that composed her lower half. ”You’re part of Neptune’s guards, right? Can’t you cast magic?”
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Post by therunawaygirl on Nov 14, 2020 4:49:20 GMT -5
Suddenly held by massive force, Tori didn’t dare letting go of the Dolphin’s fin as it pulled her far stronger than she’d originally expected —closing her eyes while holding firmly with now both of her hands, trying to be gentle with the fin while also having enough grip to not be thrown off by the force behind it all.
She heard the clicks from the Dolphin as it tried to see where the “others” were, and before she knew it, they were off again. At the very least, the Dolphin seemed willing to put up with her holding the fin, having heard no complains from it. Instead of fighting the situation, Tori thought it best to follow along, and try to see if she’d get any closer to accomplishing her task. “Good thing I didn’t need to do anything more than this…” Tori thought with relief, holding the fin with enough grip to not lose sight of the Dolphin.
The trip seemed to go quickly by, arriving at the Grotto with little to no fuss, allowing Tori to finally let go of the Dolphin to look around. There were plenty of sunken chest and other objects, but the clam standing in a rock podium was the first thing to catch her attention —and evidently, where it should’ve lied. The Dolphin threw a concerned look her way, and Tori saw little point in not swimming towards it.
She could see it —amidst the thick shell of the clam, she could sense others’ memories from the place. There was no doubt that they were inside. Hearing muffled noises from within only strengthened the fact.
”You’re part of Neptune’s guards, right? Can’t you cast magic?” Tori tilted her head a bit at the question. So, magic was a norm there? She wouldn’t have expected it at all, but if a local confirmed it, there was little point in doubting it. However, there was a slight problem…
She didn’t know if those outside the guard could use magic. For all she knew, they couldn’t —and Tori wasn’t really able to lie her way out, being a horrible liar.
“Hoping they don’t ask…” Tori thought, taking a deep breath, “I can use magic, so that’s not that big of an issue” she turned back towards the clam, “So, that’s how they open, huh…? Piece of cake.”
Tori’s hands began to conjure a gentle cold mist, using some ice magic given that the only thing she had to do was freeze the water around her —it would be the least dangerous of spells if all else failed. Using a far weaker version of Blizzaja, Tori used ice magic on the clam in front of her, confidently.
Crreeeeeeeeeeeeeeak. Gently, the clam opened —much for her surprise. Startled, she swam backwards, taking her distance, but glanced to where they’d come from, wondering how Henoke was doing. She knew the Keyblade Wielder was still trying to get used to it all, so she couldn’t help but worry.
Even if it was Heartless he was facing, Tori couldn’t help but worry about him. First, though… She had to make sure everyone was okay.
“Hang in there —I’ll go get you as soon as I can!” she thought, determined.
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Post by hoodwink on Nov 14, 2020 9:31:34 GMT -5
Creeeeeeaaak! Bubbles cascaded forward as the clamshell opened at Tori’s magic, many fish, crabs and other locals spilling out immediately. ”Thank you!” ”’Bout time!” ”Who would’ve thought we couldn’t open them from the inside?!” Countless voices flooded the small Grotto as some of the fish immediately fled, others thanking Tori before swimming away. One fish in particular hung around though, swimming up to the Dolphin with a jovial look on their face. ”Thanks, Doris! I brought everyone here, but someone closed the clamshell and then we were stuck!” This fish was a bright yellow, adorned by blue stripes and fins with an eager and optimistic face. ”Thank her, Flounder. She’s the one that was able to open it.” Gesturing towards Tori with its nose, Doris the Dolphin gave the smaller fish an exasperated look. ”Really, though. You need to be more careful.” Turning to Tori, Flounder swam with swiftness, coming up to her with a large smile.
”Thanks! I owe you one!” It was then the fish realized they were speaking to a mermaid they hadn’t recognized before. ”Wait…I don’t think I’ve seen you around before…? Do I know you?” For a moment the fish seemed disappointed, upset with themselves for having potentially forgotten a face. ”Just because Ariel lets you in and out of the palace doesn’t mean you’ll know everyone in it.” Rolling their eyes a bit, Doris swam forward, bowing their head a bit at Tori with a modest expression. ”Sorry about earlier. Those monsters are vicious—I was panicked…” Flounder swam up to her and patted her back with a fin for comfort. It seemed the locals were pretty stressed out about the Heartless situation. ”I’m Doris—this is Flounder. What’s your name?” Finally giving proper introductions, Doris and Flounder gazed expectantly at Tori—grateful for the sudden aid.
SMACK! A heart released into the waters as Henoke brought his Keyblade crunching down on the coming Screwdriver, finally finishing it off. Tch—son of a—! These Heartless had been way more of a pain than he had imagined. Henoke was visibly heated, his face contorted into a mask of reddened aggravation as he found the remaining target. The large Aquatank had been a nuisance from the get go—able to cast its own thunder magic as well as throw its body around with power. Having traded blows with it a few times though, the teen knew it was hitting its limit. ”You won't get off easy!” Despite the damage he’d sustained, Henoke only seemed more pumped up than before—his movements faster and more power behind his swings as he closed the distance, an orange light beginning to spark and crackle around the steel grey Keyblade in his hands. ”EAT THIS!”
Shwing! Sparks of orange energy exploded as he slashed down, his Blitz ability finally defeating the large fishlike enemy as its heart was released and sent away. ”Man, I was just gettin’ into it, too…” Sighing in mild disappointment, Henoke winced once more, finally beginning to really feel the sting and jolts of pain from his wounds. ”Here we go!” Casting Cura on himself, relief washed over his body as the green glow and falling budding leaves surrounded him. ”Oi, where’d Tori and that fish go…?” Raising an eyebrow, Henoke had just realized he floated alone in the Undersea Gorge. ”Yo! Anyone here?” Cupping a hand to his mouth and shouting in the emptiness, the teen frowned as he glanced around and crossed his arms. Silence greeted him in response.
”Shit…” Now he had to find those locals, and Tori? He was really getting the short end of the stick here, wasn’t he?
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Post by therunawaygirl on Nov 14, 2020 10:47:16 GMT -5
The colorful fish, crabs and other sea creatures, plus their amount, was astonishing. Tori blinked in confusion, not sure how to react. The words of gratitude from some were unnecessary, and some Tori didn’t even notice —too confused at the many creatures that had sheltered themselves within the clam. The small yellow-and-blue fish was the only one to remain aside the Dolphin —whose name was now known to Tori—, ushering its thanks to her just as the others before it. It was intriguing to hear that someone, be it them or someone outside of the group, had caused them to be stuck, but now wasn’t the time.
”Wait…I don’t think I’ve seen you around before…?” Tori shook her head, a caring smile resting on her face for a bit. Given that her lies were pretty much see-through, she decided to just go head-first.
“This is our first-time meeting” Tori explained, “You’re right —I’m not from these parts. This is actually my first time here, too.”
The Dolphin —Doris— and the fish —Flounder— began to have a short banter, with Doris taking the lead in the conversation. Apologizing over swimming off wasn’t an issue, as evidenced by Tori shaking her head without giving the issue much importance. She understood being frightened by the Heartless —it wasn’t the first time she saw something like that.
“It’s alright” Tori said, caring, swimming towards Doris and petting it a bit before taking it away and introducing herself, “I’m Tori. The one you saw me with is Henoke” as if she recalled something, she turned around, “Right… We left him behind…” her voice echoed with worry, before turning towards the Dolphin, “Say, you wouldn’t mind helping me go back to where we first saw each other, right? I’m sure he’s worried that I swam away and left him behind —but knowing him, he’s most likely got those monsters covered” she reassured him.
“You can come to, if you’d like” she extended the invitation to Flounder.
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Post by hoodwink on Nov 14, 2020 12:05:26 GMT -5
Flounder seemed relieved as Tori assured him that he hadn’t forgotten her. ”I’m Tori. The one you saw me with is Henoke.” Doris scrunched up her brow in thought, clearly having not been in the clearest mindset previously. ”Right…We left him behind…” Both locals showed looks of concern at the mention of someone being left behind with the Heartless. Thankfully the girl’s words reassured them. ”Of course! Sorry again, for dragging you along…” Doris seemed somewhat sheepish as Flounder laughed and spun in the water. ”Yeah! I’ll come, too!” As the Dolphin offered their dorsal fin to Tori once more, Flounder did small loop-de-loops in the water, clearly the more youthful and energetic of the group. ”Alright. Hang on!” Once Tori was secured, Doris swam back out of the Grotto, this time at a slower pace than before, but still at a speed that was far beyond what either off-worlders would be able to achieve without time and practice.
”Hm…” Henoke currently floated in front of a large open clam-shell residing at the top of one of the many rock podiums that jutted out from the Gorge’s seafloor. ”What made this one open?” Tilting his head and raising a brow at the empty and open clamshell, the teen sighed. ”I don’t get it…” Did he have to defeat more Heartless to open them up? But there weren’t any more around, by the looks of it…and he still had to find Tori, too. Whoosh! The sudden sound of something swimming at a fast pace caught the teen’s attention, causing him to swirl around as his face turned into one of surprise. ”Tori!” Seeing Tori hanging on to the back of the same Dolphin they had seen before, the teen waved with a broad grin.
”Oi! Took ya long enough!” As Doris and Flounder swam over with Tori, the teen would cross his arms and and give a quizzical look between the bright yellow and blue fish and Tori. ”Wait, was there only one…?” How many more locals would they have to find then? ”Oh, no! Everyone’s safe! I think most of ‘em went back to their homes near the Palace…” Flounder chimed in, quick as ever with a bright look on their face. ”So—you fought off the monsters?! Cool!” The fish swam right up to Henoke with enthusiasm, causing the teen to stagger a bit as he swam back slightly. It was weird, seeing such an expressive fish…was that part of the ‘World Order’ thing at work, or just specific to the fish here? ”Uh…yeah?” Flounder hardly seemed deterred by Henoke’s vague uncomfortably, closing the distance once more as he began to eye the teen up and down.
”How?! Did you beat ‘em up?! Do you have any weapons? Can you use magic?! Was it scary? Did they try to eat you?! How did you do it? W—“ Pushing Flounder out of the way, Doris saved Henoke from the onslaught of questions from the eager local, causing the teen to sigh in relief. ”Hush, Flounder. We haven’t even introduced ourselves to him, yet.” Shaking her head and reproaching the smaller fish, Doris turned back to Henoke and bowed her head in similar fashion to when she had met Tori. ”I’m Doris. This is Flounder. You and Tori were a great help to us and our friends—thank you.” It was weird, seeing a fish being so…formal. ”Don’t sweat it! You can leave those monsters to us!” Giving Doris a confidant and determined look, Henoke thumped a fist against his chest. ”We’re here to get rid of ‘em!” Well—that wasn’t true at all—but it seemed Henoke had forgotten that this world wasn’t his and Tori’s original intent. In some regards, perhaps it was less the teen’s memory afoot and moreso the fact they were just that used to getting thrown around different worlds at random, to deal with the Heartless threat.
”My, what a relief! I’m glad someone in the Castle thought to send for aid…” Doris seemed much more at ease. Thankfully, it seemed Henoke’s words (although not true whatsoever Henoke, geez) had erased some of the stress the local had been burdened with. ”Oh! Does that mean you can help with Sebastian, too?!” Flounder had perked up, though it wasn’t his usual jovial eagerness—there was a sudden determination scrunched up on that adorable little yellow-blue face of his. Doris on the other hand, seemed more than surprised at him mentioning this. ”Flounder! You’ve no business discussing that with—“ Flounder turned to Doris with a genuine look of frustration. ”He’s my friend! I don’t care about stupid royal stuff! No one’s gone to look for him yet, and it’s not like we can fight those monsters…” The last comment caused his face to fall a bit, looking down with a frown. ”Who’s Sebastian?” Henoke leaned forward a bit, raising an eyebrow.
”The Royal Advisor.” Doris had swam beside Flounder, offering a fin to embrace them in a side-by-side ‘fish hug’ that Henoke had trouble not tilting his head at. ”Triton—“ Flounder had begun to regain their voice, though Doris cut him off promptly. ”His Majesty, the King Triton. Address His Highness properly, Flounder.” This was a dedicated Dolphin, that was for sure. ”If you’re going to inform them, do it properly.” Flounder scowled from beneath Doris’s flipper, but didn’t protest. ”Fine, you do it…” Mumbling a bit, the fish seemed to have a sour expression on their face. Glancing around the Gorge, Doris seemed wary, making sure no one else was listening. Swimming closer to Tori and Henoke, to the point where her nose could nearly bop one of them on the nose, she spoke in a hushed voice. ”His Majesty, the King, had to leave the castle for urgent business regarding his daughter, Her Royal Highness, who no longer resides in the Kingdom…” Flounder seemed saddened at the last comment, though Doris pressed on.
”When he left, he appointed Sir Sebastian, the Royal Advisor, to watch after the Palace in his stead.” Sighing a bit, Doris kept her voice low. ”Sadly, though he’s normally so capable—but for some reason, he went mad with the power. Acting as though a Tyrant, he was finally exiled from the Castle for Treason by the Royal Vanguard not too long ago. The throne is currently leaderless, with His Highness gone and the Advisor exiled...” Flounder finally swam out from under Doris’s flipper, his determination evident. ”But no one’s looked for him! The monsters showed up right after that! It’s too dangerous out here! I’m sure he’s sorry!” Henoke glanced at Tori, his brows raised at everything they’d just heard. This’s way more complicated than I thought… So, Flounder wanted their help with finding this ‘Sebastian’ guy, whereas Jed and Elane had asked them to return to the Palace after finding the locals. ”Hm…but if he was ‘exiled’, would they even let ‘im back in?” It wasn’t as though the teen was heartless enough to want to leave a defenseless Lobster out there somewhere in Heartless infested waters—but he also didn’t want to stir up trouble with the guards of the Castle.
”What’d’ya think, Tori?” Henoke seemed conflicted. ”We could always find ‘im but not bring ‘im to the Castle, right?” Shrugging, the teen waited to hear what his friend had to say—she was typically better with these types of things than he was, anyway.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Nov 14, 2020 12:46:23 GMT -5
With a nod, Tori held onto Doris’ fin, and with that they took off. It took them no time to find Henoke, who was looking confused at the open clam. Tori let go of the fin mid-dash, the force pulling her forward a bit as she swam closer towards him, with a smile. His tease only caused her a chuckle, standing upright as she was close enough.
“Sorry —but a certain dolphin’s a bit too fast” she said back.
She turned towards Doris and Flounder, hearing them explain things to Henoke. Flounder’s inquiry was adorable —enough to cause her a laugh, noticing how Henoke seemed extremely uneasy by it. Had she known him better, she could’ve most likely predicted it.
Was it just because Flounder was a fish, rather than a person? Henoke was a bit too proudful at times —especially with praise. So why was he so nervous now?
Doris stepped in and pushed Flounder gently aside, giving Henoke a breathing room, and allowing Tori to focus on what bothered her regarding the issue. First, introductions from the two “locals”, and their thanks —words Henoke received proudly, this time. Tori listened attentive as Doris explained the situation —hearing how they were in dire need for aid. Flounder mentioned a name that caught Tori’s attention.
“Sebastian…?” she mumbled.
The answer was quickly delivered, although not in any pleasant way —as evidenced by Doris’ weariness to explain it to the two travelers. Henoke was on the same page, asking about who they were. Listening to the tale, the information was more than useful —a Royal Advisor entrusted by the King to watch after the Palace and the business. Hearing how he suddenly went mad, a suspicion crept through her mind as she frowned.
“That sort of thing isn’t normal…”
She could tell by Flounder’s tone —and to a sense, the memories that flourished in such a heated moment— that this “Sebastian” wasn’t usually like this. Doris seemed to think similarly, so it only brought more confusion to her. ”Hm…but if he was ‘exiled’, would they even let ‘im back in?” Tori shook her head, her arms crossed.
“Most likely, they wouldn’t, if ‘exile’ means the same thing as I think it does” Tori replied, “It’ll take a lot to convince them without solid proof…” she sighed, “Finding him won’t be the tricky part —in fact, I have an idea as for what could’ve happened, but I won’t discuss it yet. After all, it’s not a solid theory” she shook her head, “Why do I have the feeling that we’ll have to help the King to settle things right…?”
Tori’s face betrayed her annoyance —if anything, it would be easier to just find the damn Keyhole. But right now, they had no clues as to where it could be, instead having a few “to-do” things. Finding this Sebastian would be a decent first priority —but they first had to report. Splitting up wouldn’t be efficient, given how both Tori and Henoke were still not very used to using their tails, less fighting that way.
“Not only that, but splitting will only give us more trouble” she looked at Henoke, her concern clear, “We’re anything but on our top form…” Tori hummed in thought for a bit, before nodding to herself, “I think it’s best if we first report to those two —Jed and Elane, was it? They’re the first ones we met here that gave us some context —I’m sure we can ask them something about this whole ordeal.”
A faint smirk rose from her lips, as a more than familiar mist gathered around her palm, one too familiar to Henoke. Tori was confident in something —they could get the information they needed without hurting anyone.
After all, Illusions she conjured wouldn’t hurt a fly.
“Even if they don’t give it to us… I can still obtain it without much fuzz” she told him, silent.
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