The Chamber of the Black Queen

[Shego]

[glow=green,2,800]Jealousy. Why should she be jealous, if she has passed her first mission, and done everything in her power for two days straight without food or sleep? Why be angry if it was a success, and her BOSS was able to attain 'JIM's' soul thingy? Why be angry to find out there is another Apprentice... ANOTHER...apprentice?! Many things.

The thief huffed along the corridors, about to walk out completely, until she felt something holding her back...[/glow]

'Please don't go...'

[glow=green,2,800]Shego stopped in place, and blinked twice before looking back at the door she had just left. She turned to it, and tilted her head in question. She swore she heard a voice... somehow. She slowly walked back, and opened the door lightly, to see who it was that called to her so pitifully, only to find her little buddy there, his yellow eyes wide with sorrow, waiting to see her again...

"Cuddles...?" Shego asked, smiling a bit, and walking forward to kneel next to the creature, "... Did you--... were you...? Silly thing." she mumbled, picking up the creature and giving it a tight hug, " Don't do that face... I'm sorry I left you like that... don't be sad..."[/glow]

[The Heartless Army]

The little creature leapt up into Shego's arms the second she knealt down, and true to his namesake, cuddled there. He pressed his little face against the area JUST above her heart... a cute gesture to most, a terrifying sign of things to come to others. He'd emit a sound much like churring, a sign of his pleasure at being in her favor.

Sitting up a little in her arms, Cuddles reached up and touched her face a little with those oversized black hands of his, eyes scanning hers for that odd connection they seemed to have. He expressed so much with so little... as if their hearts were resonating with each others.

Don't go... echoed in Shego's heart over and over. Stay with us... It was hard to tell it was coming from Cuddles, considering there really was no WORDS spoken, per se, just that strange sense that it was what he was trying to tell her.

He tilted his head a little, dropping down into her lap to look up at her, ears back but in a more "I wanna listen" sort of way. "Share..."

[Shego]

[glow=green,2,800]Shego looked down to the little creature, her eyes relaxing a little as she sat down on the floor there, crossing her legs and sitting the little Heartless on top of them, so he would be comfortable. She then held a hand up to rub a little at the top of his head, seeming to worry, "Oh, Cuddles..." she mumbled, "I just... I guess I'm just too tired of this apprentice crud."

She shook her head a little, thinking she was out of earshot distance from the others and continued to talk, " They keep popping out like daisies, and I just feel like one of 'em." she shrugged, pausing a moment to look into the creature's eyes once more, "And...then I had that scary dream where I lost you to this boy with a ...sword...key thing... but maybe it's because I've been reading that paper I found one too many times... something about Keyblades... sounds dumb, I know, but..."

The thief sighed, staying quiet a bit more, before giving the creature a soft smile, "I won't let anything bad happen to you... ok, cuddles? You and me... I feel I can only depend on you... You are the most that has... made sense since I got here... Gah-- listen to me, I sound like one of Dr. D's soaps." she chuckled, feeling a lot better, "Hunger must be getting to me..." [/glow]

[MeadowSong]

[glow=purple,2,300]Maleficent shuddered at the immense power and tug of the darkness as Atticus drew his hand over hers, taking hold of the orb. She watched him for a moment as he created the body, and silently thanked him.

"Excellent, Atticus. You may leave now. And you," she said, turning to Acteur. "do as my associate says and enter not my chambers again without an invitation, or I will ensure your doom."

She scratched her forehead and paced over to Jafar, looking him up and down admiringly.

"We have much work to do, Jafar. I shall let you rest and recuperate for a time, and then it'll be time to act."[/glow]

[Atticus the Fallen]

Keyblades...

It was instantaneous, the reaction it had on little Cuddles. As soon as the word was said, his eyes bugged out and he grew terrified, squirming around madly in Shego's grip as his antennae went bonkers, flailing about as if he'd just been sprayed with a can of RAID. It was clear from the little heartless' actions he didn't want ANY part of it...

---------------------------------------------------------------

Keyblades...

The word echoed in Atticus' mind, a result of his connection to his hive. His eyes widened ever-so-slightly at this... distressing word just before he regained his composure and turned to face Maleficent in time for his... dismissal. All the better. He needed to speak with Shego right now anyway. He bowed politely and slowly backed away. "As you wish... my queen..." he said, then disappeared THROUGH the door as if it wasn't even there.

He arrived in the next room, standing behind Shego just as she was speaking to the little one...

[glow=green,2,300]"I won't let anything bad happen to you... ok, cuddles? You and me... I feel I can only depend on you... You are the most that has... made sense since I got here... Gah-- listen to me, I sound like one of Dr. D's soaps." she chuckled, feeling a lot better, "Hunger must be getting to me..." [/glow]

"A touching sentiment..." Atticus whispered, though it seemed to echo all around. He slowly strode up as Cuddles freed himself from Shego's arms and ran up to him, jumping around his feet and chattering loudly as he walked. "You show great compassion for my kind... It does my heart good to see one who is not frightened of the darkness..."

He stopped about a yard and a half from her, giving her PLENTY of space so she didn't think he was trying to get too familiar. "I couldn't help but overhear... you are hungry. Not suprising considering you've been working for two days solid without respite..." he reached up and snapped his fingers. A familiar sight from her world would appear in a swirl of darkness... several large bags of various items from Bueno Nacho.

As Shego undoubtedly perused her meal, Atticus glanced down to the still-chattering Cuddles before picking him up and patting his head to calm him. "My fellow creature of the dark tells me you discovered a parchment mentioning a weapon you are unfamiliar with. Might I see this?"

He didn't want to believe it. He wanted her to tell him it was a mistake, that the two words together were some slip of the tounge. But if the Keyblade might make a return... he needed to stop it from re-appearing...

[Shego]

[glow=Green,2,700]"Wh-what's the matter,Buddy?!" Shego would gasp at her friend's sudden flailing reaction, "Oh no- hey, hey calm down! Don't worry- I promise I won't let anything bad happen!"

It was then when a familiar voice echoed around her, and her heart nearly jumped, flailing her arms before calming down, "OH, GAH- - GEESH, Atticus!" she sighed, holding a hand at her chest as Cuddles left her side to seek comfort elsewhere, " stop... DOING that!" she grumbled, getting up to her feet to stumble slightly, "ooh.." -- she was out of it.[/glow]

"I couldn't help but overhear... you are hungry. Not surprising considering you've been working for two days solid without respite..."

[glow=green,2,700]said the scarecrow, followed by a snap of the fingers. Suddenly, a familiar, wished, sensational aroma began to fill the air, and if it wasn't for Shego's starvation, she would of refused food from that dump... but... that wasn't the case, was it?[/glow]

[glow=green,2,700]She sighed a little dreamily, stepping forward to open up a wrapped taco, and bit into it, staying quiet while she ate. When Atticus spoke again, she was already on the second helping,[/glow]

"My fellow creature of the dark tells me you discovered a parchment mentioning a weapon you are unfamiliar with. Might I see this?"

[glow=green,2,700]"Yeah, something really bothered Cuddles..." she mumbled between bites, putting down the food a moment to retrieve that single piece of paper that had started a ruckus, and showed it to him"... this thing talks about it... Somethin' about masters and wielders and some gibberish..." [/glow]

[Atticus the Fallen]

Atticus lifted a hand and took the paper from Shego's lightly. As she hungrily wolfed down more of the hastily-prepared food, he perused it with his back to her. He recognized the handwriting... knew this was no hoax. Damn it all to hell, there are clues to MAKING one of these accursed things! The air around him seemed to grow darker... more dangerous. It was as if TOUCHING him alone would throw your heart into the abyss. Slowly, he turned around to face Shego, and in an instant... the paper in his hand blazed into non-existance.

"It is probably best..." Atticus warned in a tone so dark and frightening that even Cuddles knew better than to be too close to him right now. "...that you forget what you have read..."

The little one curled around Shego's feet. He knew Atticus had his best interest at heart... but when he was mad... it was never a pretty picture.

[Shego]

[glow=green,2,700]
She took a breath, forgetting she needed to do that between gulps, reaching for a small, plastic bag containing powerful hot salsa, "You seem worried." The girl stopped eating, looking to the back of Atticus, since it was towards her. She opened the small bag, and pursed her lips around the open edges, and sucked in its spicy content, as if juice. "Oh oh hot hot...ahh... " she sighed happily, holding up her fist which flared up with green plasma, "...hit's the spot. Thanks for the grub, Attics"

Shego was about to dig into a fourth taco, "What's so important about those note-things anyways? It looked like a piece of an instruction manual. It wasn't even complete, is it so important?" the thief asked, unknowing of that the big deal was. [/glow]

[Atticus the Fallen]

Atticus looked to the woman a moment... before that edge slowly fell back. "Of course..." he whispered... realizing Shego had no idea what was going on or why he was so agitated by the information. He faced her fully before beginning to explain.

"The Keyblade..." he whispered in a harsh, hateful tone, indicating his disgust for the thing. "... is a weapon against our kind. It has been the single most effective tool of our eradication for ages... Those pages were part of a research project... focusing on mass producing them. Simply put... if someone were to gather ALL the information about the keyblade... it would spell certain doom for my bretherin... for all heartless... Even 'Cuddles'..." he added that part to drive home to Shego why any of this matters to HER.

"Luckily... you're the only one who knows about them... but if anyone attempts to extract the information from you... it would be best if you refused."

[Shego]

[glow=green,2,800]"Ah, whoa whoa, buddy." She stood up, making a fist, looking alarmed at the hearing of Cuddles' endangerment in the dilemma, "I'm not the only one that has SEEN that note-- this kid in the Underworld saw it, too! Probably knew what it was! We should go find those papers pronto! Where do we look?!"

She sounded almost as... if she was working for him, but she was truly worried for Cuddles' safety, "What do I need to find, is there some way to ... make a counter weapon, or... no, it would be too late...uuuh...hmm!" she snapped her fingers, "Wait I got it! Why don't we do some forging?? That should stop 'em, right? I mean, if they don't have the right manual and such, they can't make it! We can lead them OFF trail and.... and it'll backfire on 'em!" [/glow]

[Atticus the Fallen]

Atticus watched Shego's reaction carefully. It was... good to see her so empassioned about their cause. However, he wasn't stupid. He knew certain... hinderances would see their teaming up as an act against them, so he was forced, for now, to delay Shego's... ascension.

"Unfortunately, this isn't your battle to fight..." Atticus said calmly, shaking his head somewhat. "Though your idea does have merit. I will have my bretherin seek out the notes... and those that seek to find them... You, on the other hand..." he turned around, and started walking away.

"...belong to Maleficent. Do as she commands, and we'll converse more..."

[Shego]

[glow=green,2,700]"But... uh..." Shego held out a hand, wanting to say something about the matter but he was right. She simply sighed, and crossed her arms, pouting and looking to the side, "Right, right.."

The thief shrugged a little, reaching up to massage the back of her neck, "So... anyway... ya know...whatever happens." She tried to be subtle, " Call me, Beep me, if ya wanna reach me." she cringed, in disbelief she actually went along to SAY that. She made a face, as if she had eaten something sour and shook her head violently, "Whoah, memory trip... nothing never mind. You know where I am if you need me, Scarecrow."

She looked down, after seeing walk away, and turned to face the bed she once slept at. She was curious of what her next job was going to be. She glanced down at the food bags, which there were still several, and reached in to take out a Salad bowl, while scooting the bags into a corner, in case she got starved again. She opened the little bowl up, and added a bit of optional dressing, lightly picking at the lettuce leafs, and placing them against her lips to eat them quietly.

Still... she couldn't help but wonder... what that cheerleader was up to... monkeyfist...? ... DNAmy...? Drakken...? Eh, not a menace if the muscle n' brains wasn't around.... still, what IS she doing now?[/glow]

[MeadowSong]

[glow=purple,2,300]"Shego," said Maleficent, appearing at her side, her staff in hand and the demon bird Diablo on her right shoulder.

"Was Atticus just speaking to you?" She bit her lip for a moment, scowling into a dark corner of the room. "What did the two of you discuss? And I have a new mission for you, my dear. You will be following Acteur on his next assignment. You will bring down and capture...her. She has been gone far too long, and I think it is time that you meet."

"Oh!" she yelped. "I almost forgot. Your gift...well, I suppose that it can wait until you return. Your loyalty has served me well so far. Please take Jafar to the chamber three doors down from here to rest, and then come back to me. Acteur will tell you when he is setting off." Then she considered it for a moment. "On second thought," she waved her hand out at Shego's new blade. It turned into a staff within seconds, the black magic sweeping over it like scarabs. "Somewhat enhanced powers over the darkness, as well as the three semi-basic spells: Fira, Blizzara, and Thundara. There are five charges each. Try not to miss should you be forced to use this. I'd rather my rose not be too crushed and withered."[/glow]

[Shego]

[glow=green,2,800]The girl looked up after she was called by her boss, her green eyes wide with curiosity after being addressed. She was in the middle of swallowing a lettuce leaf, when she was asked. [/glow]

"Was Atticus just speaking to you?"

[glow=green,2,800]"Yeah," she responded, raising an eyebrow high, while keeping the other low, " Somethin' wrong?"[/glow]

"What did the two of you discuss? And I have a new mission for you, my dear. You will be following Acteur on his next assignment. You will bring down and capture...her. She has been gone far too long, and I think it is time that you meet."


[glow=green,2,700]"Oh, we were just talking about fashion statements and trying to stop the goodies from getting --" she responded, before hearing the rest, "New mission? Her?" Shego's expression grew a little sour, thinking that The Black Queen meant the OTHER apprentice... the one that got the BOOT, " Wait, wait, wait, whoah, yeah- see- You want ME to bring BACK your OLD apprentice... that ABANDONED the cause? Why not just... you know... send Kefka or something to eliminate her? I'm sure he'll be happy to blow something up."

The checkered suit girl tilted her head to the side, listening to the rest, about the present, and the new weapon change. She felt a little spoiled, and she liked it- but not for what she was asked, err commanded, to do, "Mrrh... " she grumbled, tossing the salad bowl to the bag of other food items for later, to begin walking over to pick up the staff, eying it a moment, "... fine I'll get that stupid..mrmr sm.rm.m...rashermash..merader.." she mumbled the last of the sentence incoherently, stepping out of the room, looking annoyed. Her jealousy was showing.

"Come along Jafar." she called out to the man, waiting outside until he joined her. She was in the right mind to still tear a few holes in the man for all the trouble he had caused, but her mind was on other matters.[/glow]

[MeadowSong]

[glow=Purple,2,300]Maleficent began pacing throughout her chambers, speaking quietly to her companion Diablo, her eyes widening here and there at points where she grew furious, and then narrowing at intervals when she thought of something sneaky or devious.

"It's incredible! Outrageous! I am almost certain, my pet, that that fool of a Heartless will attempt to take away my newest apprentice. I've lost so many as it is, and refuse to be shown up by the likes of their kind once more."

She slammed Faeries' Wrath down a couple times, the *click-pang* sounding with each strike, in frustration before making her way to the center of the room and standing before her tall mirror.

"Well, I suppose that not all is lost..." she began quietly, staring intently into the black clouds rumbling within the glass. "We do now have Jafar, and we also have Kefka. If we need Hades, I will work on that."

Maleficent glanced over to the statue of Megara, and her pencil-thin lips curled upward. "Leverage, my pet, is all that you need, even to bend the will of a god. Once I have killed that Hercules, then Hades will do as I say. Grimhilde, possibly Chernabog...if not him then I know of just another we can use...but I believe with just the right touch my new alliance will be more powerful than I could anticipate."

She pressed her bony right hand on the flat of the mirror and intoned deeply. "But now...show me Beatrix. Show me what my former apprentice is up to."

And from there she was left, her and Diablo, as the Black Witch cackled into the darkness.[/glow]

***Off to the Silent Ballroom***