The Jidoor Opera House

[General Beatrix]

[glow=red,2,300]General beatrix let out a long sigh at Sarah's words. The girl was going to make this a bigger deal than it had to be.

"Very well, then. If I must prove it, then I shall do so." On her end she tapped the circular device below the screen and called "Find Her Majesty Queen MeadowSong and please connect both projections."

Soon another window would spring to life before the musician's eyes, and from the very similar black mist what Beatrix had first appeared, so too did an enchanting faerie-like queen, whose face showed she was none too happy to be available.[/glow]

[MeadowSong]

***Projecting from The Final Showdown!, in The World that Never Was***

[glow=Purple,2,300]MeadowSong peered through the window that hovered before her at the Castle of Naught and she winced, seeing the faces of both General Beatrix and Sarah Appleton.

"Yes, may I help you in any way, Beatrix? Is there a problem in Adam's world?"

She turned to face Sarah and a smile appeared, her glowing pink eyes narrowing. "So lovely to see you again, dear."[/glow]

[serpentoflore]

"I apologize for inconveniencing you, your majesty." Sarah bowed in respect. "However, I am not well acquainted with General Beatrix. I am unsure that she is truly what she says. All I require is a confirmation she is telling the truth of her position." Her piccolo was still out, glowing with the darkness still resonating inside her.

[MeadowSong]

[glow=Purple,2,300]"You do not trust my dear general, Miss Appleton? Why, she is responsible for the conquering of many worlds in my name; her present destination will mark a new, special sort of conquest. Thus, I believe, she requires your assistance. Is that not right, General Beatrix?"

MeadowSong's eyes narrowed on the general. "I see you did need aid of your allies, after all. Miss Appleton, please see to this matter she asks of you for, and then you will report back to me. Simply, call out my name in the farthest reaches of your darkness, and I will answer." She chuckled, waved her hand over the screen and it disappeared.[/glow]

***Projecting back to The Final Showdown!, in The World that Never Was***

[serpentoflore]

Sarah lifted from her bow, now less confused at the presence of Beatrix. "What is it you desire for me to do?" She asked, her eyes narrowing. She placed the piccolo back into her pocket. "My skills are not something that I have completely mastered. As Acteur De La Noir's apprentice, I am merely following the path he has opened up."

[General Beatrix]

[glow=red,2,300]General Beatrix, satisfied with MeadowSong's approval, turned back to face Sarah Appleton.

"Ah, but you are an apprentice of the Heartless Puppeteer, I see. That is good, as I'd imagine your abilities range within a similar school to his? I require teasing, tricks and some phantom puppetry. Shadows, ghosts, dancing lights, sounds. Whatever you can offer. Charms, hexes. I see you wield a piccolo emblazoned with our crest. That must be a source of your power? Are you a bard?"

She grinned. Beside the girl a tall black Corridor would rip through a cut in the air and materialize. "Come to me, and I shall hand you your next assignment, if you are ready. I trust I shall make good use of you and keep you in one piece for your precious master."[/glow]

[serpentoflore]

"It will be an honor General Beatrix." She looked towards Acteur after she had spoken. "I will return when I am needed here." She spoke, smiling lightly towards him. She then entered the corridor, leaving only her presence gone.

**To the Darkest Day: Beast's Castle**

[Sai]

Corridors would be abound all about today! Only moments after Sarah had disappeared would another reopen behind the prancing Kuja, and from it a familiar, silver-robed nobody would appear, slipping his hat back onto his head.

"Still chasing beauty?" he asked, the corridor disappearing behind him. He reached into his pocket and produced the hairpin he had just gotten from Daphne, holding it in plain view should the half-naked primadonna turn around and look. "I know what you want... you know what I want. Might I suggest a trade?" Sai muttered.

"I suspect you know where the keyblade notes are. If you direct me to them, I'll save your folicles from succumbing to unattractive gravity..." he said calmly. "Or..." he slipped the hairpin into his sleeve, dropping his hand to his side casually, "... you can stay less attractive than everyone else. Your choice."

[Secondary Characters]

[glow=Pink,2,300]"Well, well, well. Would you look at that? The Nobody has come to strike up a bargain with the Great Kuja, then?" The flamboyant Genome rested his hands on his hips and tilted his head to the side, poking it forward at the same time.

"Perhaps," he started, reaching out for Sai to give him the hairpin, "I can assist you now. The Notes you seek I carry. And they are concealed with powerful hiding magicks, so you will have to submit your offering before I relinquish such valuable information."

He nodded, chuckling. "Yes, I was entrusted with them. Why not? A diva, surely, but a perfect bodyguard and confidant. The hairpin, if you please."[/glow]

[Acteur de la Noir]

Whenever Acteur was silent--just as he was now, when Sarah confronted General Beatrix, and Sai took his leave--it didn't necessarily mean he was out of tune with everything else that was happening. Granted, he might raise a few eyebrows, lurking silently in the back with his cloak folded about him, gloved fingers steepled together thoughtfully--but he wasn't spaced out, either...not completely, at any rate.

For, through his powers as a Heartless puppeteer, the eccentric performer of darkness would utilize his connection with his shadowy brethren to stretch out his perceptions--just as a normal puppeteer had meta-knowledge of everything that the dolls on his strings might "see," Acteur de la Noir could utilize the perceptions of such lesser Heartless as Shadows to find out what was happening beyond his scope. Not in any significant number, usually--the presence of multiple Heartless would surely be noticed by those with the means of doing so--but a single Shadow, hiding in the depths of its namesake, could provide a useful set of proverbial eyes and ears.

And so it was that Acteur kept himself appraised of the events taking place beyond the curtain--the flamboyant Kuja's mention of a scrying mirror (how rare!), the Impresario's rather hasty departure, and Sai's sudden return. Ever the seeker of Keyblade notes, that one...and perhaps his search would keep him distracted long enough for Acteur to begin establishing some manner of control over all of this madness.

As Sarah made ready to accompany Beatrix to Beast's Castle, Acteur would favor his newfound apprentice with a nod and a wink of those glittering eyes. Once she departed, the Heartless Puppeteer would stand silently amid the now-empty backstage, stroking his chin for a moment or two. He had to admit, he was rather pleased with the way Sarah was coming along--now self-confident enough to stand up to the likes of Beatrix, and walk on her own without having to necessarily hide behind others! And, on the tail of that, the eccentric puppeteer felt something else--something rather unexpected. Was it...concern?

A few moments more, with Acteur brooding on the matter....and then he snapped his fingers. As if on cue, a single Shadow melted forth from the darkness, its antennae twitching as it cocked its perfectly-round head to one side. Extending an arm and marshalling his connection to the Darkness, Acteur made his decree: "Keep an eye on little miss Appleton, won't you? If trouble befalls her, alert me at once."

As the small, imp-like creature moved to obey, disappearing through the Corridor of Darkness that swirled into existence long enough to accept it, Acteur de la Noir took his own leave--in his case, however, it meant disappearing into the depths of the theater, calling upon his lesser Heartless--those stealthy little Shadows--to gather some inkling as to where the Jidoor Opera House's master had gone...

With the Impresario:

Unless the elderly stagemaster was somehow beyond the reach of company--perhaps sequestered amidst magical concealment, or otherwise barricaded behind security that could keep out one capable of magical teleportation and detection--he would soon find himself facing a blast of black and purple smoke, from which Acteur de la Noir would step forth with that maddeningly-jovial grin on his porcelain mask. "Tidings, old boy! Quite the chaotix fix we find ourselves in, non?" He laughed, raising an arm to point at the ceiling with great theatricality. "But never fear...I have a solution! One that will employ a cast for our drama and help deal with these obsessive guests in one fell swoop! All it takes is the presentation of a certain mirror--with its scrying capabilities as the prize, I daresay the colorful lot outside will be more than willing to join the cast for your masterpiece!"

[Secondary Characters]

"Wha--oooh! OH my! Monsieur De La Noir, oh you nearly gave this man a heart attack!"

The Impresario turned and clutched at his heart dramatically before backing into a large cabinet and falling on the floor with a satisfying "boom!". He looked up to the Puppeteer, chuckled, and forced himself upward, moving over to another room through an open doorway, where beyond stood something of great importance covered by a dusty sheet.

"I couldn't agree more with you, Your Grace, but there's one problem. I fear that the Oracle herself has just...well, returned. No reason why, but I was counting on simply her spirit being left inside the mirror." He threw aside the cover to reveal an immaculately-carved ancient standing mirror, where inside hovered the image of Maria, only this Maria looked more...godly.

"Alas...the Oracle."

[Sai]

"A bodyguard for the notes, perhaps..." Sai stated, then held out the hairpin once more, lightly dropping it into the man's hand. "But we all have our needs, yes?" he suggested, the intent to let Kuja know that he expected him to hold up his end of the bargain.

"You have your hairpin..." he said, then held his hand out expectantly. "If you please..." he added, calm as always. It was clear that Sai was not the type to waste words, even when dealing with such things as this. He waited... watching for any deception... hoping his show of good faith did not go unrewarded.

[Secondary Characters]

[glow=Pink,2,300]Kuja took the hairpin and hastily put his hair back into a suitable style before turning back to face the Nobody. A hand on his hip, the other resting on his lips as he regarded Sai's good faith, he nodded.

"Very well, Dealer," he sang, and clapped his hands in a mariachi-esque fashion and, when palms parted, crisp, clean, and overly perfumed pages appeared between them, his silver nails clutching onto them dearly. The papers were all blank, and he merely brought them down to inspect, tapped with his index finger and then snapped. When he drew back his arm, dust seemed to trail behind from the paper's surface, destroying the enchantment the sorcerer had placed on it.

He read them over once before delicately folding them up and tying the scroll together with a purple ribbon. Handing it off to Sai, he shrugged.

"These are yours to do with as you please, and I thank you for your generosity. Many thanks, indeed. Please tell your 'Daphne' I send her my gratitude, as well."

If Sai asked, he would respond telling the Nobody her name was inscribed on the bar of her hairpin.[/glow]

[Sai]

Sai took the notes graciously, holding them in his hand. He saw this as something of a victory, another step toward his ultimate goal...

***KEYBLADE NOTES #11 ADDED TO THE RECORD***

With a nod, Sai slipped the parchment into his pocket. "How did-of course..." he started, then caught himself, meaning to ask how this flamboyant creature knew of Daphne, but realized it almost as swiftly as he thought it. Of course she would label even the most minute of her possessions. Scientist. If he could feel enough to smile, he might have done so despite himself.

"I'll do that..." he said to Kuja as he stepped toward the corridor. In the back of his mind, he was going through a quick checklist of clues as to where the other notes were... Next stop: Manhattan...


***TO MANHATTAN!***

[Acteur de la Noir]

Acteur de la Noir let out a hum of intrigue as he watched the cavas tumble away to reveal that intricately-carved mirror, and the vision of divine splendor who was reflected in the flawless surface of that sleek, enchanted glass. "Hmmm...always the unexpected plot twist, isn't there?" he reflected, seeming intrigued by this new development.

Walking around the artifact, the elegantly-dressed performer stroked his chin and let out a thoughtful hum, very much the connoisseur examining a work of fine art. Indeed, he even went so far as to produce a jeweler's monocle from within his tuxedo jacket, whipping it up to one eye and holding it by the solid obsidian casing as he appraised both the mirror and Oracle. A few minutes passed in silence, save for the eccentric Heartless' quiet musings--uttered too softly for the Impresario to hear--and the steady cadence of his bizarre, curly-toed shoes meeting the hardwood floor.

Then, without warning, Acteur whirled away from the mirror to face Jidoor's master of stage, his tattered cape swirling about in dramatic fashion. "A divine presence, this Oracle," the Heartless puppeteer announced with theatrical reverence. "Wisdom, mysticism, and utter beauty....blended together in equal measure." A pause, and he swept his gloved had across his mask--and, in the wake of his passing palm, the features of that porcelain visage had assembled themselves into a curious frown. "Which begs the question, Monsieur...how might her presence affect our grand design?"