is this what we deserve, can we break free

[sandandflannel.livejournal.com]

Who: Everyone
What: The Darkness has taken the Denizens of Light. How will they retaliate, having reached their destination?
Where: Alexandria
When: Sunday, June 12

Koios stood silently looking out of the window of Jagannatha's former quarters. He watched as their enemies rose from the Darkness that had pulled them in, stealing them away from their safe havens and bringing them here, where perhaps all of their worst fears would come true.

Alexandria's sky had turned black. The only things illuminating the false world anymore were a scant few lamps and candles... and the Hearts of the Allies of Light themselves. One had appeared with a fortress of Light, destroying many of the homes around them as Darkness threw her out of its arms. He watched, morbidly fascinated, as one by one, they rose into their cage.

Chernabog glowered down at them from above. He was a fine choice for the role of sentinel, boasting nearly as much power as the First Darkness himself. Koios, as well as the Heartless and Nobodies swarming about below, were nothing short of a safety measure - not that Jagannatha found it particularly necessary. In truth, it was more of a courtesy for the Nobody, a chance to properly boast to the losers, should he wish to take it. But for now, he remained where he was, observing the scene unfold impassively.

If Koios knew anything about the Key Bearers and Refugees, they wouldn't give up simply because they'd been trapped here, in Darkness, with no way discernible way out. No. That would only empower them. But the question remained: what would be their next step?

In any case, he thought, it would definitely prove to be a good show.

OOC: If you were not on the list of exceptions, you are now in Alexandria. Anyone who has any way of sensing the Hearts of others will know that any people native to this world have no Hearts, just as the world itself is lacking one. And yet, not a one of them is a Nobody.

All methods of transportation will fail.

Comments

[belegwen.livejournal.com]

Mabry yawned. She had actually drifted asleep reading when the Darkness had come for her, though the sudden change in location had woken her. They book was still in her hands, as well as the overnight bag she had packed, and even the canes she had been using to get around.

Sitting on the ground, she calmly marked her page, and pulled her laptop from the bag. It turned on, but to her disappointment there was no connection at all, something that had never happened before, not since the Earth had first been destroyed. Curious.

Still, she was alive and that was something. And she had some supplies and that was something else.

She knew she had been among the last to be taken--perhaps some odd courtesy of Jagannatha?--and she expected the others must be nearby. So the thing to do was the find them.

She carefully returned the laptop to the bag, then using the canes hauled herself laboriously to her feet. Once she was standing, she stood for a couple minutes waiting to catch her breath.

[fox_the_kitsune]

This would be about where Fox and Ren would show up, intending to follow chaos and somehow finding the least chaotic thing either of them could think of.

"Hmm, not chaos, but not unwelcome either," Fox remarked, "Are you okay?"

[hyperpsyche.livejournal.com]

"No kidding," Ren said quietly, taken aback at just how fragile Mabry seemed. She knew the healer hadn't been recovering well from Medrau's attack, but to get a fresh reminder of it was like a slap to the face. Was Mabry feeling as bad as she had back in Atlantica, when the Miasma was right at her feet?

"Do you need anything?" she offered lamely, hoping that Mabry really needed her to find Medrau, preemptively apologize to Song, and then punch the bitch in the jaw. Granted, it was highly unlikely, but it was a nice little fantasy.

[ariakitsune.livejournal.com]

"Y'know, I think I've been here before," Aria said conversationally to Pancake.

She didn't know how the critter was the first to find her but, there it was.

"I have the strangest urge to suggest storming the castle but, I think we'll see if we can sniff out some friends first."

Pancake didn't seem to have any objections.

"Lucky I keep supplies on me all the time, huh? No pancakes though." The critter made a sad face at the last part but, otherwise didn't do anything besides sniff curiously at their surroundings.

[thirteenth_brat]

Roxas was somewhere in the town, recognizing the place from the attempted recon many months ago, when he'd somehow managed to get turned into a frog and the later rescue of the Princesses. He would have been curious to look around but for a more immediate concern.

He still held Sora's pendant firmly in hand, the broken chain dangling free. It was the main reason he hadn't arrived ready to fight, being somewhat stricken. Sora was never without this pendant. That Roxas had it with no sign of Sora anywhere was worrying enough. That it seemed to have been taken forcibly... Roxas didn't even want to think about what could have happened. He needed to find his friends and he needed to find them now.

If only he knew where to start looking...

[le-king.livejournal.com]

Kairi had found King Mickey before he'd even found himself. Or at least, that's how it felt. He was a little disoriented after everything that had happened, but she was determined to get her message across - she and the few other Princesses of Heart she'd located in this place.

"King Mickey! We know where to find the Door to Light!"

He'd immediately picked himself to his feet, Keyblade in hand, and followed after the excited young women. Before long, they stumbled onto another Key Bearer, and Kairi rushed toward him, relieved to see that Roxas was okay.

"Roxas!"

[thirteenth_brat]

Roxas wasn't one hundred percent certain he'd actually heard Kairi at first, so he didn't respond right away. When he heard her actually say his name, then he turned to look. Though it was a relief to see her okay, he couldn't speak past the lump in his throat, though.

All his numbed mind could come up with was to hand over Sora's pendant, with its broken chain and pretty much unmistakable blood stains.

[ryuuzoku-aya.livejournal.com]

"RARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHH!!"

It sounded like the roar of some kind of monster. Maybe a Denizen of the Darkness sent to torment the prisoners. What it really was, arguably, was much worse.

Aya had arrived.

Those that hadn't seen her for months would be hard-pressed to recognize her. She was lean and far more tank from days spent out in the desert hunting monsters. Her clothing seemed more in line with what someone of Ivalice would wear though she had certainly forgone any of the midriff-baring styles that were so popular on that world. It was as if, despite denying the title on the community, she was trying to aim for the fancier fashions that Sky Pirates usually roll with. Her goggles, those special ones, were around her neck as she was unwilling to let her trump card out of her sight in these times.

The scarred woman spins around, looking mildly surprised to be alive. It was dark here, certainly as dark as she had seen when she peered through the Lenses of Time to view the fate of a man she saw pulled down before her. This good fortune is immediately forgotten as she lurches over to the nearest wall, gripping it with both hands, then driving her head against it.

"GET OUT!" she howled, slamming her head against it. Immediately, she pulled away at the pain, "Damn you to hell!"

open thine eyes

Defiantly, she bashed her head against the wall again.

[sandandflannel.livejournal.com]

Funny, Koios thought as he neared the famed Ice Wolf, that it wasn't Roxas that had caught his attention. Oh, of course, this situation gave him plenty to taunt the boy about. But he'd gotten that out of his system, after having one Heartless deliver him a little gift.

And surprisingly enough, this little visit wasn't for taunting purposes in the least. No, it was something more like curiosity that spurred him to leave the castle and come to greet this one. She was one of the ones who had caught his attention the most. She was one of the ones who would likely hate him the most, for what he was. But she was also one of the ones he found himself believing could teach him what he wanted to know.

"I never thought you'd resort to self-mutilation," he said mildly, coming to a slow stop to watch the scene. "I imagined you'd be too proud for that."

Responding to Aria + Koios over here at once

[ryuuzoku-aya.livejournal.com]

Aya really did look like she's trying to chop down a building with her head. It didn't seem to be working out for her very well, the second strike having about as much effectiveness as the first. Cringing, she lets her throbbing skull rest against the cool stone of the building, eyes still squinted shut.

It wasn't just the pain that drew her attention but the added calls of Aria (wisely) from afar and the guy she didn't recognize at all. Koios was little more than a name on the community she had been to busy elseworld to recognize. By the time she started paying attention again, the Nobody had resorted to off-screen dealings and locked posts.

She turned around to face them both, leaning her back against the wall, tired eyes falling upon Koios first. "...I haven't been feelin' like myself today. Who the hell are you?"

[ariakitsune.livejournal.com]

The noise from Aya's arrival drew Aria in her direction.

It took Aria a few to realize that it was Aya when she got close enough to see who had made all the noise.

And the other seemed to be banging her head against a wall... Lovely.

Sounded like it might be a good idea to be a bit cautious in the approach. Pancake actually looked at aria like she was nuts for even thinking of going near the other person.

"So, you trying to break open your head or break down the wall?" she asked when she got close enough to be heard without yelling.

[hyperpsyche.livejournal.com]

Well, that had been therapeutic. Take that, evil... houses... of Darkness... (Ren really hoped that nobody had been inside any of them during Alexander's attack.)

Okay, so it hadn't really accomplished anything productive. But at least Ren had been able to strike back against Jagannatha and his grand scheme in some minor way. That was enough to keep her motivated for the time being.

"So, you pulled a glorified world shift on us. Big frigging deal," Ren muttered, even though she wasn't sure if Jagannatha or any of his allies could hear her at the moment. "Like I'm gonna just lie down and give up because of that."

That said, she pulled out her nailbat and started off in a random direction. The sooner she met up with the others, the sooner they could work together to find a way out of this place.

[fox_the_kitsune]

Ren would probably find Fox first, sword still out, irritated and cursing in a fashion that would make pirates, truckers and Nintendo Hard gamers blush profusely. Growling too, possibly.

Of course she stopped when she realized she had company, but she didn't say anything right away, having reverted quickly from swearing like a mad thing to sulking like a kicked puppy.

[hyperpsyche.livejournal.com]

Even after growing up around her father and his "delightful" habit of cursing up a storm whenever he got irritated, Ren still hesitated to bother Fox until after she had finished... ranting.

"Got dragged here too, huh?" Ren asked, though it was pretty much a stupid question at this point. Well, at least they weren't scattered across a whole bunch of dark worlds, or something. She hoped.

"You're not hurt, are you?"

Meanwhile, outside Alexandria...

[firstmaster.livejournal.com]

Ah, freedom. There was nothing else like it. Being free from the torment of his eternal rival, once again claiming the chance to begin his empire anew...

I still can't believe you actually quoted that, Patrick giggled, bringing a frown to his face. Perhaps Jagannatha could be free from the Light, but there was still his host, for the time being.

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall," a voice whispered lovingly. "Who's the fairest of them all?"

The mirror seemed to contemplate this for a moment from the wall of Radiant Garden's throne room, and, finding Princess Snow White beyond reach, answered, "You, my queen, are the fairest of them all." Queen Grimhilde was delighted, and, he suspected, finally assured of their victory. He smiled to himself, and closed his eyes momentarily, taking a moment to breathe.

He wondered how Maleficent and her students were, and how they were faring. One, he knew, was already against him, should the remaining Allies of Light decide to put up a fight. He also knew that she used Darkness and cunning as the crux of her power, and wondered how she expected to pit that against the First Darkness itself.

Surely, it would be a spectacular thing to see, when the time came.

It Begins...

[hexylady.livejournal.com]

Hex silently walked through the castle, her foot steps echoing in the silence.

The inside of her head, however, was much less quiet.

Direct confronation is a bad idea. The ideal attack would be a direct strike from an elevated position behind the target. However, given it's probably skill set, using portals to move in would be a foolish move, given that it has demonstrated the ability to block transportation to a target area. The possibility also exists that it could read my exit point and react accordingly.

Also, there is a strong possibility that removal of magical capabilities may happen. Conventional weapons have been prepared, along with Conceptual Weapon. Use of Conceptual Weapon will require close range, and may, in fact, not actually work. Best chance to use it would be as soon as possible, confirming functionality, and ending the fight.

Best possible plan is to close in casually, making conversation, and determining threat factors. Based on conversation, conflict resolution may be possible without resorting to extreme measures.

Regardless of how unlikely it actually is.

Possibility of conventional weaponry working directly against Jagannatha: Possible but unlikely. More than likely that any attack would be negated either by shielding, regeneration, or evading the attack.

Possibility of unconventional weaponry working: Highly unlikeley. Elemental affinity would theoretically allow for any and all attacks made this way to fail.

Possibility of Conceptual Weapon working: Approximately fifty-fifty. While still in the prototypical stage, the basic theory is operational. Weapon has performed well in laboratory testing. However, outside of a controlled environment, and against this target, results may very. Possibility exists that the target may have to power to shrug off the attack entirely.

A reminder, on top of all this, is that the target will probably not be alone. Mobilization of unknown allies, Grimhilde, and a large amount of Heartless is very likely.

Recomended plan in this case, once direct assault is attempted, regardless of success or failure, is to flee the premises and avoid being crushed by reinforcements.

Overall likelihood of success is theorized at four to one, against.

Success is defined as survival of the operation, and neutralizing the target. In the event that taking out the target becomes too costly, success shall be redefined as a successful escape.

... Why am I doing this again?

The end of the hallway was drawing closer now.

There's a pretty good chance I could end up dead, or worse given that he has a real Witch working for hin.

Her feet stopped before the massive door. Imposing brass tinted her reflection into a gold hue.

Oh, right. Because the distinct possibility exists that this particular loony has got the Refugees between a rock and a hard place, and I like the universe as is.

Dear Lord, everything must be pretty screwed up if I'm acting in the interest of Light. I really hate my sense of pragmatism sometimes.

With that final thought, Hex opened the door.

"Jagannatha. Sorry to burst in like this, but I've got a few questions for you."

[firstmaster.livejournal.com]

"Ah. I wondered when you would make your appearance." He smiled pleasantly at her from his throne, not a trace of suspicion on his face. "Please, successor, come in. Make yourself comfortable."

[creepy-son-of-a.livejournal.com]

Seph wasn't near the castle but, he was in Radiant Garden.

He wandered about in Rainbow's End. It's emptiness disturbed him.

He'd already looked in the most likely places to find Jagannatha besides this world. That the Darkness seemed to have chosen the world many of the Refugees considered home...

[ondraedan.livejournal.com]

Rainbow's End wasn't as empty as Seph might have thought. After the Darkness had claimed all the annoyances in the house, Awiergan had gone back upstairs with Eli to finish Amy's packing, with the addition of a certain green leather book, which she'd pulled out from under the bed. At least Jalen had fallen for that little ruse. Once finished, she and the child had departed to her own little hidey hole...for a time. Eventually it became clear that Eli's current favorite toy had been left behind, and he wouldn't sleep without it. More to the point, he wouldn't stop crying without it.

Rolling her eyes heavenward and wondering why she was bothering, Awiergan bundled Eli into the ridiculous baby carrier she'd dragged along (How could her Other wear this thing?) and opened a portal to the house. Within minutes she'd found Eli's 'Bara', a stuffed toy rose with a ladybug sewn onto one of the leaves.

"I hope you're happy now. You won't be getting spoiled like this once we see Maleficent, I'll have you know. At that point your childhood is over."

Eli only laughed, cuddling the toy. Awiergan softened slightly, stroking his hair. "Well, maybe you can have an extension on it with me." She paused suddenly, frowning. Had those been footsteps?

[seolearo.livejournal.com]

Everything blured, and began to sway. Ray's hand shot out to the nearby wall. The attempt at stabilizing everything failed miserably, and she found herself sinking to the ground with a shudder.

The pain from those scratches hadn't been this bad before they'd gotten here. Adrenaline, probably. How deep were the wounds? How much blood had she lost? Did the Darkness that had pulled her in make it worse? Certainly, being sick didn't help, and unfortunately, she was considerably lacking in potions after having been told to stay out of the fight for a while, so it wasn't going to be getting healed anytime soon.

Fat lot of good staying out of trouble had done.

She rested her forehead on the wall, still leaning on it with one arm. This wasn't how the day was supposed to go. It was supposed to be a normal day, a regular old walk to Aerith's to get some medicine. How could this have happened? A simple walk shouldn't have turned out like this...

But it had. Wherever the Darkness had taken her, Ray wasn't in Radiant Garden anymore. This was hostile territory, as far as she was concerned, and they could hardly let some narcissistic jerkass - Jagannatha, really? - keep them here.

Not that she was going to be much help like this...

[amys-keeper.livejournal.com]

When the Darkness spit Jalen back out, he scrambled to his feet, turning around wildly as he called for his wife and son. When he received no response, he dropped to his knees and swore, fists impacting the ground. He stayed that way, head bowed, for a few minutes, fighting back the panic in his heart and replacing it with rage. He would find them, they would go home. But for now...he needed to find the others.

Jalen got to his feet and began to wander, cursing his lack of a sword, or anything else useful, until he remembered his wife's holding bracelet. Right before she'd handed him Eli, she'd pulled it off and clasped it around his wrist.

"Your sword's already in there. Just in case."

"But- your sword, and everything else-"

She'd gestured to the bed, where her old method of carrying her weapons and supplies lay, half-full already.

"That backpack is ancient."

"Trust me."

"Trust me," He muttered. "Saelig, what were you up to?"

Jalen paused as he thought he saw a figure in the distance, slumped against a wall. There was something-

Ray.

He sprinted over and knelt next to her. "Ray?"

[seolearo.livejournal.com]

Oh, look, something familiar. So she wasn't so alone, after all. She turned slowly to look at him, a small smile playing at the corner of her lips. "Jalen," she murmured. "It got you, too. Where are we?"

A little later after her chat/maybe-fight with Koios...

[ryuuzoku-aya.livejournal.com]

(OOC: Koios mun might not be around for some time so to avoid being PARIS CURSED there is a small timeskip ahead of a day or two here.)

Aya stumbled forward like a zombie, glassy, blood-shot eyes glaring around her, daring Denizen of Light and Heartless native to cross her. Anything for an excuse to flip out and attack someone. Unusually, Aya had been rather well behaved thus far: she hadn't actually picked a fight with anyone. Yet.

move

"Let go of me, demon." She muttered to herself, uncaring if those around her heard. Too many others already called her crazy, she didn't mind adding to that group. It at least kept the enemies she had pulled in her with her far enough away.

thy Heart and Mind know my kin
time dwindles
move

Rounding a corner, she stumbled into an open square, crammed with other Denizens of Light from all worlds, huddling together, coping with their imprisonment. Spirits broken, most had withdrawn into themselves and hardly paid yet another person any attention. Aya's nose curled distastefully at the scene, drawing her gaze across the crowd until something caught her eye, something big.

The castle of Alexandria. The massive, beautiful structure she'd seen before so long ago in an FMV. But there was something else, another reason it was so familiar.

remember

Visions swarmed her mind and her eyes widened. "THAT...!" she shouted, pointing at the magnificent castle, "It's there! It's THERE! I SAW IT! THAT'S THE WAY!"

A nearby mother and child looked up at her, terrified and curious of her ravings.

"The Light." Aya whispered hoarsely, "I need to find them. I have to tell the others!" Without another moment's hesitation, she turned on her heel and ran.

If Roxas showed up, it was a fight and since he is in that thread now <.<

[thirteenth_brat]

Roxas was headed toward the castle anyway, knowing that Kairi and the King had mentioned that the Princess could sense the light and they had then headed off toward the castle. He could hope that they hadn't done the crazy thing and tried to go after the door alone.

He bumped into Aya as she was turning to run off... literally.

"Whoa! What's the rush?"

A Dark Keyblader approaches. Will fight off 2-3 Refs.

[best-offense.livejournal.com]

Some people just look... at home, on the battlefield. This guy was a pinnacle that exemplifies such thoughts. He looked rough and mean, standing casually surveying the various choices of who to fight. It wasn't a peaceful look on his face, but one might mistake it for such a look, he looked pleased. Happy about what was or was going to happen.

A dark surge of energy formed under his left hand and a keyblade appeared. Black designs graced a silver finish, the keyblade had a smooth mirrored look to it and was a single piece of metal save the handle. The guard, the shaft, the teeth were all a finished mirrored metal.

Maybe talking to him might do some good?