The Silent Ballroom

[MeadowSong]

[glow=Purple,2,300]"It was a mistake for you to run, Beatrix. As you can clearly see, though, it might have been a good thing. Shego is by far my best apprentice, as she was able to take you down rather quickly. I had assumed I would never find such a wondrous gift such as her after I lost you, but fortunately I was mistaken.

"Look at you, the darkness just swelling up in your heart right now. You are so close to the edge, my dear, ready to be swallowed up and taken into the Abyss. You will be much better suited, I think, to a life of darkness. You proved to be enjoying it while you were under my apprenticeship."

She began pacing back and forth, giving Beatrix glances at random intervals.

"Hm...that power...the swords. Twins, perhaps? What was so special about that blade that it could unlock your heart and release you from the darkness, even slightly? No matter, no matter. I shall have you yet again, and this time, there will be no turning back. I will have the ultimate team: Beatrix, General of the Heartless, and Shego, Agent and Sole Warrior of the Darkness!

"I shall reign over all worlds as Mistress of All Evil, forever!"[/glow]

[Atticus the Fallen]

The dark one was sitting on the bridge of his flagship, preparing to depart with the battle fleet. He had the honor and privilege to take the commander's chair, overlooking the bridge of the massive ship, which could easily have held two of Maleficent's magnificent throne rooms. The reason for this was that it was filled with mechanical devices for piloting the giant vessel, each manned by an eager heartless. They were all going through pre-launch protocols when the distraction came.

Little Cuddles. He appeared at Atticus' right hand, chittering a bit as he looked up to the caretaker of their kind. The dark wizard turned his head and listened. Apparently, little cuddles had been keeping an eye on Shego the whole time, and knew that she was looking for him on Maleficent's account.

"I see..." he muttered, then stood up slowly and turned to walk towards the power lift that would take him out of the ship through one of the access portals. "Let us see what our queen wants, then..."

Going the traditional way was time consuming, yes, but it did mean he would pass by Shego in the process. It would take maybe a minute or two to go from the hangar bay into the main castle, and less than 30 seconds from there to pass Shego in the hallway. "I'm already aware..." he told her as he passed, saving her the greif of explaining to him that Maleficent wanted to talk to him. To assuage any rage she might have at the apparent brushing off, Cuddles would leap up onto her shoulder and nuzzle her happily, assuring her that Atticus was not being rude, just that he was busy.

The Dark creature stepped into the silent ballroom, instantly seeing what was going on. He walked up beside Maleficent and looked up at Beatrix with those glowing yellow eyes, appraising her situation and considering what to say carefully... Looking down, he spotted the sword. The glow from it was... unsettling. He instantly knew he didn't trust it... felt an uneasiness regarding it that made him concerned for his bretherin. He looked away from it, back to Maleficent.

"That blade should be disposed of..." he said calmly, despite his reservations about the sword. "To prove a point, if nothing else... Kefka might enjoy such an act..." He now walked forward a bit, leaving the matter at that as he looked up to Beatrix once more.

"Our wayward companion..." he said in a soft tone that almost sounded accepting. "Oh, how we have missed you..."

[MeadowSong]

[glow=Purple,2,300]Maleficent turned when she heard Atticus enter the chamber, and she raised her arm out to display the suspended general. When he spoke, she considered it.

"Yes, I agree. When I first encountered this young woman in battle, the day long ago she attacked my dominion, I could sense monumental power within it, as well as a similar blade wielded by that corn-haired companion of her's."

Maleficent turned, her robes swaying back and forth, and she walked over and reached down. Moving her spider-like fingers over the blade, she attempted to grab the hilt, but her hand was shot back with a jolt.

"Eg...Well, I suppose I am unable to move this. I will see what Kefka can do, but in the meantime--"[/glow]

[Shego]

[glow=green,2,800]Shego stopped, and heart nearly SKIPPED a beat at Atticus' entrance, resting a hand on her chest to be still it. She would grumble a little under her breath, "Don't... DO that!" she would warn again, before being cuddled by...well... Cuddles.

She chuckled a moment, reaching up to pet the small creature, "Hey, you! Where have you been?? Aw, miss me?"

The thief turned around to face Beatrix and Maleficent. She was walking next to Atticus as he also approached them. She would give small glances between the two, before starring down at Save the Queen. Mentioning that it should be disposed of, and Maleficent attempting to wield it but failing...

"I'll do it." She whispered, walking over to the sword and picking it up, though obviously struggling with it on how heavy it was. Thankfully, she was still human, so it didn't harm her. She held it up, surprised that the ex-apprentice was able to swing it so easily. She turned to look to Beatrix, her eyes glaring at the woman, before turning in place, and leaving with the sword in hand. She did not dispose of it in front of the others... in fact... she would not dispose of it at all, but storage it in a safe place, without anyone's knowing.[/glow]

[Acteur de la Noir]

Elsewhere:

As these events unfolded, one of the castle's many corridors would be subject to a sudden increase in activity. Not in population, per se--the long, ominous blackness that stretched across the walls and floor were merely shadows; not the living dark that sought out the hearts of others. But that would soon change.

First, a few sparks--a crackle of penumbral lightning. Then, with an eerie swiftness, a vortex of darkness opened up in midair, swelling in size until its swirling mass had grown to about the size and shape of a doorway. To those who knew of such matters, it was indeed a door, of sorts--a portal leading to the Corridors of Darkness, those enigmatic and ethereal pathways which bridged the gaps between worlds, often circumventing all manner of defenses and security in the process. With these shadowy routes, one had little need for a Gummi ship to travel to other worlds...but there was always a price to be had. To travel a Corridor of Darkness, one had to immerse themselves completely in the essence of the shadows--an experience that always took its toll. Even if one managed to avoid losing their Heart completely, they would inevitably be "tainted" to some degree.

Of course, this wasn't an issue if one had already given themselves to the darkness...or, for that matter, were already Heartless.

And it was a Heartless who emerged through the Dark Corridor, pulling his lanky figure out of the roiling vortex and stepping smoothly onto the sleek polished floors of what was once the castle of Organization XIII. While he stood apart from most of the rank-and file Heartless (what with his aristocratic attire and theatrical mask), the keen yellow eyes that took in his surroundings behind the smooth white porcelain would betray his true identity to anyone who saw them.

Thus did Acteur de la Noir, Heartless puppeteer extraordinaire, return to Castle Oblivion. Whether he was intercepted by someone else before he chose to seek out the master of the house--such as, perhaps, the green-and-black checkered woman who had just departed to do her queen's bidding--remained to be seen.

[General Beatrix]

Beatrix hovered there, angrier than sin, attempting to free herself from this dilemma. When she saw Shego come back with Atticus, her eye widened, and she began struggling harder.

"A Black Waltz! One of Kuja's golems! So he still lives!"

Beatrix growled, and began flailing about miserably, her hair messing up and her eye patch coming undone.

"You foul beast, I thought Her Majesty and her companions disposed of the three of you!"

Soon all her memories from Kuja's reign of terror surfaced and she shouted in anger. "I just knew it, what with seeing those two imps following around Maleficent...that Kuja just had to be behind this somehow! You're all going to pay dearly! Once I am free I shall take down your harlequin, and then end each and every one of your miserable, heartless lives."

Then she lowered her head, speaking longingly. "And then...some day I might return to Alexandria, and stand at the side of my queen with my beloved..."

[MeadowSong]

[glow=purple,2,300]Maleficent grinned at Beatrix' struggling, and goaded her on with mocking cries. "Oh, pity, pity, my dear! Hahahahahaha! Now, I tire of this nonsense."

She stood back up and pressed her finger against the emblem on Beatrix' uniform. Within a second, Beatrix was paralyzed, and Maleficent took special care to lower her to the ground. She slammed down her sceptre and the statue of a woman was moved to the prison chamber, with the petrified Meg and the yet-to-be-announced captive.

"I shall think of something to do. But until I can obtain a Slave Crown from Kefka, let's keep them locked away."

She watched Shego take the blade, unharmed, and proceed out of the chamber.[/glow]

[Shego]

[glow=green,2,800]Shego walked back to the Ballroom, after "disposing" if the blade, and she would notice that Beatrix was not around. She glared around before looking to Maleficent, "...Where is she?" she felt like asking, crossing her arms.

Her eyes hinted a form of jealousy for some reason or another. Her tone showed much hatred for Beatrix, even though she was there no more, " I'd like to talk to Chuckles." again- she spoke of the captured soul, "I'm not done with her."[/glow]

[Atticus the Fallen]

"A Black Waltz! One of Kuja's golems! So he still lives!"

What a curious thing to say in her situation. Yes, Atticus had been addressed as such once or twice, but never had it recieved such a reaction... He watched curiously as Beatrix continued to rant...

"I just knew it, what with seeing those two imps following around Maleficent...that Kuja just had to be behind this somehow! You're all going to pay dearly! Once I am free I shall take down your harlequin, and then end each and every one of your miserable, heartless lives."

"My dear, I'm afraid you're terribly mistaken..." Atticus whispered, and as the creeping paralyzation took hold of Beatrix, he finished with "...about a great many things..." Then, she was whisked away to the dungeons, and the dark one was left alone with Maleficent momentarily.

"She does not seem to remember the dark things she has done under your yoke..." Atticus muttered, then looked directly to the dark queen. "Her heart is weighed down with the darkness... Perhaps reminding her of the great deeds she has accomplished will... convince her to come home...?" He looked off, then bowed his head slightly.

"Something of great concern has come to my attention. I have to depart for a short while. When I return, I would be happy to speak with our little lost lamb..." He turned his back to the woman and started walking towards the exit once more. "It may be nothing... but I cannot allow even the slightest threat to your glorious take over... My queen..."

[Cloud]

It was quiet here...

The dark solitude of a dungeon often granted one more than ample time and opportunity to think. That is, when they were conscious. It had taken him a while to regain his... shaking his head lightly from side to side and emitting a minor groan at the pain at the base of his neck...

Spikey, golden hair swayed with the motion of his head, and his hand fell back to his knee as he leaned back against the wall he had apparently been unceremoniously dumped against. The warrior sighed, glowing blue eyes infused with Mako energy opening slowly and adjusting to the dark. "Captured again..." he whispered to himself, mostly to assure himself that he could. "Typical..."

He thought long and hard. How had he gotten here? He remembered breaking the atmosphere of Gaia on his Gummi-Enhanced bike, Fenrir... He remembered approaching Twilight Town, hoping for answers to the tugging feeling on his heart... But when he got there, the world was knee-deep in a Heartless attack.

Cloud recalled the aerial battle with several heartless ships, he remembered winning the fight, mostly, until a rouge blast from behind took out his engines and sent him crashing downward. Darkness had overtaken him then, but only momentarily, a temporary knockout, not an attack on his heart. He remembered picking up his sword and fighting more heartless... And he remembered a large cat-thing he had assumed was Cait Sith's robotic Mog... until it turned around and commanded Heartless to take him.

Then, he was here. Apparently, he had been struck from behind, based on the pain in the back of his head. His sword was nowhere to be seen, but he just knew that fat black feline had taken it. Checking himself, he found that his equipment was still mostly intact... minus any weaponry. Apparently, they wanted him healthy as they left his potions, ethers, and his one soft. He sighed once more and stood up slowly. "Better find a way out of here..." he whispered again to himself...

Eyes adjusting to the dark, he noticed he wasn't alone in this cell. It was occupied by a single statue of a woman dressed in greek robes. He figured she must have fallen to a stone spell, and half-considered using his soft to safe her... but thought better of it. He needed to save that in case HE was next, unless he could trust the person to be an asset rather than a hassle. Besides, as far as safety was concerned she was pretty much set. No one was going to bother her, obviously, so she could sit for a while without worry.

Cloud turned to the bars, ready to seek a way out when suddenly a burst of greenish flame behind him left behind another statue. This one, however, he recognized.

"Beatrix?" he asked, trotting over to her to look her over. She looked as though she had been suspended, and indeed as soon as the flames were gone, she toppled over as a result of her legs not exactly being in place to stand on her own. Thank Cosmos she didn't shatter making contact with the stone floor. Knealing down, Cloud looked her over. Clearly, she had only just been turned, as the stone was still warm.

"Looks like I got no choice..." Cloud muttered, then reached into his pockets and pulled out the gold needle used to administer Soft. Without a second thought, he injected the statue with the anti-stone cure.

"Snap out of it..." he whispered to her as the stone skin pulled away from her ears. "It's time to go."

[MeadowSong]

[glow=purple,2,300]Maleficent wanted to ask about the whole "waltz" matter, but decided to shrug it off as more nonsense.

When Atticus mentioned a possible threat, she cocked her head in confusion. "...very well, Atticus the Fallen. You go do what you must. I shall formulate how best to inform our, how would Kuja say it...canary, of her past within our ranks."

Maleficent snapped her fingers and in her hand appeared a crystal. She examined it closely and smiled. "But for now I will work on this. Through digging, Pete the Useless has shown some brighter colors of late and has investigated some things of this girl Agrias. With this crystal, in time, I shall punish her for the damage she has caused."

She raised her staff and, before disappearing in a cloud of darkness, addressed Shego. "If you are looking for the general, I sent her statue to the dungeons." And then she was gone, just like that.[/glow]

***Off to the Chamber of the Black Queen***

[General Beatrix]

When the veil of stone covering her mouth retracted and the remaining was mostly gone, she shot up from he place on the floor, crying out in shock.

She shuffled a bit around uneasily for a moment before shifting into a somewhat sitting position. When she saw Cloud--a man she did not really expect to meet again--she could have kissed him. But instead her resolve was to grab him and pull him close to her, and embrace him hard.

"Oh, Sir Cloud!" she cried jovially, and then, realizing that she was acting less like a knight and more like a weak-hearted damzel, she let him go and backed up, turning her head and blushing.

"Eh...thank you." She rubbed her arms and her legs, just to ensure that they weren't stiff from the curse, and looked around the chamber. She, too, saw Megara's stone body and frowned.

"It appears she has put us in prison. Statues! In prison! How ridiculous." She stood up and brushed herself off, and turned to face her one-time companion.

"How did you manage to get yourself captured? Surely the green-clothed woman wasn't your victorious opponent? It's shameful enough I was taken down by such a weakling...you're much stronger than that."

She then shook her head and began pacing within the cell, stealing glances of Cloud here and there, looking him over, just to see if, by chance, this could be a trap.

She looked down at her sword belt and cursed under her breath. "That's right...Save the Queen was taken from me when I dropped her..."

[Shego]

[glow=green,2,800]Shego would be sitting behind the door that led to the dungeons, listening in to the woman, and Mr. Happy, idly looking to the opposite wall with uninterested eyes. She had told Cuddles to join Atticus for a while. She was on her own, she wanted to be, for some reason or another at this time. The moment this woman came in, was the moment Shego felt blown off by everyone: Atticus, and Maleficent. How inferior she felt, when she did everything right, and yet the traitor seemed to be at peak of interest for both.

'tch.. weakling she calls me,' she thought, closing her eyes, suppressing her anger, 'says the one in the PRISON.'

The girl threw tiny pebbles she found around her from the decaying surroundings, and lightly smacked them at the cracks on the wall she faced, trying to gather some attention from the prisoners, without telling them who it was. The door had no peeking hole, so there was no way to tell who was on the other side of the door. [/glow]

[Cloud]

When he was suddenly embrased... Cloud just let it happen. He didn't really reciprocate, just allowed her to hug him as though it didn't matter at all to him. He knew she'd just been through a lot and she'd snap to her senses in a moment. He knew what was important at the moment, and she would in a second, if he let her get to it.

"No..." he said when she began asking him. "Dirty tactics. I don't know who got me, exactly... just that they attacked me from behind while my guard was down..." He looked to Beatrix as she began pacing, watching her carefully in case SHE was a trick. You never know.

She mentioned her sword and he bowed his head as he leaned on the wall with his arms crossed. "Yeah... that fat cat thing took mine too...All I know is we need to get out of here and-" He looked up quickly, hearing the tap-tap of little pebbles hitting a wall, then the ground. He quickly held a finger to his lips to inform Beatrix to get quiet. Sure, this was probably a stupid tactic as whomever was throwing those pebbles had to know they were both there, but he didn't want to go into details about an escape plan while someone was listening.

"Who's there...?" he asked into the dark.

[General Beatrix]

Beatrix stopped pacing around on the cold, dusty stone and knelt down beside Cloud, watching him put his finger to his lips. She listened, waited for another tap, and preoccupied herself with just staring at Cloud.

'What was that', she lipped, her eye narrowing. She bent to rummage through a small pouch at her side, in case she needed something to use against an enemy. Only healing items and toiletries were available, and she frowned.

She moved to rub her gloved palms together and then cracked her knuckled. If it's an enemy, I'll be ready...but could it be another prisoner? She looked back to the greek statue. ...I will bring you back some day, victim.