A Rose and its Clippers

[Abigail Crescentlight]

knock knock knock!

Abigail turned over, grumbling lightly as she stirred from sleep. How long had it been? She didn't know. She sat up a little, rubbing at her eyes a little. On the nightstand, that crystal was still there.

"Huh...?" she asked no one in particular, then sat up and looked at it, picking the odd item up and examining it closely. "I guess... it wasn't a dream..." she muttered, then stretched a little.

"Good morning, Lady Agrias!" came Beatrix's voice from outside.

Abigail gasped, her eyes shooting wide open. Oh goodness! She was in Agrias' room!! What would Beatrix think?! Well... if she was quick about it, she could make the bed so that it seemed no one slept in it, and the way the sheets on the chair were laid already indicated that she'd been there. That was her only way out! She quickly made the bed, then ran over to the door, quickly doing her hair as she did.

Slowly, she opened the door. She tried very hard not to seem embarassed or flustered, smiling to Beatrix as she did. "Sorry... Agrias left late last night... I must have fallen asleep in the chair. She hasn't been back all night..." she stepped out of the room, still holding the crystal. "I was keeping an eye on her, but I guess I was just too tired..." she muttered, rubbing her eye a bit. "Yesterday was... a very long day, after all..." she smiled up at Beatrix, hoping she didn't ask anything else. To make sure she didn't get a chance to, she quickly held up the crystal.

"Miss Beatrix, I need to talk to you and Agrias about this! This strange... walking teddy bear gave this to me last night and said something about learning ancient magics! I thought I was crazy, but the crystal was still there this morning! We need to make a decision about this right away!"

[The Alexandrian Army]

The regiment of Alexandrian soldiers, hard at work, were a bit cheerier this morning as it had been reported earlier that their destination had been spotted, and their arrival would be soon. Of course it should have been sooner--and would have been had Ellis not veered off-course--but they were content at least they'd be free of half their duties soon.

Several soldiers in particular left the dining chambers in silence, carrying their trays of food with them. When they were a ways away they began chattering quietly.

A lonely-looking soldier following this chipper flock took another route, however, the moment they reached a fork in the halls. This woman, balancing two separate trays, followed the path leading to the tall steps heading onto the bridge; she'd visited the lab earlier before breakfast, and found her latest companion not there, but the work completed and analyzed. She wished to discuss more with him.

As she walked, she took the band from her hair and let it fall, her lab coat unbuttoned and cleaned, her eyes no longer weighted down by tired bags. She pushed the curtain aside and found Sai, sitting at an unmanned computer station, and leaned over to hand one of her trays to him. She pulled out a chair beside him and set down her own tray. Once completed, she sat down and smiled to him, adjusting her glasses slightly.

"Good morning, Sai," she said, looking out over the bridge's railing to see their destination in the distance. "How did you sleep?"

[General Beatrix]

[glow=red,2,300]When Beatrix saw Abigail, and not Agrias, her smile faded, but soon returned due to the fact she was in the presence of a fellow Sister.

"Oh, good morning, Lady Abigail," she said, nodding and moving behind her to bring the armor into her companion's room. "She hasn't been here yet today?" She set the armor down on the newly-made bed; it felt warm, like someone had been in it just recently; she paused in place for a moment before continuing.

"Anyway, you said something about a crystal, and a teddy bear?" She stood straight and turned, motioning over the White Mage. She reached out to grab this crystal with a quiet "may I?" before collecting it to examine. She turned it around in her palms several times and pursed her lips in confusion, an eyebrow raised.

"Learning magic, you say? Very interesting...indeed. Her, keep this close; you never know what it could do, and I'd rather a White Mage carry it, as her pure light will undoubtedly conceal the power should it wish to manifest in such a diminutive form."

She scratched one of her arms and looked down at the Heartless emblem emblazoned on her chest for a moment. "So you will have to forgive my intrusion, then, last night, when I bathed the room in roses; I suppose I didn't...er...well, it was rather rude of me, to say the least. May I ask why you slept in here last night, anyway, Lady Abigail?"[/glow]

[Sai]

Sai turned his head slightly to look at Daphne when she took the seat beside him and handed him a tray. He had already eaten a small meal when he first woke, but he knew from many books on protocol that it was rude to not accept. He nodded slightly and sat it down nearby so he could take the bagel off of the tray and hold it a bit, his coffee cup, empty, finding a place near the plate.

"Thank you," he said plainly, just holding the bagel for now. He looked up to see the approaching world through the windows once more and nodded. "And good morning. My rest was sufficient..." he said the last part as though somewhat confused. He didn't dream. Dreams came from the heart. The result was that one sleep cycle was pretty much indiscernable from the next.

He looked down at his bagel, considering if he would eat it or not... and a few thing regarding the woman next to him. There was a physical attraction there yes, especially with the woman looking quite nice today. After all, her hair was free to fall about he features as it pleased, and her overall appearance was more awake and vibrant. Alive. Things that Sai missed about being more than just a nobody. The fact that he was attracted to her concerned him, however. Because he didn't have a heart, he couldn't genuinely feel for her, and that hardly seemed fair to either party. Besides, he knew that in a former life, he was repulsed by men who only cared about the physical and not the deeper things in a relationship. Why should he think any differently now?

"Excuse me..." he said, standing up and setting the bagel down on the tray as he made his way to leave. Sai was doing something very male right now... avoiding his "feelings".

[Agrias Oaks]

Ka-plack, ka-plack, ka-plack came the sounds of a diligent hammer, all the way up, near one of the propellers. She gave it another good hammering until the propeller popped back into place, and something came out of it-- a strange red orb. She flailed a little, and reached to get it, starring at it in confusion, "Ah... no wonder t'was not working correctly... this was jamming it...!" she sighed, and placed it in on the boot-side pocket.

**Agrias found Alexander Summon Stone **

" Whew... " sounded a very tired Agrias, who practically worked overnight with a few soldiers. The Deck was restored to its full glory, if not better. She would slide down the large support beam (How she got up there was a mystery), and went to inspect the work, making sure all was in place. Certain parts of her pajamas stained by red paint, and black blotches brought on by burning, or charred wood. Her boots seemed unstained by the mess, and not even scratched, made of a special material that made it nearly impossible to ruin.

The knight put the hammer away with the rest of the tools, and stretched- It was about time to head back to her room. She twitched, noticing she was the ONLY one there. Everyone probably went to sleep without her knowing, and her mind bothered by many things, refused to oblige to sleep. Oh, if the white mage found out...

... She began to make her way to her room, gulping a little, hoping that the white mage was still asleep (In her own room) , so she could sneak in, freshen up, and wear a new set of clothes for the day, before anyone could notice.

[Abigail Crescentlight]

Abigail nodded lightly, taking the orb back. She would hold it for a few more moments, wanting to get Agrias' opinion on the matter. She sighed, still confused and concerned over this little mystery. "Yes... a little... teddy bear thing came in and started telling me I was a mediocre mage... and that if I wanted to learn, I should shatter this thing to call her. It was so bizarre! And she was rather rude, if you ask me!"

She paused a second, taking in Beatrix's other questions. "Roses...?" she asked, then blinked, suddenly realizing it. "Ohh! Those! Well... it was... sweet of you, of course... but those were for Agrias, not myself..." she looked down, a momentary sadness crossing her. This woman knew of Abigail's feelings for Agrias. She made it clear that she knew all the way back in Radiant Garden... but apparently her warning was not meant to protect Abigail, but get her out of the way. She had to respect that.

Then she looked up on Beatrix's final question and squeaked lightly. "Well! You see- when I arrived, Miss Agrias was acting strangely! So, I got her ready for bed... I stayed to keep an eye on her, but I think we both dozed off, her in her bed I in that chair... But she had a nightmare, and it woke me up too. I shared a little of my wisdom with her, and she felt strong enough to go to work. I consented, knowing I couldn't stop her, but told her to report any injury. When she left... the incident with the teddy bear happened, and I assumed I had overworked myself and fell asleep... I made the bed just before you arrived..."

That was her recap. And just as she finished, she heard another at the door and looked right at it. She put her hands on her hips and turned to face the woman as she entered, her cheeks poofing somewhat annoyedly. "Miss Agrias!" she demanded holding a finger up. "Don't tell me you're only just now getting back in!!" It was obvious she was bothered that Agrias worked so long. But she would sigh and cross her arms. "What am I going to do with you?" she asked.

"Oh well... at least you're here now. I wanted to talk to you too..." and with that, she brought Agrias up to speed about her close encounter of the weird kind, and of the crystal left in her possession. "What do you girls think I should do...?" she asked, looking between them.

"Should I take lessons from this stranger... and maybe learn to be more of a fighter... Or, should I forget this episode and press on as I am?"

[The Alexandrian Army]

Ellis returned to her post some time after Daphne arrived, looking just as fresh and well-rested; she gave the ensign leave to rest and tooxcnk control of the helm once more, as it was time to properly make it to the borders of Prince Adam's castle's atmosphere.

The gummi garage seemed to be nonexistent; maybe they would land--when given the go-ahead--on the large stone bridge leading to the palace grounds' main gates like last time? Ellis would have to ask the general next time they spoke.

The co-pilot bent over and grabbed hold of the record player speaker-like contraption and called out "We have arrived at Prince Adam's Castle! Please feel free to disembark at any time, though it would be wise to speak with the general before utilizing the telepods; she has some words for several of you, so please wait by them. That is all."

There was a wave of cheer throughout the entirety of the Red Rose; the soldiers were very happy, and Ellis assumed that the newcomers were, as well.

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

Daphne stood from her seat as Sai left and took her bagel to go; she wished to get some work done back in the lab while the others were gone, and maybe even come up with something to bring light to the Nobody. She sighed dreamily as she thought of him, making her way back to the workroom.

[Lilith]

Lilith had been working though the night... if you can call it that hyperspace was always dark, she liked that fact, she was clinging to the side of the rose fixing broken panels.
she scratched her neck as she spoke to herself "I think I'm done here"
she climbed back onto the deck and stretched.
"now what to to today..."
she walked along the deck and tried to find anyone to talk to.

[General Beatrix]

[glow=red,2,300]There was a lot going on, and Beatrix was getting annoyed with the fact that a mysterious stranger had appeared onboard last night; whomever it may be, they would be sure to meet a swift and deadly fate should next time they be caught. She turned as the door opened and Lady Agrias entered her quarters. Feeling a bit slighted, she inched away from Abigail slightly and moved towards her companion; she smiled, and gave the blonde woman a warm, loving embrace.

"Good morning, Lady Agrias," said Beatrix, giving her a tight squeeze before releasing, and stepped back once again. "I hope you slept well? Lady Abigail tells me that you have been hard at work? I sure hope you've not been overdoing it so shortly after your fall..." then again, she went right back to work, if not as arduous as Agrias' progress. She shrugged. "Anyway, Lady Abigail, we'll have much time to discuss this strange happening later on, for I feel we're close to--"

Then the voice on the intercom rang out, and Beatrix smiled, folding her arms. "Oh, lovely. We've arrived at Prince Adam's Castle. What say you, Abigail and myself head down there and meet with His Highness and the princess-consort? Perhaps they will allow us to land and continue repairs." She turned to the doorway and exited Agrias' suite, making her way down the long, open-air halls and down to the telepod machines. She stood before a broken one and frowned, then moved to another functioning vase-like structure.

She waited for her Sisters and whomever else was planning on making headway into the palace, leaning against her telepod, her head down, a rose tucked gently behind her ear. Before anyone arrived, she changed her outfit; her uniform was the same, the Heartless emblem still emblazoned on her chest, but now it was clean, crisp and ready to be seen. She smiled a little.

I understand this power suit gives me extra strength, but it still makes others perceive me as a Black Heart...I AM a Black Heart though, aren't I? Or...I'm very confused; it seems I go to and fro with this curse; who knows when next I will do something terrible?

She shook her head and continued to wait for the others.[/glow]

[Sai]

Sai approached from the direction of the bridge, heading toward Beatrix at the telepods. He stopped just off to her left, nodding his greeting before speaking. "General," he stated, then looked toward the little world onto which they were to land. He considered this a moment or two, before looking agian to Beatrix.

"I would like to accompany you down to the surface. I intend to make use of your Prince Adam's library before continuing on my my search," he paused, expecting the most obvious question to come up next... What about his companions? He hadn't alerted them to his plans to move on, as he believed they would see this as judgement on them. This was simply not the case.

His primary concern was to find the notes, and sitting around following these people was not being proactive enough. With any luck, he would find some clues in fact, he already had. The back of notes number 6 had a stamp on it. Surely, by now, Daphne had already discovered it. New York Public Library, circa 1991. That was the clue he would follow once he was done here. He would approach the others about this prior to departure.

With any luck... he'd find what he was looking for.

[Agrias Oaks]

"Miss Agrias!" called the voice of a worried Sister.

It was a shame, that with all the sneaking about and such, the knight was STILL caught in the end. She gulped a little, when she didn't find just Abigail there, but Beatrix! Her eyes dimmed lightly, and she would release a small... rather nervous chuckle, when the mage began to nag at her, though it was understandable.

"Don't tell me you're only just now getting back in!! What am I going to do with you?"

"W-well, I er- uhm...OH!" Agrias chuckled, pointing at random, at anything, "What have you there, Lady Abigail?" thankfully, she pointed at the crystal on the priestess' hand.

The corner of her brown eyes catch the advance of Beatrix, and she shivered invisibly, thinking about the dream- her touch, followed by a heat, and burning sensation of a Holy Explosion. She froze, when suddenly she felt those soft arms around her form, and she would leave out a surprised, soft gasp.

[glow=red,2,300]"Good morning, Lady Agrias,"[/glow]

Agrias heard, and she had to remind herself that it was a dream, her eyes finally softening, her body relaxing, "I hope you slept well? Lady Abigail tells me that you have been hard at work? I sure hope you've not been overdoing it so shortly after your fall..."

"N-no.." she was able to let out, giving the woman a soft hug, returning the embrace before letting go, looking to Abigail, "I've been behaving, honest. We merely finished the deck last night, really!" she insisted more to the white mage, noticing a worried, or sad look, " T'was no trouble at all! As for that teddy bear you said you saw, I believe you must find out more about said creature, before trusting it. How would we know if it truly wishes to help or injure--? "

[glow=red,2,800] "Anyway, Lady Abigail, we'll have much time to discuss this strange happening later on, for I feel we're close to--"[/glow]

The knight looked up towards the intercoms, hearing a voice.

"Adam's...?"

[glow=red,2,800]"Oh, lovely. We've arrived at Prince Adam's Castle. What say you, Abigail and myself head down there and meet with His Highness and the princess-consort? Perhaps they will allow us to land and continue repairs." [/glow]

The General went out of the room, leaving the Knight and Priestess alone, if only but a moment. Agrias was quiet, trying to figure out what to do... what happened now, with being in the presence of the Tuscan haired woman felt... awkward, or strange, if anything. She looked up to Abigail to give her a sudden, reassuring smile, "W-well, then, shall we follow the General, Lady Abigail?"

[Abigail Crescentlight]

When neither of her fellow Sisters wished to discuss the matter of what to do about the creature (outside of learn more before taking action), she tucked the gem into her pouch with a sigh. "How are we to learn about this thing, if we don't even know what she is or where she came from?" she crossed her arms in thought before looking up to the ceiling as the intercom announced their arrival.

"What a relief..." she sighed, then smiled to the two. She watched as Beatrix left and then turned to Agrias, who suggested they get going. She would giggle at the woman a little.

"First..." she suggested, reaching up to tug a little at the woman's filthy sleep clothes, "you might want to get into something a bit more presentable. We'll wait for you." She waved and made her way out of the room. Checking herself, she thought a little freshening up would be useful for herself as well. She quickly ran to her room and cleaned up enough that she wasn't totally messy.

She changed into some of the clothes they had purchased at Radiant Garden, checking herself in the mirror. The new outfit was a bit more feminine than the style she had before, a white one-piece dress with a hood that came to about mid-thigh and was accented with red triangles. She wore a belt around her hip, which fit loosely, though not so much as to fall entirely, and held several pouches. She tucked her bag of holding into one of these and equipped the others with items she wanted to get to quickly (namely a first aid kit, some crackers for snacking, and a potion). Now that she was ready, she grabbed her metal healer's staff and ran to the telepods.

When she got there, she breathed heavily, having run from one end of the ship to the other. She looked up to Beatrix with a smile. "Lady Agrias... is right behind me... let's wait a second or two more..." she finally caught her breath and smiled to the Nobody nearby. "Good morning, Mister Sai! I hope you slept well!"

She looked over the edge, down at the castle. "Oh woww. Is that where we're going?"

[General Beatrix]

[glow=red,2,300]"Oh, good morning, Sai," said the general, her arms still folded, and her head leaning up against the telepod. She listened as he spoke of his motives and nodded to him, even offering him some input. "Yes, His Excellency has a vast library, like I told you, that could almost match that of the one Alexandria once boasted. A marvelous place; I have yet to finish every book within, but hope to before I expire."

She then lowered her arms as Abigail arrived and bowed. "And hello again, Lady Abigail. Oh, she is on her way? Very well." She smiled, and fiddled with the rose in her hair. "By the way, Sai...about your companions? Will they be following you down to the castle to assist you with your research? And by the way, did you ever get the chance to speak with Professor Daphne? I'm sure she would like to investigate the libraries, as well, which reminds me: any progress on the notes? Did you discern, yet, which of them is false?"[/glow]

[Sai]

Sai nodded to Abigail when he was addressed, but didn't really respond. He looked instead to the General, who was still in the middle of conversation with him at the time.

"If my companions wish to accompany to the surface, they have not approached me in this regard, nor are they here to voice their desire to do so," he said plainly, his arms crossing as he leaned against the railing lightly. "It is probably for the best..." he thought a moment, then looked off when Beatrix mentioned Daphne.

"Yes, I have collaborated with her in regards to the notes. She is... a rather spirited individual. Not unlike how I once was..." that sound in his voice was there again, though he took no notice of it, somewhere between pity and worry. Then, the General offered him a change of subject.

"Keyblade Notes number two is the forgery. The spectral analysis confirms the ink is freshest, and the molecular composition of the paper is very slightly different, due to the region from which it was created. Might I ask from whom did you retreive these notes, so that I might have some idea where to locate the original?" he asked, looking over to her. That would be stop number two after scouring the New York Public Library...

[Agrias Oaks]

The knight stood there, alone for a moment with only her thoughts, and how would they spin.How curious, how suddenly loving Beatrix was... It was only a dream, right? Meliadoul and the bulky man she had never met before, and the burning sensation against her face, which was assaulted by a holy spell, and Beatrix calling her 'love' ..... 'my love.' -- She couldn't remember a lot, she couldn't hear certain things. Only that which was thought out.

Agrias stepped into her personal showers, removing the abused, working pajamas and boots and turning the water on to cold. She would sigh a little, her hair and her body glowing slightly, being introduced to the cold, trickling liquid.

'Clear mind...' she mumbled, 'clear mind.'

A few moments later, after freshening up, she would step out of the shower, dry up, and cloth herself with her Royal Knight vest, and pants. She slipped into her well-fitted gloves, and her boots. She looked rather feminine, the vest showing her curves splendidly, but of course... she was a warrior. She looked to see that her armor was returned, and began to put it on, this included: Shoulder Spaudlers with metal bands, Knee Armor, Elbow Armor, and of course her Chest plate, adorned with the Royal crown, and her trusted Save the Queen.

She looked herself once in the mirror, and noticed the dim glow but paid no mind to it. She always sensed that the armor and sword were somehow connected with her heart and feelings, and she was rather confused now, so this dimness was predicted.

She turned and left her suite, walking over to the Cargo room, which was along the way to the large ceramic structures entrusted in teleporting. She first went to get Boco from the cargo hold of course, hoping to get him outside before he got too fat to fit through the door, for some exercise. She went over, and grabbed his armor, placing it on him carefully, making him look his best as the Royal Chocobo he was. He always felt proud to wear the armor, pecking a little at Agrias' hair as she helped him on it. When all was done, they finally went to the Telepods.

When they arrived, she bowed her head to the Mage, General, and Nobody, but kept quiet. Boco would peck a little at their clothes and hair respectively, before giving a happy 'kwhee'.