The Silent Ballroom

[Shego]

[glow=green,2,800]'tap... tap tap... tap tap...' went the sounds as Shego continued to listen in. Breathing in quietly and exhaling, not responding quite yet. She was feeling empty inside, an effect brought by the darkness she had been exposing herself with.

She opened her black tainted lips in order to say something, but nothing seemed to mutter out. If anything, it sounded like an injured person. Not completely aware of the surroundings. To be honest, Shego didn't know WHAT she was doing, whether it was to mess with their minds or... just amuse herself, seeing what they would do. She felt mischevious... towards the knight and swordsman.... AND... towards Maleficent.

The thief looked back toward the door she rested against, and grinned a little, wondering if... playing nicely would fill in the void she felt. [/glow]

[Cloud]

Cloud called out again, having heard no answer. "I said who's there?!" he said, but as he spoke, he quietly knealt down to Beatrix, looking to her and mouthing out the words "give me your toothbrush" quietly. He had a plan. Once he had it, he began to scrape it against the stone floor. "I asked a question, and I want it answered. I know you're there, you can't expect me to believe those pebbles are throwing themselves!" he was talking to cover the very quiet sound of the plastic stripping away.

Within moments, Cloud had sharpened the end of the toothbrush to an incredibly deadly point. Effectively, he had created a dagger from simple toiletries. He handed this to Beatrix and gestured to the hair brush next. "Are you going to speak up, or will I have to keep talking until you get annoyed?" Once that was sharpened for himself, he looked to Beatrix, and whispered. "Do you have a hairpin?"

[General Beatrix]

Beatrix looked once more into her pouch and handed Cloud her tooth brush. When he finished sharpening it, she took it kindly, and handed over the hairbrush with a frown. She watched Cloud work and grew increasingly frustrated at the fact no one was answering, only making slight whimper-like noises. It was almost like a pathetic dog was outside the door.

Beatrix didin't know, but she was curious.

When he asked her for a hairpin, she gave him a look of "you must be kidding..." but opened her interior breast pocket and pulled a handful out, and set them on the floor before him.

'What do you need these for...they will not unlock the witch's bars...'

[Shego]

[glow=green,2,800]Shego held at her head, mumbling incoherence, before brushing up against the door as she stood. 'tap tap tap... tap....' Sounded again, and suddenly- there was a light- CLICK - as if something had opened. The thief's eyes were expressionless but she had a smile about her, she didn't even know what she was doing at this point. Was it retaliation? What happens when Maleficent let in someone against their will to WORK for her? What would she get, if that which she could of relied on to begin with was indisposed?

What was she thinking... how naughty. She stepped a few feet away, darkness seeping from her and through the hallways. If they were to come out, there would be a rude awakening of miniature corridors they needed to pass, in order to gain freedom. The darkness would consume them, if they tried to run. Shego stayed in front of the now opened door, and looked down the stairs, certain that they would be out at any minute. If they stayed just behind the door, they would be fine... but step out, and they would join the family. It seemed the apprentice wanted to chat with them first, before anything else.

"Hey..." she sounded monotone, towards the prisoners, "...how badly ya' wanna leave?"[/glow]

[Cloud]

"Do you have a better idea?" Cloud whispered back, going through the pins to look for one that could be used as a decent pick... until the door unlocked itself. Cloud looked over, then back to Beatrix and nodded. "Be ready..." he said, holding his brush-excuse me- dagger up. He went over to the door, standing just to one side of it. He didn't want to be in the line of fire when the door opened. He pointed for Beatrix to take the other side, then reached over and pushed it wide open.

Leaning over slowly and carefully, he peeked up the stairs to where Shego was standing. He hadn't met her, so he didn't know what she was capable of, but he knew better than to underestimate ANYONE. He did, however, see the dark traps she had laid, and knew they were bad news. He spoke loudly, preparing for a fight if he needed to.

"We're not going to fall for your trap!" he said, gripping the brush. He was tensing up, ready to run up the stairs and rush Shego. His increased strength and agility thanks to Shinra's experimentation should be more than enough, but he would hold a hand up out of Shego's line of sight to signal to the also out-of-sight Beatrix. They were going to attack together, overwhelm her. Close quarters meant that he'd go first, draw Shego's fire. He had the better chance of resisting due to the little amount of armor he had, beside the fact that Beatrix was tired.

"Get rid of the corridors and step away from the stairs! I'm only telling you once!" he said, giving an "on my signal" gesture to Beatrix... Not yet... had to see what the plasmagirl was going to do...

[General Beatrix]

Beatrix slapped herself in the forehead when he found that the door had unlocked of its own volition, and she did as instructed and moved to the other side of the door.

When she heard Shego's voice she grew angry, and tightened her grip on the makeshift dagger with both hands.

She nodded as he gave instructions, and waited for his signal.

"Ready when you are," she whispered.

[Shego]

[glow=green,2,800]"What's this... taking orders from Mr. Spikes, General? Here I thought you were something BIG from where you came from....taking orders from a mutt..." mumbled an annoyed thief, her eyes narrowing at the sight of Cloud. Clearly, she wasn't interested in him. Her glowing green orbs traveled to stare at the door where Beatrix stood behind, a curious grin slowly etching upon her face once more, "I asked a simple question, Bee Bee... How badly ya' wanna leave?" - the woman sound like she didn't want to pick a fight.

The thief didn't attain a fighting stance or anything, she just stood there, with corridors floating carefully around her, and swarming all over the hallways, any step was a death trap.

"How... badly... ya' wanna get out of this mess...?"[/glow]

[Acteur de la Noir]

It was truly funny sometimes. One could start out headed for a specific destination, and end up someplace else altogether. There could be any number of reasons for such a thing happening--lousy directions, a change of heart, a random encounter with something important...the possibilities and combinations were endless.

Acteur de la Noir had been heading for the throne room, to make his report to Maleficent. However, about halfway there, the Heartless puppeteer had stopped as a sudden thought gave him pause. The simple fact was that his first impression with the self-styled "Mistress of All Evil" had not gone well. In retrospect, it was to be expected, really--an unannounced visit to a lady's private chambers tended to produce that effect. Ergo, wouldn't it make much more sense to show his face when he had some genuine accomplishment he could mollify her with? There had been the capture of Beatrix, of course...but that had been more of a supporting role! He needed an achievement in which he was the star!

And so it was that Acteur de la Noir had opted to go first to Atticus, to seek his kind's savior on how best to proceed. But, by a rather embarrassing misjudgement of direction, the Heartless puppetmaster had taken a wrong turn that had brought him to the dungeons. However, the lanky, well-dressed manipulator had decided to make the most of it and check on those that were held captive, there--he seemed to recall that they'd recently captured a Princess of Heart, after all. And something about another, pointy-headed bloke...?

Imagine his surprise when he heard the sound of voices downstairs--one of which belonged to the lovely green-and-black beauty who had become Maleficent's new apprentice! Making his way a little further down the stairs, taking pains to keep his flamboyantly-dressed frame in the shadows, Acteur peeked round the corner, just in time to see...well, well. If it wasn't the pointy-headed swordsman. And at the bottom of the stairs, with her shapely back turned to Acteur, was Shego...lounging rather nonchalantly against the wall, considering the situation.

Wasn't this interesting?

He could tell Maleficent, of course...but then again, while he wanted to appease her, the dark fairy queen was not Acteur's true master. And perhaps there was a way that said master could find a way to spin all of this to the benefits of the Heartless...after all, there would be a poetic beauty in seducing a disgruntled servant into betraying her mistress--especially one who might have once been the most faithful! And to put her trust in the likes of him would only hasten her fall...and her rebirth.

With that thought, Acteur pulled back his cloak, exercising his will as a superior Heartless. From that velvet darkness, a small Shadow sprang forth, antennae twitching as it took in its new environment, then looked up at "big brother." Holding a finger to the crescent-slash mouth of his mask, Acteur let his keen yellow eyes lock with those of the imp-like creature. "Go tell Atticus what's happening," he whispered. "And let him know I'd like some counsel on how best to handle it--shall I support Shego, or report her?"

As the small creature left to do his bidding, Acteur skulked deeper into the shadows, hoping that no one had spotted him. He wasn't quite ready to make his appearance in this little act--not yet, anyway.

[Cloud]

Cloud pulled his head back, looking to Bea out of eyesight of Shego. He nodded in a "humor her" sort of way as he got ready for action. She was offering Bea a way out... NOT him. He was pretty much prepared to fight his way out no matter how this went down. He'd have to find his way to the hangar, and get a ship (with any luck, though, Fenrir would be there and he could just use his own). Whatever the case... he had to be ready...

[General Beatrix]

She groaned in misery at hearing the "humor her".

She stepped out in front of the doorway where, up the steps, Shego awaited. She lowered the makeshift dagger to one hand at her side and stared up with brave eyes.

"What is it you seek, Miss Shego?" she said, trying to maintain a polite tone.

[Shego]

[glow=green,2,800]Shego reached with a stretched hand toward the ex-apprentice, her gloved fingertips flexing a little by the reach. She was motioning the woman to come forward, and just as she did, the corridors made a little passage way for her.

"Try anything," She warned the man next to her, "and you're both dead."

She then eyed the woman again, her face expressionless as she beckoned her to come forward. She continued to hold her hand out for the woman, wanting her to take it.

"I have.. " she paused a moment, blinking at her own words, "A proposition to break out of here. I was thinking... of what you said... it was... interesting. You must return to you're allies, right? Well... come hear me out. But spikey stays were he is." [/glow]

[General Beatrix]

Beatrix, a little hesitant, studied the woman above, wondering her true intentions.

"What is in this for you, then?"

She slowly proceeded up the steps, looking back to Cloud and motioning for him to stay back.

"Don't worry, Sir Cloud...I will be all right."

She stopped at the fifth step. "I shall not take another step until Save the Queen is returned to me."

She folded her arms, and tapped her foot.

"T-this man's, as well. If I am to be given an opportunity to live, then I wish the same for my comrade."

She knew that she could get Shego to do as she liked if it meant doing what Shego asked of her.

[Shego]

[glow=green,2,800]"Oh... you'll have them once you accept my offer. Besides, I don't think you are in any position to make requests." Shego spoke clearly, not a hint of joke within her tone, "Come here, if you wish to know the rest. I won't fight ya' if that's what you're worried about.

She continued to outstretch her hand to her, still, and waiting.
"What I get from this is you out of my hair, and a Queeny out of your hair, if you're a good girl and listen carefully." She turned her gaze to Cloud, "And I don't know him well enough to trust his powers... I'm sure they are nothing compared to yours, so he can't listen... besides, I'm sure others would listen, the heartless, if I'm not careful."[/glow]

[Acteur de la Noir]

Moments seemed to stretch like plastic over flame, spiraling the pause into infinity...but in reality, it was only a matter of minutes before Acteur was rewarded by the return of that Shadow he'd sent to Atticus. The distinction would have been impossible for most others--after all, the lithe, imp-like creatures were practically identical to one another in almost every aspect--but for a fellow Heartless, there were ways of discerning one from another.

And this one had quite the story to tell. Unable to speak--at least, not the way that humans could--the Shadow danced about and twitched its tapering antennae in a strange pattern, almost as though it were typing Morse code. To the layman, it wouldn't have made a lick of sense...but to Acteur, there was a method to the visual madness. It represented the subtle whisperings of the darkness, that only one truly borne of it could hear. And the message the Shadow conveyed was simple...

"Support her decision...and remind her that we heartless can keep a secret..."

The command caused Acteur's eyes to glitter with anticipation, and it was with a broad grin upon his mysteriously-expressive mask that the Heartless puppeteer finally stepped out of the shadows, walking down the rest of the stairs with the stately dignity of an aristocrat. Lifting his arms from the velvet trapping of his cape, Acteur began clapping aloud as he descended into full view of Cloud, Beatrix...and, once she turned, Shego as well. Very much the image of one delighted with a masterful display of drama and performance.


*Clap...clap...clap* "Well, well, well," Acteur observed brightly as he joined Shego on the bottom of the staircase. "Isn't THIS an interesting twist? The successor, driven to betrayal by jealousy of the predecessor...the former general, struggling even now to claw her way out of the darkness that would fold around her...and a little lost wolf, trying to find some sense of purpose!" He clapped again, the grin in his voice matching that on the mask. "Hee hee hee...how delightfully entertaining!"

Pausing, Acteur turned to Shego and swept into a gentlemanly bow, his tone almost charming as he met her gaze and spoke in a silky whisper. "Fear not, milady...I'll keep what happens here under my hat. We of the darkness can keep a secret...and Cuddles isn't the only one who sympathizes with a rare and talented beauty like yourself..."

With that, Acteur straightened up and whirled to face Cloud and Beatrix, extending a gloved hand to point at them both. "Right, then...you've heard Lady Shego's proposal..." He glanced casually towards one of the walls, where the shadows were beginning to waver and thicken ominously. "...and I, for one, would encourage you to listen. Your options are quite limited, after all."

[Cloud]

Cloud grunted a little, tightening the grip on his weapon. Another Heartless... this one more powerful than the shadows and such he's been dealing with. He was getting tired of waiting, and with the heartless backing this woman up, he knew there was some kind of trick up their overly-dramatic sleeves. "No good..." he muttered... looking around for another way out...