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

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."

[hexylady.livejournal.com]

"If you don't mind, I'll stand." A promising start. He's obviously been expecting me, but hasn't reacted by immediately taking action. No visible sign of suspicion either. Weapons are concealed beneath my coat, so he shouldn't notice them unless he closes in and tries and tries to grapple me or something. I've got the Ten-Chi Ken tucked into my sleeve, but I don't think he's noticed that either.

"Say, I've asked a couple of times before, but I've never actually gotten a straight answer from anyone. Just, what kind of place does the universe become, if you 'win', and the Refugees don't come tearing it all down?"

[firstmaster.livejournal.com]

"It will be a sanctuary for my kind, of course. A place where we are not threatened and ruthlessly destroyed by those of the Light for no other reason than we are different. We will rule, we will be safe, and we will prosper." Jagannatha's golden eyes glittered as they watched the girl, his would-be successor. His voice, when he spoke, was saturated with cold passion. Nothing would threaten his goals. "You should be well aware that not all Denizens of Darkness are Heartless. Some, like your fellows in Maleficent's Academy of Shadows, are the purified Darkness of a person, with all their intelligence intact. What you may not know is that all Heartless have the potential to grow into such beings, and in my World, they will all become so. Without the Denizens of Light to constantly thwart the path of evolution, all of Darkness will thrive."

[hexylady.livejournal.com]

Golden eyes. Probably one of the biggest give aways for a user of dark magic, along with loss of hair pigmentation. What I've come to call 'Corruption'.

Hex hadn't noticed it in herself, just yet. But then, what with how much dye she used on one occasion or the other, she probably wouldn't notice her hair changing color. And she certainly never spent much time looking into her own eyes in a mirror.

Still...

"You know, you didn't actually answer my question, did you?" Confidently, but make it clear that he's still the bigger fish. "What, exactly, happens to the larger universe? A silent death? A fiery ressurection? A final war against light, to put out the last burning embers?"

"And, of course, the biggest question of all, subjectively speaking. What happens to me, in this new world of yours?" Well, I suppose it all hinges around here. I listen to the wind, and decide whether or not to cast my dice.

[firstmaster.livejournal.com]

"As I told the little bird, destruction of the Light would be pointless, resulting in the death of all creation. No, that is not our aim. The universe, as you call it, would not die, nor would there be any need for resurrection. It would simply change, for the better of Darkness."

A slow smile spread over his lips. "And you, successor mine. You, if you so choose, would be welcome in this World of Darkness. You would be the next in line for inheriting my power. And you would be the proud owner of the rare magics which you seek." Jagannatha took a deep breath, reveling in its taste. "You would be safe here, Hex, with your powers, and there would be no need for you to attack myself or anyone else. You would finally have a home, where you truly belong."

[hexylady.livejournal.com]

He knows.

It wasn't that much of a surprise. She had all but announced her plans to the worlds. But still, it was disheartening to hear it from his own lips.

The part about the attack, at least.

Her own home, or lack there of, was the more shocking part. She had spinkled details here and there, yes. Truth was always best, to give everything else versimilitude. But still...

It's a trick, a calculated gamble. He knows you want something, and is offering to give it to you. He can't know much you... He just can't.

Why did she want it so much, then?

Hex had spent a very long time being a Witch. She had thrown part of herself away, cutting off a bit of her own heart for it. She had passed the point of no return long ago.

Could it really be so easy?

Another part of her mind caught something else, and to drive the silence in the room off, not to mention buy her time, passed it on to her mouth.

"'Proud Owner'? 'Inheriting'? There's no point in just giving someone magic." Still cool and confident. Totally sure sounding, and completely at odds with herself. "Power must be earned, experience gained, and technique refined, for it to have value."

Internally, the wheels kept on spinning.

Her own choices had led to what had happened, there was no doubt about that. With that thought, an old numb feeling returned to her chest. It had been awhile she felt this last. Disconnection. Weighing the lives of others against my own needs.

Personal security could potentially be increased. Mental needs for socialization, satisfied. Resources for research could improve. Personal magic could be greatly empowered.

Parts of her own heart began to resist that cold process. Many would likely die. Increased darkness in the world spark more wars, and Heartless would rise to consume the survivors. By failing to act here, millions of lives would be lost.

No, not failing to act. Just choosing not to. And what were the lives of people she didn't know worth anyway?

Another piece of her mind thawed. Home... could he really just...?

Then, her Heart began to burn. Return it? Return what? Everything that happened was my own choice. What can he do to change that? Home doesn't exist for one such as I. Homes have to be made. This isn't like some spell you can just conjure and be done with. It's not so simple as even creating a conceptual weapon.

Home is a creation of the Heart, a place that is shared with other Hearts. To just wave his hands, execute some big master plan, and just do things like that? It couldn't be that simple, that easy.

And if something felt too good to be true, it generally was. Especially, in her case.

[firstmaster.livejournal.com]

Chuckles bubbled forth. "Now, now, successor. I never said that anything would be served to you on a silver platter. You're exactly right. Even if I wanted to simply give everything to you, it would not be true power. That would have to be earned, and refined, over time. But I am offering you a safe haven in which to work toward what you wish. I would personally help you do as much, should you ask. Such is hardly the life you could expect from one with the Denizens of Light still around, always ready and more than willing to thwart you. I daresay you have had experience with that already."

He leveled his gaze on her, his voice empty of passion, challenge, or any other emotion. "And yet, you are still here to challenge me."

Silence reigned.

After a moment, Jagannatha breathed a deep sigh of resignation. "The decision is yours, of course. It isn't as if, by allowing you to remain free, I stripped you of your freedom. Therefore, successor, the question remains: what will you choose?"

[hexylady.livejournal.com]

Almost all potential for surprise attack lost. The longer this drags out, the lower the odds of success get.

Of course, now he's giving me good reasons to not want to try.

Hex wanted to distrust him. To hate him. To go over, and shoot him in the face.

But she couldn't. Or if she did, it wouldn't the kind of decisive blow she would need in order to win.

I'm paralyzed, Hex realized. I can't make up my mind. I don't know what to do. I actually almost want him to win, to see it come to pass. But, at the same time, I know he's probably lying about something. I can't trust him, no matter how much I want to. I need more time. I can't just make up my mind like this.


Wait a second. This is an ideal point in time for this kind of thing to happen, but that's it. An ideal point. It can be recreated, repeated. If I can't make up my mind now, then I can stop it now and just choose later.

It sounded flimsy, and very much like a desperate rationaliztion. Her mind flicked back to the nature and nurture argument. Was she trying to rationalize because of her base nature? Was her inner 'light' trying to manipulate her? Possible.

She needed to think, but it was thinking too hard that got her into this, made her question herself.

Her heart was tugging at her alot today. It hadn't done as much for ages, and now it practically wanted to rip itself out of her chest.

What to do, what to do?

What to choose?

'Not choosing, is in itself, a choice. To let the winds of fate blow where they will, and see what is uncovered, there is nothing wrong with that.'

Old advice. She felt it was cowardly somehow. But...

It made sense.

"You know, something else occurs to me." The confidence in her tone felt more honest this time. "I don't know what you'll be doing, on that 'other side'. Ruling? Trying to pull off another trick like this?"

She'd wait. Make some honest conversation, learn, and worry about choosing if it became neccesary.

The world was at a cross roads, and she had a choice in where it might go. She'd choose when she decided to.

[firstmaster.livejournal.com]

"I suppose one could say I would be 'ruling,'" he replied, choosing his words carefully. "The primary goal, of course, would be to ensure that the peace in this World of Darkness would not be disturbed."

The shroud around Alexandria must be kept intact at all costs, he added silently. But there should be no one outside it short of Maleficent or Jagannatha himself powerful enough to destroy it. But of course, this should be a World that Maleficent and her disciples would very much enjoy. Why should they attack him, or the shroud itself? As far as Jagannatha was concerned, they had every reason not to.

Of course, the World of Darkness would end, sooner or later. It was simply how the World worked. But for now, it was his turn to dominate.

No one Denizen of Light or Chosen of Darkness would keep him from that.

"Is this a problem, Hex?"

[hexylady.livejournal.com]

"Peace, hmm?"

Another disturbingly sane idea. Nothing about 'absolute rule', 'religion', or even 'taxes' came into it. But, for the sake of that one precious treause, it was easy to just throw some things away. And, unless one was careful, they might spend far too much to preserve it.

"No, I suppose not. In the end, it'll be almost like nothing at all has changed. The same stars under the night sky, the same lands under them, and the same people walking them." There. Her last trap. If you could call it that. Judge the reaction to the statement, and then use that as a basis to make your choice.

The last fork. The very last thing she could think of to trip him up.

Look at his face, look closely, all without seeming to. As he's listening to what you say, as he thinks it, as he responds. Take it all in. This is the final criteria that you'll have, before he makes his move from 'very powerful' to 'extremely powerful'. Look at him, and decide if this is the man you would trust with the fate of infinity.

[firstmaster.livejournal.com]

"No, successor," Jagannatha corrected her, eyes flashing. "True, it will be the same stars, and the same lands, albeit minutely altered to better suit the new order. But there will not be the same people walking them. The Denizens of Light have had their time. Now, it is mine, and that of my people. It is our turn to roam freely throughout the World, to build our lives and shape the world themselves as any creature would, or die."

He turned from her at that moment, eyes looking haunted as they glazed over in his silence. Queen Grimhilde watched Hex with wary disinterest in the meantime. "I suppose those 'same people' will still be walking the lands. As I have told you, they are safe and will remain so unless they move to harm me and mine. But they will not walk all the lands. Nor will they see those stars. The Denizens of Light have lost, dear successor," his voice turned cold as he looked back to her, "and if they wish to ever see the stars again, they will have to seize them from me, once and for all."

[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?

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

Seph froze at the sound of a child's laughter. If he'd spent more time around him he might not have taken so long to realize who's laughter it was.

This time making an effort to be silent, he went towards the sound. It was very unlikely that the child was here alone.

[ondraedan.livejournal.com]

Straining to hear, Awiergan scowled. Damn it, she couldn't tell if- Well, now she was being stupid. If Amy could do it so could she. Closing her eyes for just a moment, she tapped into Amy's little 'gift'. The girl was good at sensing people, wasn't she? So maybe it could tell her who was here.

Someone that was dark, but comfortable. ...That didn't make any sense. She was tempted to release her hold on Amy long enough to ask but decided against it.

"Time to get out of here, Elijah. We've got company." She made sure the kid had a good grip on his toy and opened a portal. Coming back here had been a dumb idea.

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

And that was when Seph found them.

Before he even realized it, his sword was between the woman and the portal. However, he recovered his composure in an instant.

"Oh but you just got here," he said with a smirk. "It would be rude to leave without even saying 'hello'."

Apparently stress brought out his inner creeper.

[ondraedan.livejournal.com]

Oh. It was him. Now Amy's vibes made sense. Only she could be comfortable around a remnant of Darkness wielding a six foot long sword. The obvious joke occurred to her then, and she made a note to taunt Amy with it later.

"All right then, so hello. Would you mind removing your impossibly long weapon? It's past the little one's nap time, and he's grumpy."

To the contrary, and much to Awiergan's annoyance, instead of yawning or crying, or anything a baby did when they were grumpy, Eli instead beamed at Seph, waving his toy.

"Seph! Hi!"

Oh Darkness, what a mess.

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

Seph had a rather difficult choice to make. If he let the woman go he could possibly be giving up his one chance of getting the kid out of an enemy's hands.

If he decided to try taking the child from the woman he'd then have to take care of him. That would be rather inconvenient. Not to mention Seph didn't know the first thing about taking care of children.

"You have an odd definition of grumpy." The sword remained where it was. He was almost surprised that the boy knew his name. He'd barely spent any time near him when he still lived at Rainbow's End.

[ondraedan.livejournal.com]

"More like Eli does."

She frowned down at the toddler, who had begun to bounce in the hip carrier, reaching out for Seph. She took a step back, away from the sword barring her way. Her options, as she saw them, were rather limited. She could open another portal and possibly be skewered in the process (Or Eli could, by accident, and the thought sent a shudder through her); She could give him the kid and come back later (Oh, but what a bother), or she could freak him out and toss Amy at him. It wasn't what she'd intended when she'd taken over this last time; Awiergan had plans for her Other to stay locked up and out of her way for a very long time. Not to mention her secret would get out a lot faster and she'd lose the element of stealth. On the other hand, no one trusting Amy anymore...that'd be entertaining to watch.

"Want to know a secret?~"

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

"You've piqued my curiosity."

Really Seph was debating whether he should try to take the kid. Honestly the woman would probably do a better job of taking care of him. It already seemed as if she was good at it.

[ondraedan.livejournal.com]

"The Darkness is always a lot closer than you think."

The portal faded and Awiergan smiled at him, stroking Eli's hair. The little boy glanced up at her, tilting his head to the side as if he was seeing something not obvious to Seph. Then, it was.

The woman's red hair began to fade to a lighter color, a brownish blonde. Brown eyes shifted to blue-grey, and a set of glasses appeared on her face. The clothes she was wearing, a thin green summer dress, stayed the same. Amy blinked a couple times and shook her head, confused.

"What- Eli?"

She frowned down at the child on her hip, who by now was beaming and patting her chest.

"Mama! Mama, hi to Seph!"

Amy raised her head and stared blankly at Seph for a moment before lifting Eli out of the hip carrier. She cuddled him in her arms and seated herself on the floor.

Just in case she got the rug yanked out from under her again.

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

Seph wasn't exactly surprised. He'd half suspected almost everyone since finding out about Song.

The question now was what to do. The other was clearly better at taking control and there were few options. He wasn't even sure whether he had one of the options with him. The tiny world in the orb would probably be useful in this situation...

"Are you alright?" She didn't seem it but, he had to say something.

[ondraedan.livejournal.com]

Amy heard his question but it took her a few seconds to respond to it. She looked up from her study of Eli's fingers and nodded.

"Mostly. I think. Just...surprised. Too much tea with Darkness-infested plushies, you know."

Sure, like that would make sense to him. So she was out of her prison now, but-

"The others are gone, aren't they? Have you- have you heard from them?" Jalen was okay, she knew he was. Her warrior tuna. He was probably kicking Darkness ass from here to Kingdom Hearts, right now. Song, though, and everyone else...