Kingdom Hearts: The Keyblade War

[Key Wielder]

There is nothing simplistic in life. There is no life without death, no winning without losing, no hope without despair. There is no light without darkness. There is no peace without war.

No war can be fought without losing the things that one holds dear to him. His most cherished possessions can be stripped from him in the blink of an eye; his family, cease to exist at the snap of a finger. Love becomes anguish; despair becomes hatred. Such has the nature of war ever been. The good who maintain their will to fight lose themselves in the passion of the battle, falling victim to the villain within, perhaps irrevocably. The evil persist, believing their motives, if not their actions, to be good. The lines of morality are blurred and soon lost in the shuffle of bodies slowly building on either side.

For in war, there is no such thing as good or evil. It is simply a matter of who is the strongest, the most thorough in detecting and exploiting the weaknesses of their enemies. It is not a matter of wills, but a matter of actions. Wars are not always won by those with good intentions. In the end, intentions are of little importance to the survivors in light of the fact that they are still living at all.

War is not about whose intentions are purest. War is about who is left when the slaughter ends.

Yet wars are still fought, and they shall be so long as there is something worth fighting for. Even something that no one man could ever control.

Kingdom Hearts: The Keyblade War​

Sign-Ups and OOC​

Radiant Garden. There was no world among the stars that exuded light so brilliantly, so completely. It was no wonder that everywhere she went, people spoke of this world as though it was some kind of paradise. In a sense, she supposed it was. People lived free from care here, far from the war that was currently waging across multiple worlds. Darkness couldn’t seem to stretch its fingers quite this far. True to its name, the world radiated light, as did its inhabitants. They lived carefree lives, undaunted and basking in the knowledge that everyone else could only wish they were so lucky. Darkness was a distant threat and something unworthy of their attention. Their world would never be conquered or ruled by something so contemptible.

Or so they thought.

As Llyndellia looked down upon them all from her lofty perch atop the castle’s highest tower, disdain colored her features more noticeably than the early afternoon sun. They were all so naïve, so blind as to what was really happening. The darkness was already within them, clutching their insides with just as much potency as it did their enemies. They hated that darkness with every fiber of their being, allowing them to become haughty as they fooled themselves into believing that their world was immune.

That they were safe.

In reality, no one was safe. They never were. The darkness would have its day here, possibly even sooner than anyone could have imagined. After all, she had followed it here, hadn’t she? Llyndellia had followed that dark aura from world to world, unwaveringly yet inconspicuously, allowing them to do her work for her. The dark wielders she had been tracking were seeking the same thing she was. Working with them was indubitably out of the question; keeping an eye on them made her task easier.

Let them hunt for the entrance to that most sacred of places. Let them think that they could take Kingdom Hearts for their own. They were fools. When they found that door, the fighting would begin. It was said that no one man could control Kingdom Hearts, yet Llyndellia was willing to bet her Keyblade and every last one of her possessions that each one would be vying for their chance to make the attempt. In spite of all they had been through together in their search, they would turn against each other; they would argue and fight amongst themselves. In due course, they would take each other’s lives to keep anyone else from claiming what they so desperately desired: to be more than what they were.

When that finally happened, Llyndellia would be there to step over the fallen imbeciles and claim Kingdom Hearts for her own. Not that she truly wanted it for the reasons they did. As soon as she found what she was looking for within its depths, she couldn’t care less what happened next.

For now, on the other hand, she would watch and wait. Keeping the dark wielders a world ahead of her was always the goal, but this had been too interesting to pass up. One of them had left something rather valuable behind in the last world she’d pursued them to: a journal. They had found it, or so they thought—the entrance to Kingdom Hearts. Darkness could only exist in conjunction with light; a world with an overabundance of light must also have an overabundance of darkness.

Could this world be where the hearts of all worlds were connected? For her part, Llyndellia seriously doubted it. Who had ever said that Kingdom Hearts was filled with darkness, anyway? Yet a strong enough light might indicate the presence of more than one—perhaps enough to fill the night sky. Whether they found it or not, the possibility was certainly undeniable, and one worth exploring.

So she would wait. The dark wielders would do her work for her.

. . .

Radiant Garden. A hole brimming with that despicable light. The inhabitants of this world adored it, practically worshipped it. How could they be so naïve, so blind to the fact that they were truly imprisoned by it?

Darien stared around him in disgust, taking in the scenery as though everything was a personal affront. Happiness. Contentment. Confidence. Security.

Man, were they dumb. Every last one of them believed that they were safe here, thought the war would never reach their doors. No, not their precious world; there was too much light here for that nonsense. It would purge the darkness and allow them all to live carefree lives, or so they thought. Yet it wasn’t the darkness that was smothering them, forcing them to be what they weren’t. None of them were truly happy—he knew that now. The unfortunate part was that they couldn’t look within themselves and realize it.

Scoffing at the sound of laughing children, Darien jerked his head toward the gates at the end of the outer gardens. Two of his men nodded and left to gauge their situation. He had sent others ahead nearly a week ago; they should have something to report by now. All he could hope was that they would have enough information to make their search a little easier. The less time they spent hunting for their quarry, the better; they were already receiving a few slightly suspicious looks from the inhabitants of this world who could sense that they weren’t like everyone else.

Darkness was like a disease here. No one wanted to risk catching it.

Smiling politely at a woman who was staring at him with narrowed eyes, Darien slipped his hands into his pockets and followed the other two men nonchalantly, trying not to draw attention to the small group of dark wielders. The woman shook off her suspicions and returned the smile tentatively, the apology evident in her eyes. She was truly sorry for thinking he was one of them, the monsters terrorizing worlds so far from her own. It was an apology for thinking he was one of those darkness-wielding abominations she could only imagine, given that it was unlikely they would ever make it to Radiant Garden.

The apology was unnecessary. That was, after all, exactly what he was.

Darien stopped in the shadow of the gate, the small band of his remaining members coming to a halt along with him. When he was sure no one would overhear, he turned to them with a smirk.

“Sharp eyes, gentlemen. Sharp senses. The light reeks pretty badly in this world, so pay attention for anything that doesn’t have that same stench. It will lead us to what we’re looking for, or at least something we can use to find it.”

They were hanging on his every word, the lust shining in their nods and grins. It gave Darien a good feeling as they slowly dispersed, everyone moving in different directions to cover as much ground as possible. A part of him thought they were following another lead to yet another dead end, though. Radiant Garden would be too easy a location to guess if the right people were in charge; Kingdom Hearts should have been found ages ago if it were here.

Still, there was no knowing until they checked. And regardless, there were still a few things that could be accomplished today…

“Let’s go,” he ordered the two men who had stayed with him, heading toward the center of the city.

 

[Grandsword]

in the center of the city on sat a man with long white hair, wearing a red hat and a black and blue metal visor, with a red scarf covering his lower face, the majority of it drapped over his chest and shoulders, covering an armor made of the same material of his visor; the man pulled out a spanish guitar and began strumming a lively tune (Santana - into the night lyrics - YouTube )

 

[nightmarezeroX9]

In a small diner, tucked neatly away in a corner of one of the many busy streets of Radiant Garden, sat Jinsei in one of the corner booths. He had a good seat, at least he though, viewing everything that was happening outside. He could see the busy people, frantically trying to get to their destination, the people lazily walking about like they haven't a care in the world, all of those sorts of things. At the moment, Jinsei didn't have much to do, since he had just finished a meal that could have been used to feed a couple. Luckily he had plenty of money to pay for his food. All of the odd jobs he's been doing ever since he left home has been bringing in quite enough money to get him where he needs to be, especially the mercenary work. Even though most of the crap he was hired to do was dangerous, there wasn't one that he was unable complete. Thinking about all of that though made him instinctively touch the scar that ran down his eye. That's what he gets for partaking in such dangerous things. Remembering that day clearly, he was tasked to escort a wealthy man that had many enemies, and surely, they had hired some bandits to ensure his demise. One was able to sneak up and catch him off guard, slicing his sword straight down. Jinsei wasn't sure if he could count it a blessing or not that he still kept his eye sight.

Paying his bill and leaving the diner, Jinsei didn't really have much to do. He could go to a park, or go check out a few of the shops that are around here. Thinking about it, he had heard that towards the center of the town, there were quite a few shops that had great souvenirs, something he could take back to Port Royal once he ever decided to return there. Sighing a little, his destination in mind, Jinsei set out towards the center of town. Hopefully something would be there to ease the boredom, because if there wasn't, this trip here would be incredibly short lived. Being here was nice and all, and the scenery was certainly worth it, but for being a somewhat large place, there wasn't all that much that appealed to him at all. Maybe it was his preferences, or maybe he really couldn't see what people found fun here. Whatever the case being, he continued his walk towards the very center of Radiant Garden, not getting his hopes up in these shops that he had heard of.

 

[Jaesung]

"Gahhh...This town is so orange!"
Luke says in astonishment. He looks around at every building, every light, every marvelous splash of orange. He just walks around with just aww. Luke speaks to himself
"This sure beats getting chased by pirates, 1000 feet statues, and even getting turned into a lion!". He chuckles with the fun memories from his previous journeys. He continues walking up a steep road way, while looking around seeing a really cool skateboard left on the ground. "Huh, who would leave that there?". He moves on seeing this small ice cream stop along the way and moves closer towards it. "I'll have...that sky blue color please!" "Sea-salt? That is our most popular flavor!" Says the cashier. Luke pay's the cashier the munny and starts sitting and laying down on the wall near the the stop relaxing and frequently licking the ice cream. "When I come back, I'll be sure to get more!" He says to the cashier, while recycling the stick.

Luke heads over to the Tram station looking at the sun. He puts his duffel bag down just to relax. "I've never seen a sunset like this before. Did I maybe live here before? The man did say "Go to the twilight", and this town is called Twilight Town. Well time to move on..WOAH WHAT?!" He looks down seeing his duffel bag has disappeared. Luke turns around and sees a hooded figure with his bag going in to a Dark oval shaped portal. Luke chases the figure into the portal. After entering he sees that his bag is near a bench at a park nice and tidy. He begins to grab it but stops and looks around. "Where am I?" He looks over at a sign. "Radiant..Garden?"

 

[Grandsword]

hearing the sound of a portal closing and seeing a rather confused young man the figure stopped playing and whistled in Luke's direction " yep, radiant garden...and judging from that portal of your's closing; i'd say you'll staying a while..." the figure gave a hardy and inviting laugh and strummed his guitar a bit "go ahead and take a seat; I'll play you a tune" he said, playing a short bit of music "so, where ya from?, i'm country folk, myself; so a city like this is a nice change in scenery"

 

[Jaesung]

"Dang..there goes another taste of that ice cream...".
Luke looks at the man with a rather strange taste in appearance. Agreeing to his offer, he sits down listening towards the man's music from his guitar. "Me? I really don't have any memories of my home, let alone family.." Luke says in a depressed tone though he realizes the wrong he is doing so gives nice laugh and smiles and continues "...but since because of it, I have been to many worlds and I'm enjoying every second of it!". Luke relaxes and relieves his tension by grabbing a blade of grass. Closing his eyes and whistling along to the man's music.

Luke opens his eyes stops blowing into the grass and speaks to the man "You sure have an amazing talent with that guitar of yours". He says the man continuing to play the guitar. He looks around and sees how different that mans clothing differs towards the resident of this new radiant town. Luke smiles and gives him a quick applause. "My name is Luke, From how you're dressed I can tell you're not from this place either, are you country knight?" Luke says jokingly from how his armor seems to not fit his country vibe.

 

[Grandsword]

the man gave a laugh "haven't you ever heard of the saying for king and country?" he said playing out a high note "as for where i'm from, i'm a wanderer, i go from place to place; strangely i always end up coming back here, it's just the people i guess.." the tune starts taking a more somber tone
" it's funny, so many pasts, both good and bad, yet they still cling to light; heh, in a way they're lucky, cause they have a choice.." he says finishing the tune and starting to walk away before turning to luke " before you choose twilight, you might want to take a look at those on the other roads; and just ask yourself if the lone road is really what you want."

 

[ThePromise]

“You know, this isn’t how I figured you’d spend your birthday Jun.” A slim and beautiful woman stood just behind the boy in question, his legs crossed and his eyes closed as he kept watch over a group of women in the rice fields. Rika could always find him outside China and near one of its many villages. He usually told her where he’d be but sticking to a schedule was sometimes difficult for the both of them. She had intelligence to gather, people to kill ..whereas Junichi wanted to calm his mind and occasionally kill people that crossed him. Due to many incidents where challenges were left severely crippled, the young man had chosen to keep out for a small amount of time and let things die down. The irony of it was, he never started these bouts, he minded his own business unless that business concerned someone innocent.

Rika Masaki knew that this guy was not only once a part of an organization bent on preserving true martial arts and combat, but she also knew that he was for the people too in his own strange way.

Her emerald gaze traveled towards the women hard at work in the fields, letting herself imagine that she too was in such a position. Her beauty, talent, charm all gone to waste. “What’s so interesting about this?”

Junichi wasn’t quick to give her an answer and he had not in fact moved since she arrived behind him. Having watched over this small village for much of his day, it was a time like this where he could gather his thoughts. Big places such as China were nice and displayed a countries growth, but it was loud and filled with ignorance. In villages like these, there were only the men, women, and the children. Soldiers, politics, war ..none of it. Or so he thought.

“..If you’re looking down on these people, don’t.”

“I’m not looking down ..I just wish women had it better here. We’re more than just pickers and tailors and cooks ..society in this place sucks for us, you know.” Rika placed her hands on her hips and frowned at the ones in the field. Perhaps if her clanswomen were still around, they could’ve been taught a few ways to defend themselves better. Most of them were past the prime of their lives and it wouldn’t do them any good. Sighing, she shook her head and stepped beside Junichi, kneeling down and tapping him on the shoulder. “You’re a man now ..don’t you want to celebrate with something better than this, Jun? Come on, I’ll treat you to a yogurt parfait in Radiant Garden.”

“..You mean you’ll seduce a poor guy into getting it for you while you keep all your currency.”

“Duh. Look, they’ll be okay, I’m not asking you to stop doing what you enjoy ..but as a friend, and the only one I really have anymore ..let’s get you something to eat besides apples and buttered noodles, okay?” Rika felt for him and she wanted him to do more than sit down and think for the rest of his life. He seemed so unhappy and no blame could be given; he had lost two fathers after all, and all that could be done was hoping they were out there somewhere, or praying that their demise was quick. She missed her own family, but the time for mourning was gone. They had to move on eventually.

Junichi knew the alternative, and that was likely going to be her hovering around him for the next hour or two begging him to come with her. He could endure that, but it wasn’t something he was willing to endure. His birthday was nothing special and his birth was little to celebrate in his own opinion. Of course people classified as ‘normal’ wouldn’t agree with him. Never did this boy figure his existence was worth cheering for. In fact, before his life would end, there would likely be people cursing this very day. The day he came to life. The day he was saved. The day he was forged into the very thing that stood over their corpses.

There would be a lot of regret for the people he faced in coming days.

Another considerable pause was held until at last he could move his body, standing himself up and grabbing the string of the bag beside him. He opened his white eyes and looked over the women in those fields he kept his watch over, and it seemed that all at once they had all stopped to look at him as well. He was unaware, but despite how he appeared in China, people in the outlying villages tolerated him more than anyone. He was no bandit, not a man with power who abused it for his own gain ..and strangely, they felt safer knowing he was there. With no interaction other than the stares, Junichi would turn his back on them and nod his head in the opposite direction, taking Rika up on her offer without a verbal response.

Jumping back up, Rika would grin and would take the lead he was giving her. As they walked off, Junichi had the urge to take one last look back, but decided against it. They would need to learn to be without him, no matter how much more comfortable they felt knowing he was near.

It wasn’t truly goodbye.

-

“Mmmmmn~” The sultry moan of a young woman caught the baker's eyes. Of course being the one outside of the line and using her arousing tone of voice to get attention, it was inevitable that the man behind the counter would hurriedly finish servicing a couple of other teenagers before scooting down the counter towards the girl in question. “See anything you like?” he smiled widely in an attempt to come off as not only friendly but charismatic, young women often liked a guy who could be exciting.

Rika wasn’t impressed, but boy could she pretend she was. Her body was leaned over the counter very questionably, and the angle of it as well as her very interesting choice of clothing had most of the men inside interested in her goods, rather than the goods this bakery sold. Although the man that was just sold his small cupcakes was free to leave, the girl bent over definitely caught his attention as well as the attention of every other male in that bakery. Fun fact; they were all men. She chose a good time to pull this.

Her emerald eyes looked to the slightly large man who would be servicing her, and those lips curling into a subtle smile would no doubt make that heart of his skip a beat. “Why, I do ..could I have a couple strawberry parfaits topped with some granola? I’m trying to watch my figure but it’s just so sweet and delicious that I can’t help but come here and get one every now and again.” Playing on a pretend lack of confidence, she would look over her shoulder and frown. “You must think I’m a cow, right?”

“NO!!” Simultaneously, the handful of men in the bakery rang out in agreement that Rika was anything but a cow and it took a little effort not to smirk at how easy this was. Putting on that façade of surprise, Rika looked to the various men in the bakery and blinked in surprise. “Oh, well, you all flatter me with your kindness.” turning her attention back to the man servicing her, she was surprised to see he already had two parfaits on the counter just how she wanted them. She didn’t even remember the guy moving, but with charm like hers, men did the impossible to please her. With that kind of power, Rika doubted she’d ever let herself get tied down.

“H-here you go ma’m, just how you wanted, and I even added extra granola for you!” The shopkeeper said, hoping to get in her good graces moreso than the nosey little punks who should’ve left by now.

Rika would lift her right hand up and erect her forefinger before gently running it along the surface of one of the treats, getting it coated in a bit of that fresh yogurt before opening her mouth and slowly moving it to her mouth. It seemed with each passing inch closer, the men seemed to lean in and hang on every second she took. At last forever, she closed her mouth around it and let out a small yelp at how it hit her taste buds. “Mhn!” pulling it out, she had stood normally again and gave that desperate shopkeeper a wink. Instantly the customers were envious and the man who was lucky enough to receive said wink nearly swooned and fell on his back. “That’s good~ I knew this was the best bakery in town. Now, how much is this?”

“That’ll be 50 munn--”

“I'll pay!”
“No, I’ll pay!”
“Nonsense, I’m treating the lady!”

Naturally the alpha in everyone was alive and awake by now. Everyone wanted to get her attention, everyone wanted her name, her touch, her gaze. The shopkeeper wasn’t going to get beat by a bunch of other guys who didn’t even give her what she wanted.

“It’s FREE OF CHARGE!” That instantly shut the rambling up, but for Rika, if she was to secure this entire thing, she’d need to keep it going a little longer.

Relocating her hands to her hips, Rika smiled at him so sweetly that he’d never suspect that that was the plan all along. “Oh, you know how to treat a lady ..but I can’t just ignore how kind these gentlemen were in trying to pay for me. What to do..~” Her left hand came back up and her forefinger was pressed to her lips in thought until suddenly, “I know! Whoever can donate a nice enough tip to this bakery will get to share one with me. How’s that sound?”

It took a second to click, but soon, the rambling was growing yet again. The customers were nearly climbing over the counter in order to pay the man as much money they could while the shopkeeper was busy digging into his own pockets to tip his own establishment. The advantage taken, and the suckers being suckers, Rika gently took her two parfaits and left before anyone else could notice. Even stepping outside the yelling and arguing could still be heard on who had the most money to give, but she did the guy a favor, and that was her good deed of the day. Descending down a few steps and taking a sharp turn, she moved toward one of Junichi’s favorite spots, a central area in the shopping district where there lay a large fountain just ahead. It was still bustling but he’d bear it.

“Good news; I haven’t lost my touch. Mother taught me so good~” Sitting down at a nearby bench, she handed Junichi his parfait and would get to her own, using the plastic spoon provided to scoop a good amount of that delicious treat up and into her mouth.

Taking his own, Junichi would look back to Rika. “Thank you, but I’d prefer you pay out of pocket next time, rather than with the desperation of men.”

“Mn! Hey!” Rika swallowed and leaned over to Junichi, eyes narrowed. “If they’re checking me out, I automatically have dibs on their pockets. It isn’t my fault they’d spend so much money just for me to look at them, and besides,” Rika scooted back to her side and huffed. “They had more than enough money for me to nab on the way out. Not a ton but it could’ve been worse.”

“So not only did you get the parfaits for free, you also stole from them when they were so willing to give it up for you.”

“Yeah, and what’s your point? They didn’t need all that cash and they were willing to surrender it. If they’re so easy to take advantage of, then that’s their fault, not my own.”

They spoke in hushed voices so as not to attract much attention to themselves, but considering this was the shopping district and they were near the edge of town, she didn’t expect anyone to hear them anyway. Despite these small arguments, nothing changed, they were still okay with one another.

“Besides, who are you to lecture me considering all the bones you’ve broken.”

“..Every opponent I've faced deserved the result of my attacks.”

“Just like how those idiots deserved to lose that money. Look, you and I aren’t so different, we just handle our opponents differently. Right?”

“The Masaki clan was special in seduction and deceit, as well as intelligence gathering and murder. I’m familiar with your custom of dealing with the opposite sex ..and yet you’ve never tried to rob me. Why?” Junichi turned his eyes to her.

“I’m not a fan of suicide missions, I knew you weren’t someone to try that with a long time ago ..and besides, you don’t live for money ..you’re special. If the world had more people who cared less about money, it would be a better place for everyone. Reality is, it isn't. I'd gain nothing from taking from you, not even pleasure.”

Junichi would never have guessed had he not known her, but Rika had a good analysis of people she’d known a long time. It was all true, she never attempted to rob him, cheat him, seduce him. In fact, the assassin had done nothing but been there to try and help him if she could, even going so far as to say they were friends. Junichi had never known ‘friends’. He knew opponents, he knew targets, even mentors and comrades ..but never the term ‘friend’. Despite all her cheating and bending of rules, the lack of honor in combat ..she too was a special person.

He’d never admit it though, he couldn’t. Too much affection was weakness and left a hole in your defense. If you cared too much, that meant someone could penetrate that gap in your armor.

Invulnerability was the idea, but his humanity would be that cost.

 

[Jaesung]

Luke attempts to follow the mysterious man but stops "Twi-light...? Does that hooded figure want me to turn the road of darkness?". Luke takes that piece of grass and lays it on his hand. He relaxes and without any effort, his Gaia energy slowly but beautifully engulfs the long grass in a blue cool aura. "Gaia, please keep me from being in the darkness. I've taken to the road of dawn, then off to light. Please". The flower disappears into ashes and Luke throws it in a single movement. While so Gaia's energy releases from Luke's back and takes form of wings and then slowly disperses.

"Well.." Luke grabs his duffel bag and moves toward to the most attractive street. "Off I go, in to Dawn, then to light" He says with a smile venturing to a street that seems to be the most ventured. Luke walks around seeing people smiling at him, and he sees in the corner of his eyes girls giggling and staring at him. He Looks to his left and sees a small Ice cream palor, and he enters it. "Excuse me, do you have an Ice cream called 'Sea-Salt'?.

 

[Key Wielder]

"You there--halt!"

Llyndellia rolled her eyes, donning an expression of innocent confusion before turning to face the castle guard. Admittedly, it had been rather stupid of her to think she could slip out of the castle without being seen, although getting in had been easy enough. Trying to do it twice had been tempting fate, but she was used to that by now.

"Yes, sir?"

"Where did you come from?"

Feigning ignorance, she replied, "Neverland, sir. I only just arrived."

He gave her a stern look, although she could see a slight glimmer of amusement in his hazel eyes. "I meant: what are you doing in the castle without an official escort? Civilians are not permitted beyond the gates unless they are on official business."

"Oh!" Llyndellia covered her face with her hands in embarrassment, shaking her head before looking back at him in dismay. "I'm so sorry! My Master sent me here as part of my training."

"Your master?" He raised an eyebrow. This had to be good.

"Yes, sir!" Making a show of glancing around her to see that no one was watching, Llyndellia summoned her Keyblade in a brief flash of light. The guard's expression was bordering on amazed; with her size and appearance, she assumed she hardly appeared to be the type. "She wanted me to learn all there is about light in all its forms, so she sent me here to see all that this world had to offer. I didn't realize that I needed permission..."

"No, no--please excuse me. I didn't realize-- I thought you were--"

"Thought I was...what?" Innocent, wide eyes. Curious tone without sounding clueless. Banishing her weapon to appear even more harmless. Perfect execution.

The guard shook his head, seeming to chuckle at his own idiocy. "Never mind. Please, feel free to explore the castle as you please. I can escort yo--"

"Oh, no. Please, don't trouble yourself," she giggled with a smile. Eurgh. He'd better buy this. "I already poked around a bit. It's so beautiful here... I wanted to go explore the gardens and the rest of the city before it gets too late."

Nodding indulgently, he gestured for her to follow him and led her to the castle doors. Other guards passed her as though she belonged there, and she was beginning to wonder if it wouldn't have been easier to forge a letter from Master Niex and gain access without suspicion. Then again, there was no denying that there was a certain amount of fun attached to seeing that guard squirm in the face of a mighty Keyblade wielder. His embarrassment would have made her laugh if she wasn't trying so hard to maintain her cover.

"Here we are."

"Thank you so much," she said, waving goodbye to him and practically skipping down the stone steps. Once she was out of sight, she rolled her eyes and came to a stop. They really needed to reevaluate the security around that castle. He had been far too easy to manipulate, even for someone who was as seasoned in the art as Llyndellia.

Wandering back toward the main part of the town, her thoughts drifted back to what she was waiting for. It wasn't difficult to sense the dark wielders all around her in the crowds, undoubtedly keeping their senses attuned to any trace of darkness. That was the only reason she had allowed herself to come down from her perfect vantage point: even if the light had abandoned her long ago, her darkness would not be what they were looking for. They would have to be searching for something stronger, more potent than what her heart could generate.

The best part was that, while they would believe her to be just another face in the crowd, she knew exactly who she was looking for. The darkness in their hearts was overwhelmingly strong, making it particularly easy to sense and follow. Llyndellia would allow them to conduct the search while she busied herself with other endeavors, namely doing some exploration of her own. She had never been to this world, and there was still a tiny part of her that wanted to tour it simply for the pleasure of seeing new sights. It was a part that she rarely gave any quarter in her heart, but there was nothing else to do while the dark wielders went about their business.

The place had everything: fountains, shops, restaurants. Whatever a person could possibly want, they could find here. She walked by a girl who was carrying two parfaits, scoffing at her rather skimpy attire. Llyndellia was by no means a prude, but she could never imagine herself in anything like that. For one thing, she was too skinny for it; even if she wasn't, she couldn't imagine having to fight dressed that way. To each his own, I guess.

Continuing past the enormous fountain, she allowed herself to wander aimlessly, watching the happy faces passing her by before taking a seat at one of the small outdoor cafés lining the street. No one looked at her; no one spoke to her. It was like she was invisible in their world of light and life. So what else is new?

 

[King Wolfe]

Philosophy hadn’t interested Kodaka. Contemporary philosophers had theorized many ideas about the metaphysical and reality as a whole. The optimistic clung to the idea that existence was simply a complex interwoven web, that everything and everyone was connected and affected each other both directly and indirectly. While the pessimistic insisted that reality was crap and its denizens were below all of that.

Both cases were simply too boring to adhere to. What’s the point of philosophy if one does not follow its conduct? If one should believe that reality was crap, why not destroy it and start over?

This whole shtick with darkness and light was, consequently, equally boring. The fact that people need to generalize and characterize everything and put them in their neat little filing cabinets was irritating. As if everything could be organized into distinctive corners, it wasn’t as simple as that.

The most cruelest bastard in the world could be a goody-two shoe light keyblade wielder.
When everything is so blended together that the proverbial black and white are so indistinguishable from one another, then there is no need for organization and that was a delicious prospect for Kodaka. Unbridled chaos.

Then again, this hot pocket was just as deliciously appealing as burning this whole world down. Radiant Garden was certainly an appropriate name for this boring world. The place was well lit with an abundance of happy people, cheerful and colorful buildings and even strange bipedal animals that spoke in the queerest of tongues.

This world was almost sickeningly perfect, while criminal and chaos alike existed here everything felt so… predictable. There were limitations on the chaos, the criminals were dumb and slow, good always triumphed in the end. It wasn’t as if Kodaka envisioned a perfect world as eternal torment, but something to spice things up.

It reminded him of home, to be honest. The people were happy there as well and they lived in a utopia. His “good” side of the family ensured that peace was kept, and that was fine with Kodaka. As long as he wasn’t bored, he didn’t get into moods to destroy things.

His great-great grandmother made sure that he was on his best behavior, going as far as to send him to ludicrous place to “teach you how to interact with people! It’ll be nice if you make some friends!”

No thank you, Kodaka thought. He wasn’t interested in friends or this ridiculous “war” everyone is going on about.

He would be content with his hot pocket.

However…

A stranger appeared at the square. He looked like a tourist but then again it was difficult to tell, it wasn’t like Kodaka was a detective anyways. But he was interesting, interesting enough to either scam or mug, depending on Koda’s mood.

Swallowing his hot pocket, Kodaka ran toward him. Considering Koda’s age, he must have looked out of place there. His clothes were a tad oversized, his hair disheveled and his smile wide, bright and innocent. For all the negativity he holds, he is a good actor.

Approaching Jinsei, Kodaka smiled brightly, looking up at him, “Yo, what’s up mister? You’re new here right? I could show you around if you want.”

 

[Grandsword]

" amazing, isn't it, all these happy faces and yet they treat darkness like a disease, of course they don't realize that light can also corrupt..." the figure sat across from Llyndellia and turned to a nearby waiter "a blue sizzler for me and an iced coffee for the lady" he said and turned to her " you know, i don't see many keyblade wielders around here...least of all one's with a stench of darkness" he stated as lightning danced in his fingers under the table "so i'll be blunt, which side are you on?, and don't even try to lie, i can tell the difference"

 

[Jaesung]

Luke ???

"Guaaaaa!!"
Luke suddenly gets thrown out of the ice cream store by a huge 8 foot tall brawler.
"Datatata!! Man that hurt! Do you seriously need to wear a tuxedo to get in that place just for ice cream?" Luke sits down on the other side from the shop in almost a criss cross manor but with the bottoms of his feet touching each other . He goes into his duffel bag and looks for some food he has gotten from before he went to twilight town. He pulls out a loaf of bread with a sticky note on it

-Dear Luke
Thank you for helping us at the coliseum, we really are in your debt. Gaia will always be with you! Oh and three words! Eat bread!
-Phil

With a big grin, he takes a bite of the bread, savoring it. His thoughts "Flaky...thank you Phil!". He eats only half and saving the rest for later. Luke walks over to a huge fountain and splashes some water on his face. Knowing walking and being a regular person will lead him to nothing. Luke has an idea! Or well, it'll get more people like that Country Knight to appear, at least..he hopes. Luke opens his duffel bag full of goodies, and he pulls out a marker, and finds a piece of cardboard on the ground and writing in big bold letters. "Gaia Show!" Luke puts it on the wall of the fountain and starts performing.

He sees people getting closer and asking. "What are you going to do?" "You'll see!" Luke says to the audience. Before he moves he thinks "I need to attract a lot of attention".
"Behold everybody the powers of Gaia! Our Mother Earth!". Luke does a twirling back flip and lands gracefully on the stand of the water fountain. He uses Gaia to unleash a small but visible projectile running to the both sides of the fountain, creating a huge splash that sprinkles gentle showers down to the ground creating reflecting rainbows while his aura spawns huge wings on his back. His audience gives him an applause and ask for more. Before he continues Luke says "If you're wondering what Gaia is, think of it as deity that gives us life." So forth Luke with a huge smile and compassion to what he does continues his performance trying to create much attention in possible, hoping to find a person that can give him answers.

 

[Piercing Light]

"Say Jim, I sure would appreciate it if you'd give me one of these cupcakes for free~." Chizuma hung awkwardly over the counter of a bakery, attempting the same thing she saw a blond girl do. she was trying to make her voice sound sultry and erotic, however her constant giggling was ruining any chance of that, not to mention her posture looked just plain goofy. She was met with a glare that told her 'no' in a not so friendly manner. Plan B. "Gee, I probably shouldn't be eating these anyway, I'm already such a fatty right?" She moaned, trying to look mellow. Though most mellow individuals didn't have the wide grin she was sporting at the moment.

"What, are you kidding!?"
"You're a freaking twig!"
"WHERE IS MY WALLET!?"

Multiple men in the shop spoke at once, Chizuma chuckled and hopped off the counter. "I just wanted to see if that would work, I suppose I lack the 'goods' to pull it off huh?" She laughed to herself, reaching in a pocket and slamming a pile of munny on the counter. She then picked up a large bag full of cookies and cakes and left the store, but not before stopping at the entrance. Turning around she pulled out a detonator from her belt, sliding her thumb over a shiny red button on the top. "You could have at least played along, WHAHAHAHA." She laughed manically, dashing from the scene.
Inside the shop the cashier could hear a faint beeping noise, looking down at the pile of munny Chizuma left he could tell that it was coming from the cash. Moving the currency out of the way he saw that there was a green sphere hidden. It suddenly exploded, sending sticky green goo flying across the entire shop. It wouldn't harm anyone, however it would take forever to clean up.

"Now where did that scantly clad chick go to?~" Chizuma scanned the streets, using her right hand as a makeshift visor to keep the sun at bay. It wasn't long before she spotted her, sitting by a fountain with a well built boy. She quickly jumped towards her, landing in front of the duo. "Wow! I can see why those guys were drooling over you." She sat beside the girl, reaching into her bag she pulled out a sugar cookie and bit into it. Chewing it thoroughly she gulped the rest down in delight. "I'm Chizuma by the way. Say, you have GOT to tell me how you do that." She held up the bag of treats, pointing to it. "I'll split it with you, alright?"

 

[Klom89]

Re: Luke ???

Kie was bored. After seeing an ice-cream shop go up in an explosion of goo, (She wished it was an actual bomb, no luck) nothing else was happening. Walking past some idiot eating bread was as eventful as things were so far.

Kie could sense the Darkness and Light here. The War seemed to be something of a behind-the-scenes affair on this much too peaceful world. If only the Queen were alive.....She would probably want to have some tea under one of the trees....

"Sigh....Can't SOMETHING happen already?" She says, unaware that she had spoken out loud.

Radiant Garden. The name fit it perfectly. She wanted to cause some chaos. Her blade ached for blood and guts. But she wasn't in a fighting mood and walked on her way, her weapon slung across her back to avoid suspicion.

Hmmm?

By the Fountain. A rainbow sparkling past her, the lunatic goes to investigate.

"Behold everybody the powers of Gaia! Our Mother Earth!"

She sees him balance on the fountain stand, firing a projectile that makes a rainbow around the area as he seemingly sprouts wings. Now THAT was an entertainer.

The lights were so pretty! She reaches with her hand to touch the seeming rainbows. Of course, they are fake. Close enough. Pretty life-like, too.

He continues to bedazzle the crowd as she begins swaying her hips in anticipation. Her massacre of the world can be put on hold. Finally something interesting!

"If you're wondering what Gaia is, think of it as deity that gives us life."

Her hips stopped swaying as soon as she heard that. A deity? What was he, some sort of priest?

Plus now that she thought about it, wouldn't the word Gaia indicate more "earthy" powers? Rocks, boulders, dust-storms. THAT'S what she thought of when words like that pop up.

She'll watch him a bit more. And if she doesn't like what she sees....Simple.

She'll kill him.

 

[Smoofy]

Neku slunk through various alleyways and side-paths, making sure to avoid large, open spaces. Only recently abandoning his Teacher, his comrades and his brother, Neku knew they would all be hot on his trail. No one leaves the Academy until you are discharged after completing your training, but Neku couldn't bear another day in there, he didn't have the darkness in his heart like most of them did. He had at least three times the soul that they did too, and the horrors he experienced... He just couldn't handle it anymore. He didn't like the darkness, the way it could change and warp an individual, he could already feel the process affecting him. The only way he could have avoided turning into a monster like him was to escape. Neku could feel a faint glimmer of light, of hope within his heart, he was well aware of the impending war, and with soldiers like them fighting on the side of darkness... the Warriors of Light would have their work cut out for them. If Neku could help in anyway, shape or form, he would do so, so long as he could stop the bastards.

You should really pay more attention to your surroundings...

Neku hopped back in surprise, how could he have been found out so soon?

If you allow yourself to get lost inside your head so easily and so often, you might find yourself LOSING it, you twerp!

That word... Neku hated being called that. He was rather short, barely reaching 5'6, and often overshadowed by his taller peers. His brother, although basically the same height as Neku, never seem overshadowed, he always seemed to be towering over others. It was his presence and the way he carried himself. His brother could chill the air around him just from the coldness of his heart. It always unnerved Neku, his brother always seemed to be able to...

I SAID PAY ATTENTION!

A blade and an arm seemed to materialize out of the wall to Neku's left, but Neku knew better than that. This was his Shadow Blending Technique. In a compressed alleyway like this, Neku couldn't use any of his newly acquired Light Techniques, as the light would travel down the alleyway and shine out into the busy, bustling Shopping District. Drawing that kind of attention could get him killed, and it wasn't the people out shopping who he was afraid of finding him. He had to use alternative, instead, Neku punched in the direction of the arm, sending his fist to where the chest would be of his attacker. He punched the wall and recoiled his hand back, cursing at the pain.

Hahaha... You really think I would attack in such an obvious fashion? How many times have you witnessed my Shadow Blending? I'm not that easygoing, twerp!"

Kataki's face, hidden in the shadows had developed a sinister, evil leer. "Shadow Mirage Technique..." Kataki sneered. "It will be the last technique you will ever witness..." he said as he retracted the mirage, appearing from the right of Neku. Lost in thought, Neku hadn't realized Kataki had been following him for a solid seven minutes. Neku never finished his training, and it sho-

Kataki was interrupted by a blow to the gut, knocking the wind out of him. Neku wasn't using his weapons. What a wimp. If he was a real ninja, Neku would attack with all he had. Kataki was the stronger brother, and a real ninja. Everyone knew that. He made sure of it.

"Man twerp, that wasn't nice of you. I was just about to end your useless, pathetic excuse of a life, and this is how you thank me? I'm dissapointed. I thought you were kinder and sweeter than that!

Neku didn't respond well to the taunts, and was soon filled with anger. Beneath his cloak, steel struck steel, and a blade emerged from his right sleeve.

"I told you to leave me alone." Neku growled. "I don't need you, I never needed you, I can get strong on my own, so just go home!" Neku hated his brother. Always belittling him, making him feel like he was worth nothing. Neku was strong, he knew that, but compared to his brother, he looked weak. Neku hated that. He hated him. He wanted to kill him. So Neku struck at the kneeling figure. He just needed to end him... he just needed to end his life... but he couldn't. He stopped, right at the last minute, the blade an inch from his brother's face. He couldn't kill him, that just wasn't Neku. He didn't have the darkness enveloping his heart, he couldn't bring himself to eliminate another family member, no matter how much he hated him. This was probably why he was considered a failure as a ninja, and a failure as a warrior of darkness. His brother smirked that knowing, patronizing smirk.

"I knew you didn't have the strength..." said his brother, before seemingly evaporating into thin air. Another mirage? "If you want to step out of my shadow, come find me when you have the resolve to actually do something about it... Come find me when you have the resolve to kill one of your own. You can't go through life running from loss, if you do, you just may find everything you love stolen from you in an instant..."

"Damn you Kataki! Come out and fight me you coward!" Neku yelled into the sky. He was met with nothing but silence. How did his brother do that? How could he create a mirage within a mirage? His brother had grown a lot, a lot more than Neku first though. His brother was a force to be reckoned with, if Neku wanted freedom, he would have to get stronger. Freedom was not something he would obtain so easily. Kataki had now made their conflict personal, and if he's the same Kataki as Neku always knew, he'll make sure to get his way. Neku won't have to worry about him revealing his location, but he knew he'd be watched by his brother. Neku would just have to keep his eyes open, and strike when he could.

For now, Neku would have to keep aware of the other ninja, they would still be hunting him, so he wasn't completely safe. Neku slipped out of the alleyway and blended into the large crowd walking through the streets of the Shopping District. Neku passed by a bakery covered in green goo. He wouldn't be buying any tasty treats anytime soon.

Thankfully, due to Neku's short stature, he could blend easily into the crowd. This was the one good thing that Neku could come up with about being short. During stealth training his Teachers would always tell him to stay low and out of sight. This was an easy task for Neku, he could hide in tight places and shrink in a crowd as almost everyone towered him. Neku could blend in easily, but he worried about acting casual and acting as part of a crowd. It didn't matter if you could stay out of sight, but you had to keep yourself out of sight by acting appropriately with your environment. Due to his lack of real world training, Neku had no idea how to do that. He had never been in any ordinary social interactions outside of the academy. He didn't know how these people were the same, or different to those within the Academy, but he could feel how most of these people were at their core. People's hearts never lied, but clouded hearts like Neku's were always tough to read. To other Warriors of Darkness, they may mistake him as one of them, due to his extensive training in the Dark Arts, and the dark thoughts clouding the light of his heart. Maybe that could be beneficial? Unfortunately, Neku's sensory abilities remained unrefined, so he could only make a half good guess as to what a person may be like at their core, if he was lucky.

Feeling nervous with the confines of a large crowd, Neku crossed the street, into the park, seeming to almost appear out of thin air from within the crowd. He found himself near a fountain with three odd looking characters by it. One was male, he knew that for sure, and the other two... were female.

Boys and Girls were separated at a young age to diffuse any chances of emotional attachments that the two genders may find within each other. The boys were trained to fight, and win. They were trained to become soulless killers, incapable of love. Only the strongest were allowed to reproduce, to ensure the continuation of strong genetics. Neku never knew his mother, and only saw his father every three months of the quarterly progress report. He would be so mad, and probably wouldn't be able to keep himself from killing Neku as well.

Neku approached the trio, the male and the female in the revealing outfit were sitting down, while the shorter female in the less revealing outfit was stood in front of them, she was conversing with the other female. Now was a good a chance as any to blend with other people, so as to draw less attention to himself. His outfit already differentiated from the rest of Clansmen, but he had to make sure he was completely incognito.

"I'm surprised you don't get cold in that kind of an outfit" Neku commented off handidly to the scantily clad one. He couldn't imagine what would compel someone to wear such little clothing. How could it conceal any weapons, how could it protect anyone from attacks? Maybe he could ask and find out, but he felt now was not a good time, he just wanted to accustom himself to the intricacies of casual conversation.

He managed to say the sentence perfectly fine, despite being extremely nervous with his first social interaction. Was it appropriate to approach people in the street and strike up a conversation? The shorter, skinnier one did it, so why couldn't Neku? He didn't see any reason not to. Seeing the shorter girl helped quell some of Neku's fears, making social interaction all that much easier. He feared he was a midget living in a land of giants, but seeing her made him feel less small. Maybe he just been unlucky with those of whom he had seem in the Shopping District? Whatever, Neku was just glad to finally be free for the very first time in his life, no matter how short that time may be. He would embrace it and do all he could with it. Neku, unsure of what to do when waiting for a response, found his eyes bouncing between the three figures, his eyes lingering just a fraction more on the short female than the other two figures.

 

[ThePromise]

"...Aaaah." finishing the very last of her parfait, Rika leaned back against the bench and looked over at Junichi who was only halfway finished. He didn't appear very hungry despite how little she ever saw him eat. It would be in her nature for her to give a friend the benefit of the doubt. Something might have been on his mind, or perhaps she just needed to get him an apple pie instead. "Okay, so its not a plain apple or noodles, but its still good. You know strawberries are a fruit right? What makes apples so special Jun?" looking just beside her to a nearby trashcan, she tossed her empty cup along with the spoon inside of it. "It just seems like unless its a plain fruit you don't eat it."

His appetite was almost nonexistent at the moment. Though he was steadily eating this treat and although it was good, Junichi had come to actually think about his master and how every birthday, no matter how he felt about it, had a little time to spend with him if not all. Whether they sat together and talked while a basket of fruit was close by or they were in each other's presence, to Junichi it was admittedly ...meaningful. That man was a father to him, and now he was gone. Two father's were stolen from him, and he could do nothing about it but keep living.

"..It's good." Junichi muttered, taking another scoop and swallowing it. This day just meant more in the past, and now he'd be without his master.

Perhaps it was for the best. He would take the teachings he had learned and continue mastering himself in both combat and out of combat. That was the least he could do for Silcardo.

Too bad saving him from his world's disappearance wasn't one ..and there was that other girl that wanted to be in his presence so often.

Another possible chink in his armor gone. Could he be ...missing these vulnerabilities, these weaknesses?

"..Noooot really convincing, but I know you ..and I know the odds of you opening up are slim. But cheer up, we should check out the town a little more, get you more accustomed to society in worlds like this. No one's walked up to you and say they didn't like your face yet, so it beats China by a landslide--" A pair of feet landing a little harder than she would have liked made her freeze and for a second there, she almost debated on killing it first and asking questions later.

"Wow! I can see why those guys were drooling over you."

Rika blinked at this stranger and was even more strange when she pulled out a sugar cookie from a bag that had the same name as the bakery she was in just minutes ago. And what was even more strange was the fact this girl sat beside her without asking or giving her name.

"I'm Chizuma by the way. Say, you have GOT to tell me how you do that."

.....Who in the--

"I'll split it with you, alright?"

Offering half the bag of treats to her was nice but who in the hell was she? Holding up a finger, Rika leaned towards Junichi. "Just oooone second, kay?" Turning her head she whispered in Junichi's ear, hoping for some verbal assistance. Rika only liked attention when she was going for attention, but no way did she stick out so much random people like this girl just came up to her like that. "Juuuuun, wanna help me out here?" she spoke in a hushed voice from here on, as did he.

"You always attract the strange ones."

"..What? I do not attract this level of strange."

"You do now."

"At least my strange ones don't try to beat me up."

"My strange ones often end up crippled or dead by the end of the conversation or lack of."

"....So you're telling me I should cripple or kill her?"

"Optional; but she seems to want to know how you arouse the attention of men. Offer her a word of advice, or ask her to leave the area we share. Simple."

Why that monotone blank-faced guy, always talking as if he knew the answer to everything before it even happens! BUT! He was right, that girl did seem to mention that she did something special. Maybe she really did only want advice on how to do it ..but these were often just thinks you learned by experience. Pulling away from Junichi, Rika looked back to Chizuma and smiled. "Sorry about that ..anyway you must be talking about what I did in that bakery. That's the result of experience and technique all rolled into one, and with the help of some amazing genes, you can sell anything to a desperate and lonely guy. Now what you'll want to consider is ..not smiling at me like that first." This girl, Chizuma, had a really weird grin on her face and it was making this conversation hard to take seriously.

In an effort to help measure the girl's sex appeal, Rika placed her hands on the girl's cheeks and tried to press them closer together so she stopped smiling. It worked for a moment, but after releasing, she just seemed to smile again.

"..Stop smiling." Rika attempted to yet again press her cheeks together, but upon release her muscles tensed again and she smiled. "..You're doing that on purpose to annoy me aren't y-"

"I'm surprised you don't get cold in that kind of an outfit"

Her attention stolen by yet another stranger deciding to come up to her, Rika sighed and lowered her head, her eyes narrowing slightly. Maybe Junichi was right, granted she'd never admit that to him. A girl wanting tips on how to get a man's attention was one thing, but some random nobody coming up to her and being concerned for her temperature at any given time was something entirely different.

"Yeah, not sure that's any concern of yours ..so what do you want?" He didn't look like he had any money so charming him was going to be pointless, not to mention that was one of the worst lines anyone could have given her, ever, when trying to start a conversation.

Likely not rich.

Too short.

Too skinny.

Likely not rich.

Weird outfit.

Awkward.

Likely not rich.

Unmanly in appearance.

Terrible pick-up line.

Yeah, she was losing interest fast.

"You've got ten seconds before I tune you out ...aaaaaand, go!"

He told her so, yet Junichi merely kept his head down and finished the rest of that parfait before tossing it in the trash with his left hand without any change in posture whatsoever. Folding his arms across his chest, he waited for Rika to eventually shake the two or invite them with her for whatever reason, but his breath wasn't held for that. In her defense ..that was a pretty silly line and a bad reason to say hello to someone. If Rika was Rika, then first impressions were going to be the only impression she'd get before he was tossed aside.

..He told her so.

 

[Key Wielder]

" amazing, isn't it, all these happy faces and yet they treat darkness like a disease, of course they don't realize that light can also corrupt..."

Llyndellia eyed the stranger suspiciously as he walked around the table and sat opposite her, narrowing her eyes. His clothing was certainly a different choice than what she saw around her, marking him as an outsider visiting from another world. She didn't know him, nor had she seen him before without crossing his path, so she had to wonder what made him decide to come join her.

"a blue sizzler for me and an iced coffee for the lady"

Presumptuous little twit, isn't he, she commented to herself, outwardly raising an eyebrow. As had been apparent in her dealings with the castle guard, Llyndellia knew how to handle herself around other people, had even made a few friendly acquaintances over the years. This stranger, however, was not likely to be one of them. Not only did she despise coffee, but she definitely didn't want to have a reason to stay in his company for longer than absolutely necessary. He, it seemed, had other plans as he turned to look at her and she felt the sudden hum of electricity under the table.

" you know, i don't see many keyblade wielders around here...least of all one's with a stench of darkness. so i'll be blunt, which side are you on?, and don't even try to lie, i can tell the difference"

Smirking haughtily, Llyndellia shook her head. "Threatening to attack an innocent girl in front of all these people without provocation?" She clicked her tongue disapprovingly before letting the amusement slide off her face, replaced by an expression of cold contempt. "Stow the magic. We both know you don't have the nerve to use it."

She surveyed him carefully for a moment, showing him that she couldn't be cowed by some stranger who happened to be able to tell she was a Keyblade wielder. How exactly he could know that, she had no idea. However, Llyndellia didn't feel like denying it; he didn't deserve an answer at all, much less a denial. But she would give him one. Walking away might give him the wrong idea and start a fight that would end badly. For him. The last thing she wanted to do was spook the dark wielders before they'd found a definitive answer to their questions.

"The path I choose to take is no one's business but my own," she finally said, coldly and indifferently. "And I don't know which world you came from, but in mine we are raised to ask permission to be seated before joining someone's table."

. . .

"What do you have?" Darien asked, approaching the small group of wielders at the reactor. One of the women--he thought her name was Alena but wasn't sure--turned to face him with a disgruntled expression.

"We haven't been able to find anything in the main city or surrounding areas. The only possible place left would be--"

"The castle," he finished for her, looking back to see the very top of its towers in the distance, the rest hidden from sight. The answer didn't surprise him--the fact that they hadn't found anything at all certainly didn't at this point. Still, though, if it would be anywhere, he supposed the castle would be a better place than most. The entrances were heavily guarded, meaning that few people would have access to it, especially people like him and his followers.

His thoughts must have shown on his face. Another man approached him tentatively, a frown making a crease between his eyebrows. "But sir, gettin' inside'd be hard 'nough. We'd need time t'search, too."

Darien smirked. "Then we'll just have to get a bit creative, won't we?"

~*~​

It wasn't until they had come back through the central square that the perfect distraction presented itself. Some idiot was busy putting on a show for everyone, sending projectiles flying into the fountain behind him, making rainbows appear out of thin air. Darien had to admit he was pretty talented, and he was certain that little show was the innocent side of a very effective weapon. Smirking, he nodded in his direction and, as she caught sight of the entertainer, Alena grinned.​

~*~​

"Guard! GUARD!"

The armor-clad men left their posts, expecting danger only to find about six rather disheveled figures flying toward them as though they were being chased by all the demons of the Underworld.

"Please, you have to help!"

"What seems to be the problem?"

Darien and the group came skidding to a halt. Panting, he pointed back in the direction they'd come from, turning to the nearest guard with fear in his eyes. "There's a madman in the center of town. He's attacking people by the fountain. We came as soon as we could; he seemed too powerful to take on with so few of us." As if on cue, they could hear screams in the distance. The fact that they were screams of amazement and laughter didn't travel as far as the sound itself.

"Go!" the captain called to his men, all of them abandoning their posts and running down the castle stairs. Once they were well out of earshot, Darien chuckled under his breath and smiled at Alena.

"Very nice work. Now let's go."

The castle doors had been left utterly unprotected.

 

[nightmarezeroX9]

Arriving at the central Shopping District, Jinsei noticed all of the bright looking stores that were lined up all around. People sure loved their neon signs here, even if it ended up killing someone they were sure to keep them. Granted, most of them were just food shops, most likely trying to compete with one other. Customers seemed to flood each of the stores anyway Since he had just ate, what Jinsei was actually looking for was a store where he could purchase something to keep from his travels. He usually had acquired a souvenir from the places he had been so far, but he wanted something special, and it had to make him remind him of the place that he had got it from. A snow globe would do, he thought, but considering it, those things were a little too overrated. While lost in his thoughts, he snapped back into reality, and noticed that quite a few interesting looking characters had shown up. One kid was sitting on top of the fountain, showing a display of his power. The powers of Gaia he called it. If he remembered correctly, Gaia was associated with the Earth, and earthly powers. Life energy though, Jinsei had never heard of. In a way though, he was a little jealous of the man. If Jinsei had decided to do a display of his powers, people would run in fear, calling him things like a demon, a monster, and some other vulgar terms that he would rather not think of. What a wonderful life.

Some other people that had shown up consisted of a woman, wearing very revealing attire, and her male companion. They didn't seem like they were a couple, but then again, Jinsei was always pretty bad at being able to notice couples who wanted to be incognito. Then AGAIN, whenever he thought two people were together, they actually weren't. Another girl, who had a grin that clinically insanse serial killers had, suddenly leaped in front of the two, sitting beside the other girl, and offering a cookie. Not only that, another guy with some weird taste in clothing had appeared. Judging by the way he was acting around them, he either just went through some nerve shaking event, or he's incredibly awkward around attractive women. Or there were no social skills in that man at all. Then there was the man with the even stranger looking outfit. Completely out of place, Jinsei had thought to himself. He had to be from some world far away. Never had he seen such a weird outfit. Brushing that off, he noticed that the armored man was sitting with a woman. She seemed rather fine, at least from a distance. Not that he was going to approach the two and get into their business.

Last, but not least, was this kid, who had approached Jinsei, asking if he wanted to be shown around. Learning from experience, the last time he was offered a tour, which was in Agrabah, the urchin had lead him into a back alleyway, where a few ruffians had attempted to mug him and take his money. Promptly he dispatched them, but after looking at the child, who had thought he would earn a bit of money from this, Jinsei couldn't help but offer the child some money. Coming back into reality, he looked at the child who now stood before him. Something seemed really off about him though. It wasn't the oversized clothing, but something else entirely. Jinsei couldn't fathom what it was at all, and he didn't want to keep thinking about it further.

"As much as a appreciate the offer, I'll have to pass. I can find my way around." Promptly with that, he began to walk away, when guards suddenly flooded the area that he had occupied. What were they here for? Stopping in his tracks again, Jinsei decided to watch where the guards were off to, just to sate his curiosity, which usually peaked when things like this happened. It seemed like things were going to get interesting.

 

[Grandsword]

the figure chuckled but kept the lightning magic going " you'd be surprised what i know" said the figure as the waiter brought his drink and he took a sip, then tossed the waiter a bag of munny "you are Llyndellia Dwain, correct?, born in Prydain if memory serves...whisked off to Kuzcotopia under the training of Master Niex?" said the figure sipping his drink "go ahead, tell me how i'm doing.." he intoned, looking away to see guards running towards the center of town and sighed getting up "on second thought, give me a rain check on that...i've got an idiot to save; by the way the name's ordias..." said the figure getting up and running towards the center town pulling out his guitar and started play to Ride of the Valkyries as he reached the fountain area and jumped on to the top the fountain, the crescendo of it matching the timing of luke's gaia show lighting