rikunobodyxiii

Terra struggled up into a sitting position and was looking up to see if there was a way to climb up to the other chute the thief had gone down. With no way up visible, he started considering the insurmountable task of tracking the thief down again when Aqua claimed that they had completed the mission. The young Jedi looked back at his friend, a look of confusion forming, but it drained away and his eyes widened when he saw the relic in Aqua's hand. "Ho-" Terra tried, the shock of the reveal and his fall leaving him speechless. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before giving up and taking the offered canteen. He took a careful swig, then looked back at the relic. A low chuckle escaped his lips. "I don't remember Master Eraqus teaching that." He said, some of his good spirits returning. Terra took another sip of water, then glanced up the chute. "We'd better get moving before that creep finds out he lost his prise." He said, recapping the canteen and handing it back to Aqua. He shifted his weight and started looking for what ever door or hatch opened this place up along the walls.

Mariel won't mind. Might prove interesting.

{Destiny Islands: Outside the Palace} As Aurion and Aether made there way out with the crowd, the could hear someone with a commanding voice called for people to return to the palace under imperial order. Some complied, turning back to the palace. A few of those who did not comply were run down and dragged back by palace guards, but only a few low tier nobles and not many guards were venturing out. Things were looking clear for the duo until a soldier stepped out of a clump of palm trees. She was holding some sort of arrowgun carbine in one hand, leaning it against her shoulder, while the other hand held some sort of device. She was watching the device, then looked up at Aurion and Aether. She put the scanner away and took the carbine in both hands. "Hold it!" The guard called out, not pointing the carbine at the duo in such a way that indicated it could be pointed at them at a moment's notice. "I have some questions."

{Mariel: Mystras Camp} Mariel moved through the gathered fey and humans, waiting for Raiden's speech. She avoided the few faces she recognized, not needing questions right now. Though her main focus was on the crowd, she still listened to the speech for information. It was just about as bad as the Guardian Angel feared. Shiva had been going for peace, but someone wanted to prevent that. It could be some sort of personal vendetta, but Mariel doubted it. There would be plenty of fear on both sides about what this peace would mean. The information that Soran was there and had aided Raiden against the assassin didn't thrill Mariel. She still didn't trust him and wasn't sure how much trust he had among Shiva's followers. Finding the actual assassin still seemed like the best bet. As Raiden called for a moment of silence, the angel kept watch. She would offer her prayers for the deceased queen later. As she continued her watch of the crowd, Mariel noticed Alastor take take someone from the crowd. It was hard to tell what exactly happened from her vantage point, but had a weapon been involved? She considered checking it out, but she had to trust that Alastor had this in hand. She made a mental note to ask him about it later.

Ina grinned and gave Susan a wink. She would need to wrap up this torment of Ghost and Spirit soon, but she thought she'd enjoy these last few moments of it. She listened carefully as the native, apparently named Moana, spoke about her quest. The Heart of Te Fiti in particular interested her. So, a deity lost it's heart. Would something of that power produce a Nobody? If so, that would be stupid powerful Nobody. Maybe looking for it while looking for this Maui would be worthwhile. What ever this Te Ka was, the Keyblade Apprentice wasn't that in a hurry to face it without stacking the deck in the group's favor. Brought out of her private planning by moment near her, Ina saw Spirit drag Ghost off. For a moment she wondered if she had taken the teasing too far. Hopefully not. She liked Spooky Squad and didn't want to hurt them. Luckily, Susan was suggesting the group join Moana on their search. "An adventure on the High Seas?" She said smiling broadly. "Count me in." As Spirit and Ghost rejoined the group, Ina mouthed "Sorry" at them.

Terra gritted his teeth in anger as he saw the thief manage to alter his fall. He lashed out with the force, but it was too late. He had let his quarry escape. He did his best to relax his body for his landing. He was a little surprised when he hit laundry rather than trash. Thank the Force for small favors. He was trying to get his breath back when he heard Aqua's voice. "it's me." Terra said in between gasping breaths. "Are you okay?" He struggled up, but fell over as the dirty laundry shifted beneath him.

I don't think she's on to it, but her senses are made to detect deception like that.

Whatcha got?

heh, though it makes sense. Just about everyone knows him and trusts him. Well, on the hero side.

{Mariel: Mystras Camp} Mariel lingered a moment as Helios, Henry, Aura, and Everyth continued to talk among themselves. They seemed an odd foursome, but these were odd days. She decided she may have to find them again after the speech, especially if Henry's aura meant what she thought. Taking her leave, the Guardian Angel swept the camp again, telling those who seemed oblivious of Raiden's call. With most already congrating, she headed to join the main ranks of the listeners. As she passed through some deserted tents, her form seemed to haze, then resolidify as her human guise. Merging with the crowd, she pushed her way through to where Raiden was. As she moved, she listened to the buzz of the crowd. She heard the rumors repeated, declarations of disbelief, deep suspicion, disappointment, sorrow, and fear. She hoped Raiden's words would quell some of them, but some would not be until the true killer was caught. Using her arms as a wedge to get through, Mariel appeared before Raiden and his assembled circle. The disguised angel gave him an informal salute. "That seemed to be it, more or less." She reported, glancing at the crowd behind her. "Good luck with 'em." With that, Mariel turned and melted back into the crowd. She couldn't risk that someone looking to target Raiden wasn't already here. He was capible and had enough obvious guards. She would hunt through crowd for suspicious activity. She briefly worried that Raiden might recognize this tactic from way back when and distract him, but she dismissed it. If he recognized it, then he would know to be ready.

Having Sora taking a leadership role I think fits. He's not the brightest bulb, but I think he'd do well in the role. Heh, and Moogle can be the Assistant Major who actually does the paper work.

One ornery robot still around to kick butt.

{Azra, Annistha & Zather} Annistha waved enthusiastically at Maverik while Zather responded with a curt nod. "I'm definitely excited!" She called back, then turned to her brother. "And Zather is-" It took only an instant for the Light Twin to look back at her brother and see him looking back with a grim look of resignation at her antics. "Working on it." Annistha finished, turning back to the other on the boat. Wanting to get things over with, Zather steered his sister towards to the line that was forming to check in with Blaise. As she passed, Annistha gave Vita a wave and big smile. Azra merely nodded to Blaise, not saying a word. He turned to head back to the seats, but paused by Zather. "Didn't expect to see you here, Moon boy." The Dark Twin commented, eyeing Azra. "I cannot say the same for you." The blue haired bi-morph replied. "Considering your parents, your being on this vessel was an assurance." Both boys locked eyes, the tension between them almost tangible. Annistha stepped between them, sending soothing messages to Zather through their bond. "Cool the jets, boys." She said. "We got a long boat ride ahead." Zather's jaw tightened, but he nodded and turned away and headed for Blaise. Azra eyed Annistha for a moment, his face unreadable. "As ever, Annistha, the voice of reason." He commented. "Your brother is lucky he has you." With that, Azra headed back to store his luggage, leaving Annistha to wonder if he had been sincere or threatening. Zather, as per Annistha's mental suggestion, stopped in front of Blaise. "I'm Zather and that's my sister Annistha." The Dark Twin reported, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at his sister. "We on the list?" He somewhat hoped they weren't. Annistha walked over to join her twin, but paused to give Zauber a wave and smile. "Nice to meet you!" She said, though sounded a little distracted. {Val} Val took the offered paper and read it as she half listened to her young sister. There were certainly some nasty parentage for the kids coming over, but that was the whole point. "Well, they need a chance to find their own path, not be stuck with the life their parents have ended up with." Val replied, still looking at the article. "I've heard a couple of adults talk about how they want to get Riku's Replica out of the Badlands, but he apparently refuses. At least his kids are making it here."

Ina chuckled. She was not unaware of her affect on Spirit and Ghost, and their reactions were priceless. "You're gonna have to excuse these boys." She called Spectre. "They're in a pretty touch spot right now." Alin's comment on the two poor members of Spooky Squad at the center of attention got a wink from Ina. She would have to make it up to Spirit and Ghost later, but for now she was enjoying herself. Spectre' alternate suggestion of a nickname for the brawler made Ina screw up her face and consider for a moment. "Maybe, but in the moment, "sparkles" just rolled off the tongue." The Keyblade Apprentice admitted. She laughed out loud at Alin's reaction to "Sprinkles". It seemed almost a shame that there was some sort of world threatening problem to get back to.

{Destiny Island; Palace} As Talus overheard, the message that the Emperor was injured spread like wildfire through the panicking crowd, even out to where Aurion and Aether. Guards swarmed with surprising speed, closing off exits and making perimeters. If the delivery boy and assassin wanted to get out, they had no time to waste. Medics swarmed from the palace infirmary, a few breaking off to assigned positions, but the main trauma team was heading with frantic speed to the safe room. They left a wake in their path, making it easier for Talus to follow. As he followed, he saw about six guards join the medics as they rushed to their ruler. {Silas Ironhart: Destiny Islands; Safe Room} Silas tried an experimental healing spell, but it seemed to worse his father's condition. "Clever." Silas murmured as he used some of Francis's clothes to stop the bleeding. He took a moment to glance over at Omnicron's crumpled form. She hadn't been lucky enough to die in the Prince's attack, which meant an unpleasant fate awaited her. Even a memory wiped mind could be made to remember, using extreme enough methods. While he was considering the assassin's fate, he walked over to her and retrieved her daggers. He studded them for a moment, then put them inside his coat. No need to leave such obvious evidence lying around. Silas returned to his father and was trying to fend to his wounds when the trauma team finally made it along with a few guards who had tagged along. "No magic!" Silas warned as he backed off to let the medics at his father. "The assassin has used a poison to subvert the spells." There was some muttered swearing among the medics as some broke off, letting an older medic get closer with his more mundane medicines and instruments.

I was referring to being able to portray them. It's been a while since I've seen Hercules.

Alright...I think I could try my hand at playing any of the cast mentioned above, but I am iffy on most of the Hercules cast.

{Val} "That punching bag will never threaten us again!" Val replied to her younger sister in a mock serous tone before breaking into a chuckle. She plopped down in a chair and took a big gulp of water from a bottle. She really needed a shower, but the smell of food was reminding her how hungry she was. "Smells great, Mom." She said in an appreciative tone. To distract herself from the time difference between her and future her who was eating, Val looked over at what Fiona was reading. "Oh, is that about the Badlands kids?" She asked. "Any new word?"

As Aqua's screams faded, anger rose in Terra. He should have been quicker. If she wasn't alright at the end of this, he would never forgive himself. The flames of his anger turned icy cold at the Thief's ultimatum. He wasn't getting out of this. "I have a better idea." Terra said through clenched teeth. "Let's both go!" As he spoke, he quickly rolled over on to his back and thrust out a hand. Empowered by his anger, he violently pulled the thief off his feet with the force. The thief tumbled forward and into the chute. Terra hopped up on his feet then dove after his quarry and his friend.

{Mariel: Mystras Camp} Mariel placed a hand on Raiden's shoulder when she saw how much this was affecting him. Would he have reacted this way if Mariel had succeed in killing Shiva herself? "It might be better not knowing." The Guardian Angel thought grimly. While she would have preferred to stay with her old charge, Mariel nodded to Raiden's request. She took a different direction than the two judges, informing thus she met and of high rank as she went. Among her wondering, she came across a small meeting of four people. She recognized Aura from seeing her in the healer's tent. At least she was up and moving now. "Please pardon my intrusion." Mariel said as she approached Aura, Henry, Helios, and Everyth. "But Lord Raiden is calling a gathering near the Healer tents."

{Mariel: Mystras Camp} Mariel was at first confused at Sifrei raising his hand to her injured wing. When she caught the words he was speaking, she stood quietly as some lingering pain and ache in her wing slowing melted away. When he was done, it merely felt like she had been on it for most of the day. "Thank you." She said, bowing slightly to the Archangel. She colored a little, but she kept better control of herself than before. What ever she felt, it had to wait. As Sifrei went in search for a spying steed, Mariel couldn't help but worry that he might be sacrificing his duty to help her. She wasn't exactly sure what a Judge from the North should do in this situation, so maybe this was a happy alignment of goals. To keep herself busy, the Guardian Angel rechecked the provisions she packed. They would go faster with two people, but if they were going by air, that might not matter. After she rechecked her previsions a second time, Sifrei returned atop a griffon. Mariel was impressed that he managed to obtain such a prized beast. "Considering you are doing me a huge favor, I don't think I quite have the right to impatience." She joked, smiling back at the Archangel. Grabbing the sack she had packed, Mariel took Sifrei's offered hand, but jerked her head to the side as if searching for something. A familiar presence had returned. "Odin." The Guardian murmured, before looking back to Sifrei. "Lord Raiden is back. We should speak with him before we go." Without another word, Mariel jogged further into the camp, dropping her sack near the Griffon. After a short search, She found her former charge, apparently heading for the Healer tents. The red haired angel moved into Raiden's path, her hand raise to stop him. For an instant, she looked him over as a fretful mother might a wayward child, looking for injury. To her relief, he looked fine. "Odin, are you alright?" Mariel asked, her voice a mix of concern and the calming voice of a professional. "What happened?"

Terra struggled up, rubbing his face where he had been kicked. He felt sore all down the front of his body. Maybe that hadn't been the best idea. He rallied quickly and tried to aid Aqua in the fight, but as he was reaching up to try to pull the thief down, he smacked Aqua back and into a dark hole. "Aqua!" The young Jedi yelled. Not even hearing the thief's suggestion, Terra launched himself after his falling friend. He landed and slid to the edge of the chute, one of his arms thrust into the darkness below, seeking his friend. "Aqua!"

{Mariel: Mystras Camp} Mariel was sourly considering how she would get a horse. Even in the years she spent in the World Below, she hadn't really learned how to deal with the beasts. She could ride, but doing so felt so unwieldy and she always seemed to get the crafty one. Sifrei's arrival was a welcome distraction from the equestrian problem she was having. "Good morning, Ophaniel." The Red haired angel greeted. The Archangel cut straight to the situation and managed to put together Mariel's plan pretty succinctly. "I have and know the rumors that Raiden killed Shiva to be false." She answered. "However, I doubt the Queen's followers will have such faith in him. They will want vengeance. Which could be exactly what the true assassin had in mind. If we don't prove Raiden's innocence, then our chance for peace dies with Shiva. And the sands of time are already pouring towards that future." Mariel paused a moment. While she did believe time was of the essence, getting Raiden's testimony of events could hold important details. And if she was being honest with herself, she wasn't up to full fighting form yet. "Finding Raiden and hearing his plan is sensible." She admitted, looking less fierce as she had a moment ago. "But finding who's behind this is the best way I know how to stop this turning ugly." She glanced at her still mending wing. "I won't say no to help." Mariel finished, sounding a little reluctant.

Thanks. It felt like a scene I needed to do.

Not expecting Aqua to help with the laborers, Terra stumbled the first few steps when she grabbed his hand and pulled him along. He managed to get into stride and get along beside his friend. "That was actually better than what I was thinking." He admitted. Focusing on the fleeing Thief, Terra managed to bat away the debris hurled at him and Aqua. She had done a pretty good job slowing him down, but he still had a big lead. After a few feet, he had an idea for how to stop the thief. Turning off his lightsaber, Terra called on the Force to preform a leap that cleared the distance between him and the thief. Well...mostly. With his arms out stretched, the young Jedi was too low to grab the thief by the torso like he planned and instead got the culprit around the legs instead, taking a pseudo-kick to the face. Though the tackle didn't quite as he planned, Terra did manage to trip up the thief, sending both man and teen sprawling on the floor.