Roleplay Once Upon a Fantasy RP

[Aqua7KH 5,395]

-Aqua-

Sophia smiled as Terrence entered the car. Now with him by her side, hopefully they could find out what in the world was going on. Well, Sophia could easily do it herself however it was best to have another person with her for Sora's sake. Sophia sighed once Terrence began to basically interrogate Sora.

"The person you're interrogating is my darling nephew." Sophia said, giving Terrence a small look after he called himself her boss. "And his name is Sora. We're here because these... Things attacked us... I was on the phone with Elysia and something happened. I'm worried she got hurt." Originally Sophia was hesitant to tell Terrence about the creatures, but he did just shoot a wolf who turned into a man not too long ago.

Sherlotta meanwhile hissed and as expected, scratched Terrence's hand after a few swats to it. After however, she pressed herself into Sora's lap protectively. "..."

[Mystics Apprentice 2,397]

-Yeul-

A small gasp escaped the Seeress' lips upon opening the driver's door.  There sat Lightning, unconscious, dressed in naught but a shirt and undergarments.  Yeul was about ready to question what could've caused the woman to head out in her car dressed this way, but she shrugged it aside and concerned herself with the matter at hand.  Concern contorted her brow; she hardly knew what to do.  She wasn't in her world and all of this was so foreign to her.  Carefully and with great caution, Yeul adjusted Elysia's seat so that it rested back before gently grasping the rose-haired woman's shoulders and setting her back at her seat.  She then noticed that a phone lay not too far from Elysia, which she eyed curiously.  She heard a voice coming from it before it clicked out of existence.  That was certainly odd.

 

"Lightning . . . ?"--she shook the woman's shoulder gently, watching with concerned emerald eyes.  No response came from the woman, causing a panic to rise in her throat.  What was she to do?  She didn't foresee this!  Her eyes flickered around, wondering what she should do, when she noticed the phone resting on the car's seat yet again.  She remembered these: never had she used one, but she'd seen them in visions and had seen people using them in this world.  Cautiously she leaned across Elysia and picked it up.  The initial call was apparently gone, but when the screen lit up it requested a password, or . . . "For emergencies dial 911."

 

Was this an emergency?  Most definitely.  Yeul didn't know what would happen from dialing this, but she felt there was hardly any choice.  She dialed the very numbers it instructed and placed the phone to her ear like she'd seen others do.  She nearly jumped when a voice emitted from it, but tried to remain calm and do what she'd seen others do.  "Yes, I have a woman here who has been in an accident," she responded to the voice on the other line, perhaps louder than necessary.  "We're off of Main Street.  Please, please hurry."

 

-Sora-

The brunet nodded in response to Sophia's reassuring statement, but when Terrence entered the car he was ill-equipped on what to say.  He recalled there being a lot of debate on what to say concerning his relation to Sophia, and thus was caught off-guard.  "I . . . um, uh . . . ."  Gosh, how he hated lying.  Thankfully Sophia swooped down to save the day by answering for him.  "It's great to meet you, Mr. Terrence.  You seem like the leader-y kind of guy!"  In truth Terrence seemed like a great role model, and if Sora wasn't particularly scared out of his wits he was certain that he'd probably really dig him.

 

Just then Sherlotta leapt onto his lap, nuzzling into Sora, to which he responded by placing a hand on her head and scratching around her ears.  When he went home he was really going to miss this cat; already they'd formed quite a bond.  When Sophia mentioned the Shadows his ears perked, causing him to sit upright and glance around through the windows.  None of the creatures that had harassed them were anywhere in sight.  Something--or, rather, someone--must've caused them to back down, much to Sora's relief.  Guilt did eat at him, though, and he didn't want to say it in front of Terrance.  He was almost certain, however, that they were there because of him.

 

-Vanille-

"Oh, thank you, thank you so much, Johnny!  You have no idea how much I appreciate it.  See you soon!"  Rachel let out a sigh of relief and sank back into her seat, just as Sid assumed the driver's seat and began to drive off.  In response to his question the redhead nodded enthusiastically.  "Yup, Johny said that he would meet us there.  You know Johnny, right?"  Distractedly the redhead gazed out the window, eyeing the shops and trees and waiting until Sid's shop loomed into view.

 

-Locke-

The door to the diner chimed as Skylar entered his favorite lounge.  He adjusted his cap, wiping his forehead as he did so.  It was certainly hot out there for this time of year.  He nodded toward Clara, a pink-haired woman who he'd never once met, before collapsing in his usual seat by the counter.  "Hey, Eclair!  Long time no see.  Hey, can I get a coke and some kind of sandwich?  I don't know what sounds good, so pick whatever you feel like making for me.  Boy, was today long and insane."  He stretched, arms over his head as he clasped his hands together.  Again the pink-haired woman caught Skylar's attention, wondering briefly why he thought she looked so familiar when he was certain they'd never met.  He then finally acknowledged Krissa, the local bartender.  He nodded in the dark-haired woman's direction before raising a hand in the air.  "Yo, Krissa!  How are things goin'?"  It was a question whether she remembered him or not, since he tried his best not to get to the bar often after a bit of an incident, but he still got his weekly drink every now and again.

 

-Kefka-

Kievan watched coldly as the silver-haired woman, Scarlett, disappeared.  His gaze immediately softened as he turned upon Tina, who looked slightly disappointed in him.  Sadness crept over his heart upon her words.  Truly he wanted to make her happy and live up to her expectations, and yet he couldn't help but revert to his usual habits.  "I'm sorry, Tina, truly.  But there's just some people I hold little faith in.  She made me uneasy, but"--he offered her a dashing smile, one that he reserved only for his friends (i.e. her, since he had none)--"I promise I'll make it up to you.  I'll try a little harder, all right?"  He propped an elbow on the counter in front of Tina, glancing at the clock before shoving a hand on one of his pockets.  "So, when d'you suppose this backup of yours is going to show up, and where would you like me to take you?  I want you to feel like this is, ah, your night.

[rikunobodyxiii 700]

{Lumina & Serah}

"Sure thing!" Elcair said brightly, ringing up Krissa's order.

Clara nodded to the bar tender amicably. While she wasn't a regular at the bar, Clara did go there from time to time. Eclair bustled back over and set down a glass of orange juice in front of Clara, then place a mug of hot coffee before Krissa.

"Hey, Skylar!" The waitress greeted. "I'll get ya fixed up."

As she went over to put in Skylar's order, Clara glanced over at Skylar.

"You work at GameStop, right?" She asked. "There is an order suppose to come in today. Under the name Tonnerre?"

"Aeria's present?" Eclair asked as she gave Skylar his coke.

Clara nodded.

 

{Balthier & Rikku}

"Johnny Frost?" Sid said, collecting his thoughts on the man. "Yeah, I met him a few times, back when he was the deputy. Not a brilliant conversationalist, but honest enough."

Taking a few short cuts and getting some luck on the lights, Sid pulled into his garage's parking lot not long after he picked up Rachel. He gave his horn three hunks, short long long. After a moment, one of the garage doors rolled open, with Tiffany at the controls.

"If you could jump out and fill out some paper work." Sid said. "Tiffany Flint, my new employee, can help you with that as I get your car pulled into the shop."

Sid quickly rolled down the window, and stuck his head out to shout at Tiffany.

"Can you help the client with paper work?" He yelled.

Tiffany gave a thumbs up, then opened the office door and held it open for Rachel.

[Saber Lily 1,543]

-Light-

 

The rose-haired woman groaned lightly and twitched a bit, but she was still waking up. Some blood ran from the side of her head and she was worse for wear, but at least alive. Her car clearly totalled, her gun was sitting on the floor on the passenger side, with her secondary ID and all in the glove compartment with a second gun. At least, then, people'd know she was FBI...of course, they would.

 

-Seven-

Sera shrugged, driving off.

"It's a weird town. Earlier we had my usual partner, Elysia, walk in in othing but a shirt and panties and deposit a delinquent who broke in and vandalized her home. That kind of weird. Then again, it was Elly, and she is weird..." she mused to herself...then the scanner went off.

"Car crash off Main Street, near the woods. Medics in route."

Sera sighed. "Let's go take a look, not much else to do."

 

So she turned and headed for the crash site.

[Arya Stark 1,337]

_Terra_

"Nice to meet ya Sora." Terrence said with a nod to the boy, rubbing his wounded hand. He stuck his tongue out playfully at the cat, then moved fully back into the passenger seat and faced forwards once more. "Things?" Terrence asked Sophia, a little curious what she meant. "You make it sound like they weren't regular animals." He pondered aloud. "Ugh, I signed up to be the Sheriff of a town that nothing ever happens in." He joked for the last time, before taking a deep breath. He had a lot of work to do today. "You want to go check where Elysia is supposed to be then? See if something happened?" The Sheriff asked his partner.

 

<Terra>

Tina nodded to Kievan. "Alright. But if I catch you being so callous unnecessarily again, there will be consequences." She teased him quietly, leaning back in her chair. The Innkeeper glanced back to the clock. "Should be any moment now. They have been gone for a really long time now though, I'm getting a little worried." Tina mentioned, perhaps a little anxious. But she shook her head. "No, they can take care of themselves. As much as they seem like it, they aren't kids. I shouldn't be so concerned until it's been a little longer. As for where to go.... I crave some Chinese food. Make a reservation maybe?"

 

[Tifa]

"Been better Skylar." Krissa replied cheerily. "Remind me not to sign myself up for the graveyard shift again. I have employees for the bad jobs like that." She joked. The boxer nodded in gratitude to Eclair as she took a short sip of the hot mug that had just come to her. "And it's good to see you too Clara." Krissa mentioned. She had a good eye for people, and was very good with names and faces. She knew everybody in town who had visited her bar more than three or four times.

[Aqua7KH 5,395]

-Aqua-

Sophia smiled at Sora's interaction with Terrance. It looks like her 'nephew' was comfortable with Terrance already. She looked over to her partner and gave a soft sigh. What were they going to do?

"They..." Sophia began. Should she tell him...? "They weren't exactly... Animals... But aside that, we have to see if Elysia's okay. I just don't know where she is... I was on the phone with her. It IS Aeria's birthday so maybe she's around her house... But she did say she was going to meet us at our office..." Sophia already began to drive away as she was saying this, deciding to take the route to their office first. If there was no sign of Elysia there, then she could drive towards Elysia's house.

[Shard the Gentleman 2,891]

(I'll post again after Scrap, haven't seen him in awhile)

[Scrapmaster 1,731]

(true enough, I haven't had much time, I apologize, i'l post soon)

[Mystics Apprentice 2,397]

-Locke-

The brunet leaned back in his seat casually and offered Eclair a nod.  "Sounds great, Eclair.  Take your time; it looks like you've got quite the crowd this evening."

 

Instead of think too long and hard on his empty stomach, Skylar shifted in his seat to face behind him, where Krissa sat.  "Graveyards shift stink.  I've only ever worked two, each being for Black Friday, and boy let me tell you!" A slight grin lit his lips as he rested his forearms along the back of his chair.  "Buuut, it always means a lot to us when management would get down and work these grueling shifts, so I'm sure your employees are grateful that you don't make them do it alone."

 

Skylar started to turn away when he heard a voice, soft and bubbly, come from beside him.  He glanced over towards the rose-haired young woman, taking a moment to process her words as he wondered why she seemed so familiar.  Upon the mention of Gamestop, however, it all started to make sense to him, thinking that he'd probably seen her there.  Gratefully Skylar snatched up the coke that Eclair left before him and jabbed a straw into it.  "Yeah, I work at Gamestop, but I'm sorry to say that I don't remember if your order came in.  A whole slew of them have come in with that release of the new Fire Emblem game that I didn't happen to notice.  Possible that it's there, though."

 

He began to take a swig of his soda, and nearly choked when Clara mentioned that the game was for Aeria.  For a moment he stared, gaping, before finally blurting, "So that's how I know you!  You're related to Elysia, aren't you?"

 

-Vanille-

The bubbly young woman smiled graciously toward Tiffany, grasping her hand about as enthusiastically as she had Sid's.  "Thank you, Tiffany!  How are you liking your new job?"  Rachel moved away to glance around, admiring the place in awe as though she'd never once stepped foot in an auto mechanic's shop before.  There wasn't a corner of the room to which her eyes didn't examine, from the very frame on the walls to the dirt in the corners of the room.  Finally she paced over to the counter, resting a hand on it and glancing back over at Tiffany.  "Did he say there was some paperwork for me to fill out?  Sorry, but I don't have long.  Johnny's coming to pick me up and take me to work."

 

-Yeul-

It didn't take long for the ambulance to pull along the shoulder of the road.  Yeul alarmingly glanced up from the unconscious FBI agent upon the flashing red and blue lights.  As the paramedics began to clamber out of the vehicle and prepare a stretcher, Yeul turned back to Elysia and lightly kissed her forehead.  "You must remember that you're the only one that can lead them home," she murmured softly.  "Please, try to remember, Lightning.  You need to break this curse.  We all need you."

 

Before she knew it, the paramedic crew was rolling their stretcher down the ditch and into the grass, their faces expressionless as they approached.  Finally one of them turned to Yeul and asked, "Were you involved in the accident?"  The blue-haired young woman shook her head, to which the paramedic merely nodded and took a step forward.  He was dark-skinned and wore glasses, seeming wise and yet so ignorant.  For a moment he studied Elysia's face, checked her pulse, and then turned to his crew and nodded.  "She seems stable enough to be transported.  Let's get her to the hospital."

 

With that, the man carefully slipped an arm under Elysia's head and knees and lifted her, making no note of her dressage or the lack thereof as he carried her to the stretcher.  Yeul watched with wide eyes, concern clouding her expression.  The FBI agent was tucked away into the ambulance and quickly sped off to the ER.

 

-Sora-

Clutching Sherlotta tightly--perhaps too tightly to clutch a cat--Sora glanced over to Sophia uncertainly.  He wanted to tell Terrence exactly what these attackers: Shadow creatures summoned from the darkness!  However, a lot of adults, he'd come to find, disbelieved in anything supernatural, and he didn't want to arise too much suspicion by going into detail over these creatures.  "So, Miss Sop--uh, I mean--Aunt Sophia?  Who's Elysia?"  The question had been poking at him for a while now after seeing her so upset on the phone earlier.  It seemed that Sophia had a wide network of friends, many of which Sora was rather curious about.

 

"And Mister Terrence?  Is it true that you always carry a gun?"  Curiosity danced in his eyes, wondering what the life of a sheriff was actually like.  He seemed strong and protective, just as he'd always thought a sheriff should be.  "What's it like to be the sheriff of this entire town?  Is it a lot of work?"

 

-Kefka-

A smile lit the scientist's face as Tina forgave him and made the mention of Chinese food.  He lifted a finger and began to reach his other hand into his pocket.  "Ah, then I know just the place that you will love."  His hand emerged with his cell phone, which he unlocked and began studying.  It only took him a moment to find the number that he'd been searching for, to which he dialed and placed to his ear.  "Hello, yes.  I would like to make a reservation for two tonight in about an hour."

 

The conversation went on shortly, but soon Kievan had hung up and glanced at Tina.  "It has been arranged.  But, because of where we're going, I think you might want to dress a bit more, ah, formal.  Tell you what"--he stole a swift glance around the inn before boldly stepping behind the counter--"I can keep an eye on the inn and do whatever needs to be done around here, while you head home and get yourself prepared for this evening.  By the time you get back your employee should be here and we can be on our way.  What do you say?  Do we have a deal?"

(Sorry, had to quote it. : P)

[Scrapmaster 1,731]

- Auron -

 

Aron simply stood there, staring at the thing as it panickly tried to run away, breaking his lamp, and knocking a few things down, honestly his apartment was never really that organized, but this just took the cake, frowning he saw the shadow duck under the closet, as he soon began to hear hissing from the closet, but also the doorbell ringing, "Always at the worst times..." he said sighing, as he moved a bit to the side, to his clothes closet, quickly pulling out a large wooden baseball bat from it, it was the size of his arm, and he brandished it on top of his shoulder as he kept his sight at the creature's hiding place, as he slowly walked over to the front door and Opened it.

 

Taking a glance at the woman, he instantly recognized her, "Bad time Nicole...get in, and lock the door behind you...if you please." Aron told her with a serious tone, as he began to walk over to the utility closet, slow enough for Nicole to see the amber eye, peeking at them through the linen covers, "Stay back..." He said, putting a hand in front of her as he walked forward, baseball bat ready, he waited a bit before opening the closet, hoping the thing would try to do something, if it did, Aron was ready to hit it full force with the bat, that'd ruin its day for sure.

[Shard the Gentleman 2,891]

~Fran~

 

The initial shock from Aron being the one opening the door wore off and was quickly replaced by surprise, of two things; how fast Aron rushed her inside, and how more potent the smell became. Fran peered over to where Aron was heading.

 

"What's wro- What the hell is that!" Nicole took a step backwards at the sight of the bright eyes staring from underneath the covers. is that what I've been smelling this whole time?

 

~Zidane Tribal~

 

"Give it a chance, will you?" Zach chuckled a bit as he spoke. "Besides, it's a bit early for dinner. Here, have this half of a panini that I didn't finish!" Zach dug around in his clothes that he was in when he got hit. The sandwich was still there, but it was horribly squished and deformed.

"On second thought..." Zachary looked at the sandwich. "I kinda want to finish this." He shoved most of the sandwich in his mouth as he made his way down towards the cavern. Once inside, he waited for Amber.

 

~Tyro~

 

Emmet had no way to contact Doctor Mog, and no way to ask for advice. Maybe there were a bit of magic remaining somewhere in his stock...? No, maybe not. He left the shop in a hurry, unsure of where to head. The police! He hurriedly dug around for his phone and dialed 911.

 

"Hello? I'd like to file a report for stolen propety."

[rikunobodyxiii 700]

{Sice}

Susan straightened up in her seat as Sera headed for the crash.

"Do you have a first aid kit?" She asked, as she looked in the back of the car. "I was trained in emergency response, so I can patch up anybody hurt. If the ambulance hasn't arrived yet."

 

{Lumina & Serah}

"Yeah, she's my big sister." Clara answered Skylar. "I guess I'll swing by there after eating to see if it came in."

As if on que, Eclair placed a hot omelette in front of Clara.

"There you go!" The Waitress said pleasantly.

She then spun around, placing Krissa's order in front of her with a flourish.

"Hey, when are you and Johnny having another sparring match?" She asked.

A fork full of omelette stopped half way to Clara's mouth.

"Johnny what's-his-face?" She asked. "The big guy who used to work for Terrence?"

Eclair nodded.

"Yeah, he's been doing some MMA fighting recently." Eclair answered.

"Is that a...well, a fair fight?" Clara asked, not knowing how else to put the question.

Eclair laughed as she picked up Skylar's order from the kitchen.

"Johnny didn't think so, so he went easy on Krissa for the first fight." She said. "Got his butt handed to him quite spectacularly."

Eclair placed a toasted breakfast sandwich before Skylar, with egg, cheese, and sausage.

"Here you go."

 

{Balthier, Rikku, & Snow}

"I think so, yeah." Tiffany answered. "It was kind of sudden, but I do enjoy taking things apart."

As soon as Tiffany and Rachel were in the office, the young mechanic started pulling out forms from the files.

"Don't worry about time." She said. "I use to help my dad do this, so we should be able to speed through this just fine."

As Tiffany quickly explained what the papers meant and where to sign, Sid got Rachel's car into the shop and on to a lifter. After just a quick look over, he could tell this job was gonna take a bit. He was lowering the car again when he saw Johnny's SUV pull up. Sid held up his index finger to tell the big man it would just be a second. Johnny nodded and waited. Sid wiped his hands on a towel as he walked into the office as Rachel was finishing the paper work.

"Just on preliminary findings, this job might take a couple of weeks." Sid reported. "If you need a rental car, I know a good rental service. Their flyer is right"

Sid looked back at a table where he kept flyers for business partners to see Tiffany walking up with the desired flyer.

"In Tiffany's hand." Sid finished. "Oh, and your ride is here."

[Arya Stark 1,337]

_Terra_

Terrence nodded towards Sophia's explanation of where they were going and what they were doing. "Sounds good. If we have to drop by the house, maybe we should ask Aeria if she knows where Lukas is when we do so. And I still have to stop by Iris' place and ask about the amnesiac I found." He said, very businesslike to her. These were after all, very serious matters. He wanted to inquire more about what had attacked them, but from the way that she had changed the subject, decided not to right now. Maybe another time. He glanced back to Sora at his questions, and smiled to the boy once more. He pulled his pistol from his holster, and held it in a practice grip, careful to not put his finger anywhere near the trigger. When riding in a car, even a casual bump might cause a tragic mistake. "I sure do. If your aunt gives me permission, I'd love to teach you how to use one sometime. It's a lot of fun, but always remember that they're very very dangerous. As for being sheriff, it's what I've always dreamed of. Protecting others from those that would hurt them. Normally it's not even that hard. But whooo, recently it's been one thing after another."

 

<Terra>

Tina had to smile at Kievan's casual implications. She nodded. "Alright. Should be fine, we rarely get guests, but recently... Anyway, just don't scare anyone off." She joked slightly, going upstairs, and heading to her own room.

 

*Yuffie*

Amber burst into the inn, Zach presumably somewhere behind her. Probably. He had taken her to the coolest place! It was full of these brilliant, shimmering rocks. No that wasn't it. Stones? Gems? No, crystals was definitely the only thing that could properly describe them. In any case, it had been a fantastic time. And they felt so different from anything else she had ever been near, seemed more than anything else she had ever seen. Amber wanted to tell her friend and mentor all about it. "Tina! I'm back!" She called, breathless. Then she actually looked towards the desk. "Oh, uh, hello." She said, sounding quite surprised. "Mr. Jones, I wasn't expecting you to be here. Where did Tina go?" She asked, attempting politeness and some form of formality, though not very well.

 

[Tifa]

"Yeah, and me being the nice person I can't help but be, I keep doing it." She replied to Skylar. "They better be grateful!" She said with a laugh. When Eclair placed her order down, Krissa nodded graciously. "Thanks." She said, peeking into the bag to make sure it was all there. Krissa polished off her mug of coffee, and walked over to the register, and began to pull out some money to pay while the other talked about some of her ah, extracurriculars. Krissa nodded with a smile. "Yeah, it's always the big guys that get cocky. There's a reason I'm number one in town." She put down the cash, more than enough to fully pay off her order. "But Johnny has potential. Once I'm done with him, no one else will be able to beat him anytime soon. I think there's a meeting later today. You guys should come by, it's a lot of fun. Anyway, I'd best be going. See you guys!" Krissa said as she walked out of the diner, and got back into her car.

[Saber Lily 1,543]

-Seven-

 

"Yeah, in the tru-" There went the ambulance. She moved over and saw a girl...then the car. Seraphim paled. She knew that car...that license plate...

"Hang on."

 

She gunned the engine and swung the car in a U turn. A few sheriff's cars were already on scene. She hit the switch and put the pedal down.

"That was Elysia's car. Elysia or Aeria is right now in the ambulance." She sounded...distant. Quiet. Scared.

 

"My partner could be in critical condition."

[Aqua7KH 5,395]

-Aqua-

Sophia nodded at Terrence's answer. Go to Elysia, then Aeria and Iris. Depending how how it went, she might have to bring Aeria with her depending on how her mother is. This was turning into a very hectic day and it was only getting worse and worse by the second. She just hoped she wouldn't encounter any more of the Shadows anytime soon...

Sophia listened to the exchange between Sora and Terrence and smiled. Luckily it sounded like they were going to get along splendidly. What's even better, Sora might even feel safe around Terrence as well. When Terrence showed off his gun and offered to teach Sora, Sophia chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"I think you forget I carry a weapon myself, Terra." Sophia said, not even realizing that she used a different name. "And... I'll think about letting you teach him." Usually she'd say yes right away, however Sophia figured she'd had to go to Iris and ask her first. After all, Sophia wasn't a legal guardian of Sora... But what if she could be? If she had the choice, honestly she'd adopt Sora in a heartbeat.

Sherlotta meanwhile only hissed at Terrence when he brought out his gun. She nuzzled herself into Sora protectively. Out of instinct her nails dug a little bit into Sora's pants and arm causing a little nicks here and there.

 

-Roxas-

Lukas meanwhile was on his skateboard, going fast through little back shortcuts that he knew of that only skateboards could go through. He had Aeria's necklace right in hand, and a smile on his face.

"I hope she likes this..." He uttered to himself.

[Mystics Apprentice 2,397]

-Vanitas-

Since the FBI team chose to ignore Maverick's snide remarks the boy retreated to the corner of his cell, jingling his handcuffs against the bedposts.  For a while he'd do it in rhythm and hum with it, but when that got boring he stood and threw his pillow at the bars.  "Hey, King or whoever you are!  Do you all feed your prisoners?  I'm starving over here."  He shifted to resume his position on the bed when he saw a woman sitting there instead.  Her silver locks were drawn into a high ponytail, tugging at the skin of her temples.  There was no place that Ultimecia could've come from, and she certainly hadn't been there before.  Maverick started to open his mouth and draw a breath to shout until the woman placed a finger on her lips.  "If you yell I cannot help you."  Her voice was soft and barely audible.

 

Frowning, Maverick drew closer to the woman, folding his arms against his chest.  "I'm listening."

 

"Tell me, boy: how do you think I got in?"

 

Maverick merely scoffed.  "Does it matter?"

 

Apparently this response displeased Ultimecia.  She pursed her lips and rose.  "Well, with that attitude you might just not be the right guy for the job.  We've worked together once, Vanitas.  Won't you be willing to do it again?"

 

"Why would I?!"  He took the crumbled and dusty pillow from the floor and threw it at the wall.  "I hate this place!  This is worse than things were back there.  This isn't what you promised me!  This isn't the life I wanted!  For once, just once, I wanted to have a home and belong, but here I am behind bars with that Elysia woman trailing me like a dog I can't shake off."

 

Ultimecia's fixated her gaze upon him, remaining calm as he threw his temper tantrum.  "I won't deny that things are a bit different from what I had expected as well.  My magic is limited as there is no supply in this world, and I am not exactly sovereign over the people as I had thought I'd be."  She patted the bed beside her, to which Maverick growled at before accepting and sitting down.  "However, I have a way to make things right again.  There is a reason that we don't have our magic, and I'm going to be changing just that.  I cannot do it now, however, or while Lightning still breathes.  Will you help me?"

 

"I don't know," said Maverick slowly, shaking his head.  "What's in it for me, and how do I know I can trust you?"

 

A smile rooted itself firmly upon Ultimecia's face as her eyes flickered dangerously.  She leaned forward until her forehead nearly touched his, her hand grasping his shoulder.  "That's the thing, my dear boy: you can't."  With that, the pair disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke, leaving nothing more than the miserable pillow behind.

 

At the diner:

It had taken quite a while for Yeul to navigate her GPS and finally find her destination: a run-down restaurant that all of the townsfolk referred to simply as "the diner."  The small young woman helped herself in and peered around.  A lot of people were casually chatting, everyone seeming calm and relaxed while getting ready to eat their food.  There was no sign of Caius, but at least there was also no sign that Ultimecia was after them.  The blue-haired teen took a seat behind Clara, stealing a few glances at her over her shoulder.  She couldn't help but wonder if Clara even knew that she was Lightning's sister anymore.

 

Meanwhile, a wide grin spread across Skylar's face as he gratefully started to dig into his sandwich.  "You're the best, Eclair.  Thank you.  You know that you're the gal who gets the most tips from me, right?"  He offered her a laugh and a wry grin before taking a bite into the sandwich, closing his eyes as he savored it.  His voice had a way of carrying, to which caused Yeul to glance up from her table.  She nearly fell over when she saw his waitress, and couldn't help but cry out: "Lumina, is that you?!"

 

-Vanille-

Apparently Sid's words were not what Rachel had wanted to hear.  Her eyes grew wide and immediately a frown furrowed her brow.  "B--but two weeks?  Sid . . . isn't there anything that would make it go faster?  Set it on a priority list?  I can't afford a rental for two weeks, not while I sponsor the Hearts 4 Souls program that Iris has going on.  That means I will have to drop out, and I don't know where else they could get the money before then."  This clearly had the redhead distraught.  Before even awaiting Sid's response she stormed out of the shop and made her way to Johnny's SUV.  She tapped on the window and waved before opening the passenger door and helping herself in.

 

"Hi, Johnny!" she said, enthusiasm returning to her voice.  "Thank you so, so, so, *so* much for the ride!  Sid said that it would be two weeks before my car is ready!  Two weeks!  Can you imagine that?"

 

-Sora-

Awe shone in the youth's eyes as Terrence described the jobs and responsibilities of being sheriff.  "So basically what you're saying is that you're a hero," he clarified.  "That is so awesome!  I have always wanted to protect my friends and family and those who matter to me.  Maybe I should think about being a sheriff one day, too.  Do you have to go to school for it?"  Sora certainly was filled with questions, his eyes never leaving Terrence or his gun.  Even though he didn't know him very well yet--or even his "aunt" for that matter--he felt a strong connection with them.  While he missed home, a part of him didn't want to leave.

 

He was brought back into awareness when Sherlotta dug her nails into him, causing him to wince.  "Kitty," he murmured, adjusting her so that she'd sit a bit more relaxed on his lap.  "So, uh, Aunt Sophia, I'm kind of still in pajamas . . . .  Are a lot of people going to see me like this?  Not that it matters too much, uh, I guess.  It's just kinda embarrassing."

 

In Auron's apartment:

The utility closet burst forth and inside was a dark form, seeming to be that of a boy with spiky hair, baggy shorts, and big shoes.

It glanced up with unearthly yellow eyes, revealing a row of sharp dark, pointy teeth.  It let out a hiss and bounded at Nicole, a weapon shaped like both a sword and a key in hand.  It swung at her with one hand and jabbed with his Keyblade in the other.

 

What weapons will Nicole and Aron do to fight it, or how will they escape?  More Shadows have collected in their apartment, making it difficult to tread around them without tripping or slipping, or without letting this Anti Sora get to them first.

 

-Kefka-

A slight chuckle escaped Kievan's lips as he ushered Tina off into the other room with a wave of his hand.  "Well, I can't make any promises, as my presence alone seems to scare people.  But I'll be nice, if that's what you mean."

 

After Tina disappeared Kievan withdrew his cell phone, glancing at it a long moment as if battling himself.  He hadn't heard from Sid in a while and was wondering if he had any leads to the mech suit that they'd seen along the coast.  Instead of call, however, he sent Sid a quick text message, it reading: "Any update on the machine?  Call me later."

 

It hadn't been long before the inn door opened for the first time.  Kievan prepared his nicest smile and was getting ready to talk in his best-little-boy-in-the-world voice when he realized that it was only Amber.  The smile still remained, though he decided to screw the nice voice.  "Oh, why hello, Amber.  What perfect timing!  I'm preparing to take your boss out to dinner this evening at a Chinese restaurant just on the outskirts of town.  We have been waiting for you."

 

The blond glanced to the clock and sighed.  He hoped that for once in his life he could actually pull off being nice and have a good time, especially for Tina's sake.

[Scrapmaster 1,731]

(Anti-Sora? he takes double damage! Imma break the bat in half from bashing it in its head!)

 

- Auron -

 

Aron reacted quickly as the shadowy...boy bursted out of the utility closet, really making a mess of his tools, which he'd need to organize later...but that wasn't of importance right now, this shadow apparently summoned a key of sorts and lunged at Nicole.

 

However, Aron reacted quickly and the shadow's attack was soon interrupted by a heavy swing of Aron's Baseball bat, possibly staggering it or, as he hoped, throwing it back a bit from the force of the attack, "Nicole, get out of here, i'l take care of this" Aron said as he noticed more shadows were spawning around the apartment, "God dammit..." He muttered.

Edited November 24, 2015 by Scrapmaster

[rikunobodyxiii 700]

{Lumina & Serah}

"Sure will!" Eclair answered to Krissa's invitation, then scooped up her payment. "Thanks! Have a good day!"

Clara watched as Krissa went out, oddly fascinated with the idea of going to the fight. The way she remembered how aggravated Elysia sounded when she mentioned working with Johnny made her want to rout for him. Clara loved her sister, but there were times when she needed to loosen up.

Eclair was moving to Yuel's table to get her order when Skylar complimented her.

"Well, glad to hear-"

Cut off by Yuel's cry, Eclair gave the seeress a shocked look. Clara turned around in her seat, still chewing, wondering what was going on.

"Um, no." Eclair answered, rallying magnificently. "I'm Eclair. You alright, miss?"

The Waitress moved closer to Yuel, holding up a hand to try to keep the young woman calm.

 

{Sice}

Susan took a moment to digest what Sera told her. She looked from her temporary partner to the retreating form of the ambulance, then back.

"Follow it." She said. "The local police can look into the circumstances. We'd better check on your partner. Is there anyone we should call? Can we check on which one is in the ambulance?"

Susan wasn't sure who Aeria was, but that didn't matter right now. It was either give Sera a direction to go for or try to comfort her, and Susan wasn't good at comforting people.

 

{Balthier, Rikku, & Snow}

Sid sighed and started to follow Rachel out, but paused to give Tiffany a jerk of a thumb for her to go look at the car. She nodded and went into the main garage.

Johnny rolled down the window and listened to Rachel's complaint. He gave Sid, who was a yard behind Rachel, a long stare.

"Maybe." The big man said. "That a firm estimate, Benson?"

"No, it's conservative." Sid answered, holding in some irritation from coming out in his voice. "If things go really well, we can have the car running again in three days. But, that's best case scenario. We don't yet know what can be repaired and what can be replaced. Add to that, some of the parts may need to be ordered and orders seem to be filled when ever Toyota feels like it. I'm not trying to cheat you, Miss Norman. I'm just trying to prepare you for the worst."

Johnny continued to give Sid a long stare, then gave Rachel a smile.

"Don't worry, Mr. Benson here will have your car out as fast as possible." He said in a reassuring tone. "Until then, maybe we can work something out for using my car. I've been wanting to use my bike more, anyway."

[Mystics Apprentice 2,397]

-Vanitas-

The dark-haired delinquent glared at the witch.  "So now that you busted me out of jail, now what?"  For a moment Ultimecia whipped around on heel and shot Maverick a look as though she were ready to slap him.

 

"I save you, and this is the response that I receive?"  She tsked, beginning to circle Maverick.  "Oh, you have it all wrong, dear; that's not how a partnership works.  I've done something for you, and now it's your turn to do something for me."

 

Maverick rolled his eyes, flinging himself on the dirty sidewalk as he looked Ultimecia in the eye.  "And I can assume you're not going to buzz off until I do."

 

She leaned forward, extending a paper to him, to which he merely eyed rather than reach for.  "You know Lukas, do you not?"  Maverick merely scoffed.  "Well, yeah."

 

"I want you to bring him to me, in this alleyway, tomorrow night.  He's the one that I need in order to prevent a tragedy."

 

A frown creased Maverick's brow.  "I don't get it, what about Lightning, huh?  That woman has been messing up my life since day one in this new land!  I thought you said that she had to be stopped."

 

"Yes, and she will be.  I have already made sure of that." A smirk stretched Ultimecia's lips fine as she turned her gaze to the glowing full moon.  "After tonight, all will be well here on Destiny Beach."  With that, the woman turned and disappeared in the purple puff of smoke, leaving Maverick alone in the twilit streets.

 

Auron's apartment

The dark shadowy boy took the bat to the stomach, hurling him back into the utility closet,  he hissed, springing forward and reaching out with a shadowy claw, its darkness tainting the air and burning a hole into the ground on which it stood.  Smoke began emitting from the spot.  If something wasn't done about the shadowy menace quickly, the apartment very well could've caught on fire.  Its attention was now detracted from Nicole and fixated solely on Aron, taking its Keyblade and attempting to strike at Aron's wrist which held the bat.

 

-Yeul and Locke-

For a moment the slate-haired girl looked completely dumbfounded.  "You . . . don't remember?"  She tilted her head, eyeing Eclair curiously.  "But Lumina . . . you weren't apart of the curse, how could you not remember anything?  Please, we need to talk, and I need your help.  Things are not going well, and Lightning is in grave danger."

 

The words lightning and danger arrested Skylar's attention from his sandwich.  He craned his neck to look in their direction, offering Eclair a slight grin and raising an eyebrow toward Yeul.  "Uh, sorry for intruding, but do we have a pretty dangerous lightning storm coming in?  No surprise here on the coast.  We get these kinds of things all the time."

 

-Vanille-

The redhead relaxed in her seat as Johnny started straightening everything out.  Leave it to Johnny to make peace and justify everything.  While she didn't mean to accuse Sid so, she'd often known mechanics to be a little shady and she couldn't help but have a few doubts regarding him.  Finally she nodded stiffly.  "I understand, and thank you for preparing me for the worst.  Please keep me posted."  With that she fastened her seat belt and rolled up the window, turning to offer Johnny a smile.  "Thank you so much for being my hero, Johnny.  What would I do without you?"  She began pulling out her phone to call her workplace, letting them know that she would be a little late.  As she pulled the phone to her ear she said to Johnny: "Do you know where the vet's office off of Main and 5th Ave is?"

[Arya Stark 1,337]

_Terra_

Terrence laughed at Sora's hero comment. "I suppose you could say that. I never really thought of it like that. I'm just doing my job after all." Terrence said to Sora. "And yes, I went to school. I graduated high school, and also Jacksonville University with a degree in criminal psychology. I wish that came in handy more often..." He said with a sigh. The Sheriff looked back to his partner, who seemed to mostly be focused on the road on their upcoming job. "Hey, I didn't forget! I just assumed that you probably weren't likely to show off your guns like I am." He said, kind of making fun of himself with his words. He glanced back to Sora, then back to the road. He whispered in a voice that Sora wouldn't be able to hear, "Are you sure we should take him with us? I know we aren't doing anything too dangerous, but I'd hate to see something happen and him get caught in the middle..." 

 

[Tifa]

Krissa entered the hospital, trashing her empty to-go bag from the diner as she did so. She glanced around the lobby of the hospital, smiling and waving at a few people that she recognized from around, mostly from the bar. She made herself over to the desk, and signed in on the volunteer sheet. Krissa finished putting in the time, then looked up to the receptionist. "Do you know if there's anything in particular that's needed of me right now?" The Bartender asked.

 

*Yuffie*

Amber nodded. "Alright sounds good. I can take over the desk for you then?" Amber said, gesturing to the front desk, as she moved around him, careful not to bump him or anything. She knew that she shouldn't feel this way, especially since he and Tina were so close, but he did scare her. Just his attitude... It gave her the creeps. She took a seat behind the desk, then gasped as she glanced up the stairs.

 

<Terra>

 

Except with Tina's appearance, duh

 

Tina descended the staircase, now garbed in a lovely red dress.

"Tina! I've never seen you looking so good!" Amber exclaimed. Tina smiled sheepishly, folding her hands in front of her body.

"Thank you Amber. If you've got everything handled here..." She said in her usual soft tone. The younger girl smiled and nodded excitedly.

"Yeah, for sure! Don't worry about it. Go have fun!" 

Tina shifted her gaze to Kievan, and moved a stray lock of hair out of her face.

"Then shall we go?" The Innkeeper asked.

[Aqua7KH 5,395]

-Roxas-

Lukas skated out of a small alleyway and onto the sidewalk of a more quieter street in town. At this rate he should be getting to Aeria's house in... A half an hour? That wasn't so bad. Especially due to the fact that there was no one in the streets. Except... For a car that was approaching him. At first Lukas ignored if, but as soon as he saw a woman with black hair and a man with brown hair... It was at that moment Lukas knew. He firetrucked up. (I couldn't help but make the reference joke I'm sorry)

 

-Aqua-

Sophia couldn't help but find it very amusing how Sora and Terrence was. As she drove, she was actually able to feel a bit better compared to how she was before when she encountered the Shadows.

"I know you both just met... But you two would make the weirdest brothers." She couldn't help but let out a loud chuckle at the thought, and for some reason it felt familiar to her. Then, Sherlotta hissed and Sora asked about being in pajamas.

"Oh..." Sophia placed her palm on her face. She completely forgot they both were in far from descent clothes. She would've asked Terrence to see if Sora can borrow his clothes but they already left his house.

"I'll stop by a store to see if we can get you some clothes. And Sherlotta! Be nice!" She noticed a look of concern on Terrence's face, and Sophia sighed once he whispered to her.

"I know... I thought about that..." Sophia uttered back. "But you should've seen what attacked us. You're not going to believe it. It's very dangerous and I think Sora is safer if he comes with us so we can protect him. That's why I wanted you to come so bad." The only other thing Sophia could think about was to maybe have Iris watch him, but she didn't even know where Iris was right now with this craziness going on. And besides; Sophia as of right now was entrusted with taking care of Sora. That was what she was going to do. The fact that Sophia had no idea what was going on didn't help either. Sophia was taken out of this thought however, when she noticed a familiar blonde teen skating down a sidewalk.

"Are kidding me..." Sophia breathed as she pulled up to the teen.

"Lukas!" Aqua called as she rolled down ten window to talk. "What are you doing out here? Everyone is looking for you! The home is worried sick!"

Lukas' first instinct was to straight up run, but honestly he knew he wouldn't get very far. Especially since Terrence was in the car. If Lukas was lucky, he could maybe outrun Sophia. Terrence or Elysia? Hell no. Honestly Lukas doubted Sonic the Hedgehog could outrun those two.

"They're being... Overdramatic?" Lukas asked, honestly completely out of any ideas for an excuse. He peeked through the window and awkwardly waved to Terrence. "H-Hi..."

[Mystics Apprentice 2,397]

-Cloud-

As Krissa spoke with the receptionist a loud smack resounded in the room.  A paper bag had fallen from a blond man's hand onto the tile floor, his turquoise-blue gaze fixated on the bartender.  He was still a patient of the hospital, still dressed in a gown and an IV in his arm.  The look on his face was first shocked, which then turned blank and, finally, delighted.  "Tifa!" he cried, dragging his IV stand with him as he darted up to the bartender.  Without warning he threw his arms around her, burying his face into her dark locks.  "Oh, Tifa, I'm so glad you came for me!  These people have treated me like I'm crazy for talking about you."

 

Now everyone in the room was staring, including the receptionist.  A disapproving frown crossed her face, though said nothing as she awaited to see how Tifa would respond to this quaky patient.

 

-Kefka-

Upon Amber's gasp Kievan glanced to the staircase, his gaze mesmerized.  Tina looked positively stunning, not only in her dress but also her demeanor.  She looked so carefree and happy.  Surely a man like him wouldn't even deserve a girl of such joy radiating from her.  A genuine smile stretched his lips as he extended a gloved hand to the young woman.  "You look absolutely lovely, my dear Tina."  He held open the shop's door for her, allowing her exit and nodding in thanks to Amber.

 

"Come, my car is parked out this way," he said, beckoning her along as he unlocked his sleek black car.  As he opened the passenger door for Tina to enter, however, a violent light filled his eyes as disturbing images flashed through his mind.

 

Tina.  Chained to a chair, as he manically laughed and placed an iron crown upon her head.  The look of horror upon Tina's face as he, Kievan, mercilessly burned soldiers to a crisp, in the very same mech that he and Sid found on the beach.  Finally, he saw Tina crying, to which he slapped her and ordered her to complete her mission.

 

When Kievan finally came to he was knelt on the ground.  His body trembled violently, his breaths coming in gasps.  What in the world was that, and why did those thoughts feel so real?  He looked to his dear Tina in horror.  Good gracious, could that have been a glimpse of the future?  What was he going to do to her?

 

-Sora-

The brunet noticed the car stop, causing him to break away from his conversation with Terrence.  He heard Sophia make a sarcastic remark before emerging from the car.  In front of the car he noticed a blond teen, perhaps only a couple of years older than him.  Without permission or even asking, Sora unbuckled his seat belt and hopped out of the car, ensuring that Sherlotta was going to stay put before doing so.  "Hey!"  Sora cried, waving to Lukas.  "My name's Sora.  You must be the kid that ran away from the group home that Sophia was talking about."

 

Sometimes the boy really put his foot in his mouth.  Out of all the positive intros, that probably wasn't one of them.

 

In the hospital with Lightning

A somber expression filled the visage of the young brunette nurse with the blue ribbon.  She adjusted Elysia's IV as she took her blood pressure.  The accident looked rather devastating, the patient having received at least a concussion, if not worse.  Iris had met the FBI agent at least a few times now.  In fact, she knew that she had a little daughter back at home.  The poor girl . . . she probably didn't even know yet.

 

Just then the door to Elysia's room burst open, and in the doorframe stood Caius.  His lavender locks were as disheveled as usual, his jeans and jacket still wrinkled.  "Oh, hello," Iris stated, surprised.  "Can I help you?  Or . . . do you know her?"  Caius took one look at Elysia, expressionless as always.  "Yes, I do know her, as do I know the young woman that was with her at the time at the crash.  Where is she, and how is she?"

 

Iris' expression was blank, as she stared into the face of the violet-haired man.  "I'm sorry, sir.  I don't know of anyone else who was in the accident.  I'm just a nurse, but maybe you could see about asking the front desk?"

Edited December 23, 2015 by Mystics Apprentice

[rikunobodyxiii 700]

{Lumina & Serah}

A string of profanity went through Eclair's head. The old witch was gonna be mad.

"Curse?" She said, sounding dumbfounded her self. "What do you mean, 'curse?' And is Lightning suppose to be a Nickname for someone?"

Eclair had to keep down the panic rising inside her. If Lightning was hurt, was Xion? Serah could find out, but Clara wouldn't know to check.

"Can you lead us to your hurt friend?" Clara asked in a carefully helpful tone.

"Yeah." Eclair chimed in. "We could go help your friend."

 

{Balthier & Snow}

"No problem, Miss Norman." Sid answered, his natural charm taking over again. "Glad to be of help."

As soon as Rachel was buckled, Johnny started his car.

"Walk." He replied to Rachel with a grin.

He gave Sid a curt nod.

"See you around, Benson."

"Frost." Sid answered in a neutral tone.

Johnny started pulling out as Rachel called her work.

"Yep." He answered Rachel's question, then changed lanes to better head where Rachel needed to go.

[Saber Lily 1,543]

-Susan-

She slid into the diner, and spotted Clara. She looked extremely upset, and ran over to her, hugging her.

"Clara! Clara mom...mom was in an accident." She looked up. "Sh...she's in the hospital now."

 

-Seven-

She didn't take her eyes off the road. "Aeria will be fine briefly. But right now..." She turned the corner. "We'll be at the hospital in a minute."

 

-Lighting-

Elysia grimaced, and groaning...the sat up. She had been clad in a gown, a few bandages and such on her. The commotion had woken her up, and she felt for her gun. No gun.

"Are you firetrucking kidding me?" She grimaced and slid out. The woman stumbled towards the door, using the IV roller thingy as she looked out. Eye bandaged, cheek bandaged, she frowned.

"Krissa? That you? Is that guy bother you?"

[Mystics Apprentice 2,397]

-Caius-

A throat was cleared behind Elysia.  Behind her stood the same tall man that had bombarded into her room before, his expression entirely business and unreadable.  "Eh, uh, sorry, miss.  I don't know what your name is, but I have business with you.  May I have . . . your attention, for one moment please?  Privately?"  Of course this proposal was probably rather odd, but he'd only hoped that some part of her, somewhere deep down, would recognize him.

 

-Yeul and Locke-

The blue-haired woman shook her head.  "No, she's in the hospital now and the nurses thought she would be okay.  It's just . . . .  I need you, Eclair.  You know why I need your help."  She slid off her chair, striding toward the door as the eyes of all diner patrons likely rested upon her.  "The fate of everyone rests on you, Eclair.  You know this."

 

With that, the strange steel-haired teen disappeared out the door, leaving a very bedazzled Skylar in her wake.  His expression switched from surprised, to stunned, to bewildered in a matter of seconds, and finally he turned a glance back to his favorite waitress.  "So, Eclair, huh?  What else do I not know about you, and do you have any idea of what she's talking about with this fate and everyone-in-your-hands thing?"