A Rose and its Clippers

[Sai]

Sai glanced down the hallway as though he could see through walls back to the bridge. He paused a moment, considering his words carefully before speaking.

"I sense darkness around her..." he said simply, then looked to Agrias with that emotionless eye of his. "She doesn't notice it, or at least hides it well, but that scent is undeniable. Something about her is irrefutably tied to the darkness. You would do well to address this issue before it becomes an issue..."

[Agrias Oaks]

The knight stayed there, listening to every word before pacing a few feet and looking back to the Nobody, raising an eyebrow, "Lady Abigail is the most closest to the light, and I remember her retrieving a dark scepter the day Lady Beatrix was captured. Can it be a possibility that the darkness you sense comes from the staff, and not her?"

[Lilith]

eventually the soap and towels promised by Agrias had arrived.
she went to the back of the room and found the shower, she looked over at the chocobo.
"no peeking now"

she slowly and carefully took off her gloves and placed them on a nearby crate, she moved her hands behind her back and undid the lace holding together her corset, she removed it and did the same as she did with her gloves and placed it on the crate, she bent down and removed her sneakers, stocking and miniskirt and finally her underwear.

she moved to the shower and turned it on the cold water striking her body, it didn't phase her in the slightest, the water streamed down her body removing all the dust, dirt and blood that covered her body.

she reached for the soap and cleaned her body further, afterwards she took the shampoo and cleaned her hair through, she made sure she was all clean and turned off the water, she grabbed a towel and dried herself, then wrapped it around herself, she took another and dried her hair then wrapped the towel around it as well.

"that feels so much better, but my clothes could use a wash... great I have to go outside..."

[Agrias Oaks]

The chocobo would blink and tilt his head to the side in confusion, before nodding a little. Boco, the sweet bird, would twist his neck, open a wing, and tuck his head there so he wouldn't see anything. The creature would wiggle in place getting comfortable, every now and then churring happily.

[Lilith]

Lilith smiled at the chocobo.
"you can look again"
she walked over to the creature and stroked its neck
"good boy"

[Agrias Oaks]

Boco peeked from behind his wing before straightening out his neck and pecking lightly at the towel on the Vampire's head, "Kw-kwhee." it would churr, nuzzling it's beak against her neck, relaxing. He would be a cheerful passenger.

[Lilith]

she giggled.
"I have to go now but I'll be back very soon, promise"
she made sure her towel was secure as she grabbed her clothes, she strode up to the door and slowly opened it, upon stepping into the light she winced and tried to see if Agrias was still around"

[Sai]

Sai crossed his arms and bowed his head in thought, his eyes closing as he listened to Agrias' statement. "That's a possibility. However, what concerns me is that she holds onto such a dark thing and it doesn't seem to effect her..." He looked up to the knight, arms falling to his sides as he continued.

"If she is as pure as you say... shouldn't she feel the tug?" he pointed out. Just then, a sound caught his attention. A door was opening nearby. He turned his attention to his left, seeing his companion peeking out of the cargo area.

"Ah. Lilith..." he said, then turned around to lower the power of the lights with the dimmer switch located just behind him. The room was dim, but not completely dark. He turned to her again, nodding. "It's safe," he said, and if he noticed the fact that she was for all terms and purposes in the nude... he didn't seem to let on. Frankly, he acted as if nothing at all had changed.

Looked now to Agrias, as if Lilith was stepping into view in full clothing. "You might want to bring this up to the white mage at your earliest conveinience..."

[Agrias Oaks]

The knight thought long and hard on what was being said, amber eyes closed as she continued to listen, and finally after him finishing is when she would speak again, "I see..." she would start, opening her eyes to look to him, " She might naught be feeling the tugs on her heart because of the bag which holds it. Perhaps it holds back the darkness, but you can still smell it." she tried to reason, "Lady Abigail is that of purest heart, but trust me, I shall see this matter closed and dealt with. If you say she holds a dangerous weapon, then we must take precautions."

It was then when something caught the corner of her eye. She blinked once, before turning to it, seeing the Vampire once more, "Ah-...Lady Lilith..." she paused, an eyebrow slowly rising, " ...'Tis there a problem?"

[Abigail Crescentlight]

Abby had been on the bridge, making sure Vivi was comfortable. She had developed a fondness for the boy, and enjoyed caring for him, but when she looked over her shoulder to see the black mage in silver walking away, she blinked and watched him leave. "Huh... That was wierd..." she whispered, then shrugged.

"Maybe he just needs to go to the bathroom?" she suggested to herself, finishing getting Vivi unbuckled out of his chair once they were able to walk around. "All better!" she said with a happy tone in her voice. She put her hands on her hips and nodded. "If anyone needs anything, I'll be in my room!" she waved, then turned to the hallways.

Walking alone, she found a moment to reflect, sighing a bit. Bea was gone... and she still blamed herself, even if Agrias had told her not to. She touched her heart and felt so... heavy. She didn't know why, just so... sad. Maybe a good bit of rest would do her good? She went into her room and sighed, leaving the door open for a little extra air. Besides, she didn't want to go to BED yet. She had another project waiting on her.

Smiling, she picked up her sketch pad and pencil from the nightstand and took a seat in the comfortable chair across the way from a vase of beautiful flowers. "There we are..." she whispered happily to herself and began to sketch lightly. This was her favorite hobby, and she always felt so relaxed when she did it...

[Secondary Characters]

***Taking this to The World that Never Was***

[Agrias Oaks]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~FROM THE SKIES ABOVE NOWHERE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The knight felt some sort of uneasy tension when she got to the bridge, especially when she watched the General give out orders and asking rather rude questions. One would think she would be happy to be out of there… but she then thought: ‘She’s been through a horrible ordeal.’

Agrias bowed in that knightly way of hers, happy to see Beatrix once more, “The young miss here is Lady Lilith, General. Her and her group crashed within the confides of Twilight Town, so Abigail and myself aided them, in return they arrived with us here, and they have proven quite the warriors.” She smiled a little to the woman, “I shall make certain to introduce the--“she paused, the General seeming not to pay attention. Watching her disappear through the curtain, she sighed and looked to the others, giving them a small smile, trying to calm their worries. The Tuscan haired woman had been through a lot, and such reactions would be expected. What if she had been fighting since day one there… alone?

The Holy Knight sighed, feeling… horrible. Here they were a team, and she allowed that emerald woman to capture her partner… what sort of a shield was she? The knight nodded to the others, giving Abigail a small smile, “I shall speak with her, for now, please tend to the soldiers that need your skills of light. Then, I would like to speak with you of today, and our next steps into vanquishing that evil shadow of a woman.” She rested her hand upon the Mage’s shoulder before taking it back and leaving, walking past the seal; she needed to go see the General.

In the way, she stopped by the kitchen to retrieve some fresh fruit, and asked the chefs if they would cook something warm for their returned Hero, and prepare a batch of tea. It would take a while, but that would be alright. She was off, and stopped at the mahogany entrance.

Her amber eyes peered at the double doors, before slowly reaching up with a free hand to knock at them, “Lady Beatrix? … May I please enter?”

[Atticus the Fallen]

The mirror would show the image of Atticus, sitting in the command chair of The Harbinger, leaning on one hand and seeming to massage his temple under his hat (though unseen). Around him, in the background, several heartless could be seen repairing damaged systems. It would take a moment before his attention seemed to move directly to her, apparently from a reflection in the brass armrest of his chair.

"Miss Beatrix..." he muttered, leaning forward and addressing her more formally. "Rather the risk, isn't it? Contacting me so soon after your departure..." He knew the woman was still on their side, something innate in his very makeup, but the plan to get her to them was not exactly information shared with him. Still, he wouldn't try to justify his actions. They spoke for themselves, in his eyes.

"Don't tell me you've need of my attention already?"

[Sai]

Sai... was drifting.

Alone... in the soul-crushing emptiness of Hyperspace. He was all alone in the quiet and nothing that was the deep reaches of those places between worlds. He floated without aim, without direction.. his eye unfocused and staring out into the space around him.

They say out here, you can't hear a thing. A vacuum, you know? Cold... dark... and empty. Funny. Kind of like himself, wasn't it? There was nothing here. Nothing in him. Fitting that he would end his days here. He had no means of propulsion, and there was no weather to manipulate to facilitate his motion. He was, for no better term, stranded. The momentum of his trajectory had worn thin... so now he was going to stay here... forever. Or until he faded away. Whichever came first.

Not that he really cared. He didn't have the ability to feel anything. Even his own impending doom seemed so distant from himself. Why did he fight in the first place, anyway? He didn't know. Why didn't he just finish off his heartless while he could? The world would be better off without the creature there. Then again, he knew better. Defeating Atticus was meaningless without a keyblade, as he would just rise again... and again... and again.

The hopelessness of it all was... well, it wasn't anything right now, but to a normal person it would be soul-shattering. A sigh would escape him. His last sigh. Without any air in space to inhale, he'd never be able to draw a breath enough to so much exhale let alone make audible sound. Again,lucky this didn't matter much. His eyes closed and he took in the sounds of nothing...

So like him...

Empty.

[Abigail Crescentlight]

Abigail was only just starting to come around. She blinked when Agrais' hand touched her shoulder and blinked back to where she was now. She had been pretty much lost in her mind for the past few minutes... from panic. She saw Agrias leap from the ship and fall, and nearly had a heart attack right then and there. Ever since then, she had about shut down, too shocked to respond to much of anything. Then, suddenly, she looked up and there was the woman... How had she gotten there? What was she doing on the bridge of the Red Rose? She still couldn't remember... In fact, she was only passively aware of Beatrix storming off to her personal chambers, though it did make her feel bad...

“I shall speak with her, for now, please tend to the soldiers that need your skills of light. Then, I would like to speak with you of today, and our next steps into vanquishing that evil shadow of a woman.” Agrias said to her, which snapped her out of it. She nodded and smiled a bit.

"Uhm! Right!" she said happily, then turned and began taking care of the injured with Healras, Cures, and whatever else they needed. She sighed a little to herself, feeling so heavy. She couldn't explain this odd... weight on her heart. But she knew... she had built an...

**IMMUNITY (has been learned)**

...to it.