The Jidoor Opera House

[ultimecia]

[glow=purple,2,800]"This performance?" Ultimecia looked to the girl, confusion on her expression, " Whatever do you mean? You choose how it goes for your performance, that is what it all means."

The witched looked away, the confusion in her expression leaving, "You cannot rely on others for your masterpiece. You first, need to visualize it on your own." The woman walked a few steps, until she was near the curtains, brushing them away, "How will you ever dream, if you wallow in nightmares."

She stepped behind the curtain, and if Sarah was to find her, she would only find a solid brick wall.[/glow]

[serpentoflore]

Sarah leaned back against the wall behind her. The woman had left as fast as she had come, and spoke something that made her wonder vaguely. What had she meant by nightmares? It didn't make sense, not at all. Her eyes closed a little, realizing that her body still felt strangely tired. Her eyes closed and she let herself sleep again, wondering if she'd wake up in the same place. Where had Acteur been?

[Acteur de la Noir]

Unbeknownst to Sarah, the little drama that had just unfolded was known to her, and her alone--had she looked around, it would have been likely that she stood alone on the stage with the mysterious witch; with neither the eccentric Acteur de la Noir or the alderly Impresario to be seen. But then, such was the way of dreams...or whatever pocket reality to which the lonely musician had been drawn. But it had hardly been a standstill in her absence...

Back upon the stage, events prior:

Giving Sarah a wave as she excused herself,Acteur had then turned to address the Impresario's inquiry as to how such a diverse cast might be assembled. "Ah, ha-hah! How, indeed?" the puppetmaster had laughed, his eerie yellow eyes gleaming mischievously as he stroked the narrow chin of his theatrical mask. "To command the presence of such a diverse cast, one should, perhaps, offer compensation of equal value..." A pause, and Acteur swept his other hand across his mask, changing the expression to a thoughtful frown. "But money alone would not do...nay...it must be something one wouldn't just find anywhere..."

The eccentric-clad puppeteer might have gone further, but something had given him pause. It was a very subtle thing, the disturbance that flickered across the ethereal plane...but, as with any who dabbled in magic, Acteur had a certain sensitivity to the paranormal. And, like many magician worth his salt, he knew better than to ignore those subtle twinges. Driven by an undescribable impulse, he'd whirled around, his sable cloak flowing around him to grand effect as his unearthly gaze shot towards the ornate door...

The present:

"Cherie! Cherie!! Speak to me! Art thou ill??"

As Sarah opened her eyes, she would find herself cradled in the arms of a familiar, lanky figure--he who clad himself in the garb of a Victorian performer, those dusky purple garments framed by a tattered cape of black velvet and accessorized by such theatircal embellishments as opera gloves and mask. The mask, in particular, was half-hidden in the shadow of the fancy hat...all the better to showcase the pale yellow eyes which glowed with their own radiance. And while those orbs reflected the concern that the mask's porcelain features had currently adopted, they also betrayed something else--that enigmatic aura that bordered on eerie, the subtle darkness that mingled with Acteur de la Noir's madcap antics and theatrical mannerisms. Perhaps Sarah would once more notice the stiff, almost wooden feeling of the fingers and limbs that cradled her...surely, the eccentric puppeteer was no mere human?

Regardless, whatever else he was, Acteur's concern was certainly rather genuine...and as artificial as his hands might feel, they certainly handled Sarah with care. Helping her up into a sitting position, the Victorian-themed master of performances tilted his head to one side in a gesture of concerned curiosity. "Forgive me, cherie," he murmured. "I ought to have expected this. To travel the Corridors of Darkness is always taxing the first time around."

[serpentoflore]

The sight of Acteur helped re-establish reality. She was still at the opera house after all. Somehow that woman had not been there any longer than the mere moments she could remember. For the first time in her life she found herself grasping something not human in a hug. It was tight, but she didn't mind it. "I... I was scared. I felt so tired and I couldn't focus... Then there was that strange woman and I didn't know what was wrong." Her head lowered, feeling the tears leave her slowly. "And I hadn't destroyed that stupid cage in some dream..." Despite the lack of human 'warmth' Acteur was comforting in a way she couldn't explain.

[Acteur de la Noir]

Cradling the weeping musician with surprising gentleness, Acteur de la Noir reached out to brush away her tears; the theater gloves that sheathed those bone-thin fingers glided over Sarah's cheeks and soaked up the wetness that had cast slender streaks across her creamy skin. As he listened to her stammered, disjointed story, the Victorian-inspired puppeteer tilted his head to one side. Even from the few details he presently had to work with, he found the prospect troubling--a strange woman who could somehow make astral contact with this young lady, without his consent? Perhaps there were others who saw the potential that young Ms. Appleton possessed...and if they saw fit to interfere in this way, then they were likely no ally of the Heartless...

Suppressing the feral, inhuman hiss that threatened to escape him at the prospect--some unknown interloper, trying to meddle with his apprentice!--Acteur de la Noir returned Sarah's embrace, his skeletal-thin fingers gently stroking her shoulders as he leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "Shhh...worry not, my dear," the mysterious puppeteer murmured, his voice almost seductive in its elegance and reassurance. "Thou art safe with me. The fatigue? T'was most likely the result of your first foray through the Corridors of Darkness...in time, your body and soul with adjust to travel along such rarely-travelled roads.". Then Acteur paused, his spooky yellow eyes glittering in a nigh-hypnotic fashion. "Now, then...tell me of your dream, cherie. I would set your troubled heart at ease."

[serpentoflore]

Acteur's words were something that could never lose value. For some reason she found his presence and words combined to create a blanket. Her tears stopped after a few moments, listening to the logic Acteur provided. It was possible that the dark corridors could do it. Since she had done it only once, it was quite possible. Could really tell him her dream though? The logic of it seemed to be confusing.

"There's always a bird cage in my dreams." She let out slowly to make sure the fear of whatever had happened there did not return. "It holds a Canary, and I want to destroy it because I feel that... thing is me. However, something strange talked to me. Telling me that somehow that Cage was a good thing. I can't accept that...especially when she looked like she was holding some white version of the precious piccolo you gave me." For some reason telling it to Acteur made it start to fade away as if it was just something she made with her own imagination.

[Acteur de la Noir]

Acteur de la Noir listened to Sarah's story in silence, the ghostly orbs behind his mask glittering fervently as he absorbed the tale in full. As he stroked his narrow chin in contemplation, the Heartless puppeteer found himself reflecting on the nature of dreams. Funny things, they were...sometimes, they were mirrors of the heart and soul, telling one truths that the conscious mind rejected. At other times, they were things of the abstract, memories and ideas jumbled together with little in the way of rhyme or reason. Sometimes, they were things of astral intent--communication of minds across the ether, or portents of things to come. And then...every now and again...dreams were a combination of all the aforementioned.

With this talk of cages and canaries, and a mysterious woman bearing a contrasting copy of Sarah's piccolo, Acteur firmly suspected the last. And, while the musician's description of whatever had happened to her was hardly the work of Shakespeare, it yielded valuable puzzle pieces all the same. Taking those pieces and examining them closely, Acteur began to assemble the picture, using his imagination to fill in the gaps. The resulting tableau was a rather engaging one...but how to explain it? He must choose his words with care...

After a few moments, the Heartless Puppeteer looked up from his musings, that crescent-moon smile as wide as ever as his gleaming yellow eyes found Sarah's. "T'is hardly the first time I've heard of it, my dear." he reassured her, patting her shoulder in a gesture of theatrical kindness. "For those born in the Light, the Dark is inherently alarming...and it is no small thing, to forsake your initial alignment and follow another path. Much of the dream you describe seems to be a reflection of that--a manifestation of your subconscious anxiety on the matter." He pointed up at the ceiling, as though indicating the presence of an invisible birdcage. "That gilded cage you speak of? Its feathered occupant, who reminds you of yourself? The restraints of your old life and your former self, respectively. Absurd and unfair though it has been, it was your life up till recently...to pause before breaking free of it is nothing to be ashamed of."

Here, Acteur de la Noir paused, his spooky eyes flickering with thought as a thought occurred to him. "And now, this mysterious woman of yours...she who bore the counterpart of your instrument. What did she look like? And what were her words to you, exactly?"

[serpentoflore]

Sarah closed her eyes to try and get the picture for a few moments. "It looked exactly like me. Somehow, it felt like it was trying to create some version of a life I cannot remember or did not have." She opened her eyes again, one hand adjusting her glasses. "She tried to say something about how I was hurting the very thing I was trying to achieve." Acteur's presence made it much easier to remember without feeling afraid.

[Sai]

A dark portal opened on the sandy shore near the Opera House. From within stepped a familiar, yet dulled face. The Nobody would stand upon these sands and look out over the waters a moment, just long enough to witness a gummi ship come crashing down. It didn't concern him, so with a shrug, Sai merely strode forward into the building proper while the corridor closed behind.

Inside, the expresionless creature observed all with a mild indifference. Yes, the opera house was quite impressive in its own right, but he wasn't here for high art or soulful music. He came for just one thing, the notes. He walked in a bit further, hoping to run into somebody that might know the location well. With any luck, they might recognize the item he was after.

He pushed open the door to the main opera area, scanning for anyone there. The puppet and his girl were off in another part, but who else might he find...?

[Hercules]

Unlike Gabranth, when the ship crash-landed, Hercules was able to hold onto his grip on the pole. This was largely due to his godlike strength, even if it did bend the bar into a new and unique shape upon their landing. Herc laughed a bit, more out of relief and shock than humor.

"Hey! Ya did it!" he called to Gabranth, but when he looked, he suddenly realized the man wouldn't hear him. "Oh crud!" he said, then let go of the pole in order to drop down to where the Judge Magister was.

"C'mon, buddy, let's get out of here!" he said, scooping the man up into his arms just as water began to burst into the gummi ship to make things more difficult. Luckily, high-risk situations like this are exactly the kind of stuff Herc was trained to deal with.

Throwing the Judge onto his shoulders, Hercules grabbed the doorjamb seperating the cockpit from the cargo bay and started to climb his way up through the rushing water to the back exit. It was hard, and he slipped once or twice, but Hercules managed to hoist his way upward and outward until he was standing on top of the half-sunken ship with Gabranth on his shoulders.

"There!" he said to himself, noticing the Opera House before jumping into the water and swimming with the heavy man up to the shore. He wasn't medically trained, so he had to rush to get someone who could help him. Once on shore, he ran inside to the lobby and set Gabranth down.

"Someone! I need medical assistance! Right now!'

[Acteur de la Noir]

The Opera House Stage:

Acteur de la Noir hummed quietly as he listened to Sarah's continued story--the details she provided were like puzzle pieces, quickly combined by his cunning wit into a a picture that made sense. Whoever had made astral contact with little miss Appleton--and it had been astral contact; the earlier ripple in Acteur's ethereal sense made it plain--had elected to make use of Sarah's lingering conscience, attempting to make her second-guess the path she was currently treading. Further, the mention of a white piccolo suggested that whoever this interloper was, they were trying to call Sarah back to the Light. To take this brilliant and talented young lady, and the wondrous possibilities of her vibrant heart, away from the Darkness. And that simply wouldn't do.

It would be easy to dismiss all that the dream contained, of course--to tell Sarah that the Light was trying to mislead her just to keep her away from the Darkness. And yet, for a moment, something gave Acteur pause. It wasn't only that there was some kernel of undeniable truth in the statement--the mention of losing oneself in the Darkness if one wasn't careful. No...it was the trust that Sarah clearly had in him--the trust that was evident in those pale violet eyes. Even having some notion that he came from a darker place than most, this talented young lady had faith in him--she took comfort in his presence.

Perhaps it was because she shared his appreciation for the arts. Perhaps the old echoes of the cheering children who'd watched his component parts' performances was a factor. Whatever it was, Acteur de la Noir felt a strange flicker in the void where a Heart ought to have been--an emotion that was awfully similar to what he'd experienced when he was tending to Shego, back in Castle Oblivion.

Presently snapping his fingers, the Heartless puppeteer tilted his head to one side, those keen yellow orbs glittering behind his mask. "You've had a visitation, my dear," he explained with his typical theatrical tones. "I felt it in the ether...while the specifics are a bit murky, it would seem that one that serves the Light is trying to call you away from your current path. Away from the mysteries that can be found in the Darkness." A meaningful pause, in which his gloved hand passed before his mask to change its features to a mournful frown. "Away from me. Doubtless, whoever sent this vision feels that I would only be a bad influence upon you, and that walking the path of Darkness would corrupt and destroy you without fail." Another pause, and Acteur shook his head--and in that blur of motion, his mask's expression was obscured; at the end, it resumed his usual madcap-yet-eerie smile. "T'is a common misconception...there is no light without shadow. The two are linked more intimately than lovers."

Then the puppetmaster's eyes swept over to find Sarah's, ghostly yellow locking with crystal-violet. "There is one grain of truth to be found in your vision...the Darkness is a path to be tread with caution. Failing to watch your step can send you plummeting into depths from which there is no returning." Reaching forward, Acteur gently brushed away a few stray locks of hair that had fallen over Sarah's cheeks. "But know this, cherie....if you keep your wits, and to thine own self be true, the Darkness can offer great secrets--things that you could never find in the Light."

[serpentoflore]

The dream was not as scary now that Acteur had cleared up what had caused it. Her body slowly began to relax, her tense muscles letting to of the fear that had gone inside her. She couldn't turn away from his eyes. Her face began to show a smile she had never truly showed for anyone but herself when playing music. Acteur would never lie to her, he had saved her life.

"The next time I am visited, I will be sure to make sure the troublesome foe understands that I am on the path I desire." Her gloved hands slowly fell into her lap. She felt like herself again. "You still have much to teach me about the music of the darkness." One hand reached for her glasses, noticing a speck of dust on them.

"Oh!" She looked up towards Acteur, his features more blob like without her glasses. "Is the Impresario still waiting?"

[Secondary Characters]

The Impresario was speaking to a barely-clad man dressed in white silks and purple velvet. He had long flowing silvery-white hair with silver feathers tied into it here and there; it seemed the two were arguing, and the Impresario had his arms folded as the more dramatic one scolded.

"I'm frightfully sorry, Kuja, but you're just not fit to play the lead in this next one; we've got something bigger, more grand, and that man is to provide us with a galactic cast of stars. I trust it will be spectacular! You are more than welcome to assist him though, if you'd like, and his little orchestral friend."

The man--Kuja--about threw a tantrum at this and stormed off. As he passed through the doors reaching out to the foyer the Impresario spotted a man in silver sporting a tal steepled hat; he advanced on this newcoming figure and bowed grandiously.

"Welcome to the Marvelous Jidoor Opera House! Are you by chance with Mister De La Noir and Miss Appleton?"

[Sai]

Sai lifted an eyebrow at the odd exchange between the less than fully-clothed man and the impresario. It would seem he had stumbled right into the middle of an arguement, but of course it had nothing to do with him, so he didn't much care at all. One glance at this Kuja was enough to tell him he wasn't concealing any of the notes (or anything else for that matter). He was no concern of Sai's.

Then, the impresario approached him and presented the quandry of whether or not he was with Mr. De la Noir or Miss Appleton. Sai merely shook his head at this. "I'm afraid not..." he said in his usual tone before reaching into his coat to produce notes number 13, which he held aloft so that the man may inspect the handwriting as he spoke.

"I am looking for a Mr. Xehanort, or rather the works he's left behind. Tell me... have you seen any papers like this one on your premesis?" he stated calmly, then looked toward where he just came from as he just heard a familiar voice calling out for assistance.

"...Hercules?" he muttered, then glanced to the impresario to see what he would do. He'd have to follow the man, either way so next move was his.

[Secondary Characters]

The Impresario made a frown and folded his hands together, craning his old neck forward to glance down at the notes from a slight distance; one would think him a germaphobe had they not known the man to be one who strikes people at random for the most ridiculous reasons.

"Ah-hem...Master Xehanort..." he started abrubtply, then wheeled around and began muttering to himself rather quietly. His head twitched from side to side several times, until he finally straightened and cleared his throat. Adjusting his jacket, he spun back to face the Nobody, his brow beading over with a mild perspiration. He glanced from the man's visible eye, then to the notes, and back again.

"Er, Master Xehanort has not been seen for quite some time here at the Jidoor Opera House. And I'm frightfully sorry to have to say that there are no Keyblade Notes here, none whatsoever. Were there any, they would have been, how was it--I mean, no. There are none here."

He took a handkerchief from his breast-side pocket and sweeped it over his forehead and then twisted it between his hands, as if strangling some small animal and wringing out its innards. Only a fool would be so daft to not realize that the man's words were rehearsed, and that he was hiding something very important. Others knew better, and the good Impresario wished to the Warring Triad that this Nobody was a fool.

"Er, um...so...oh, look! Someone is in trouble outside, it seems! Look how the staff runs to his aid. Come, shall we lend them our hands? Er...ahem! Em..."

The shaking man pushed past Sai with an eagerness to get away and barreled with members of the stage crew through the large double doors leading out to the House's front steps, were platform met open waters.

"Oh my! It appears aliens have invaded our--" and then the Impresario took a look at the world around; noticing that Jidoor's Opera House was no longer situated on Cosmos, his shaking grew even more intense, and he had to sit down for fear of collapsing.