My Legacy lives on...

[Shego]

[glow=green,2,800]After a moment of flying about, she would look over to Beatrix with a soft sigh, "You--... you look sooo familiar..." she mumbled, trying to think of where it was, " ... and yes, this is Atticus Nobody number two...well... technically, he's the only one, but I know him as number two." she then pointed a dark claw-like finger at the green mage.

"THAT one over there WAS Atticus number one, until I found out HE was a FAKE!" she stuck her imaginative tongue out at him before cuddling the quiet Nobody, looking to Beatrix, and mumbling quietly, "Wow... she's losing it."

"Losing it?" Ms. Go blinked at this thought before snapping her fingers, "I got it! You used to wear an eye patch before and have blonde hai-- oh wait, no... the blond haired one was a different person yes? Your favorite one, with the brown eyes? ... you know, you show a LOT of favoritism... just pointing it out." she made a face before hovering in front of Sai, her eyes worried.

"You really have to help me, Number two!" She pointed at the rock he held, "I have to find something that looks like THAT heartsteel you are carrying before Shego KILLS m--.." she paused and turned to look to the chunk he held, "......."

The thief let out a loud 'squee' before wrapping her arms around the man, and holding him in a tight embrace, "EEE! You found some! Wow you work fast! My rear is saved! Oh oh-- I should totally tell Shego to come and visit you, maybe you can share notes and stuff!" [/glow]

[Sai]

Have you ever met someone who talked entirely too much? Gave away too much information at the most inopportune times? That was Ms. Go. Sai closed his eyes as all his sins were casually made bare by the woman, though he couldn't get mad or even truly be upset as much as he'd wish. All he could do was stand there, watching Beatrix instantly begin to distrust him the way so many others had before. What was truly sad was that he didn't even have the heart to blame her...

With a sigh, he bore the brunt of Ms. Go's enthusiasm even if it could almost be seen as an insult that someone like her could be so happy with her existance but for things like himself there was nothing but a void. However, as Ms. Go managed to make Sai a suspect in his allies' eyes, so to did she provide information which could prove most profound.

"Share notes?" he asked, blinking. His head bowed and for a breif moment there was the knowledge that he'd be elated at this news. Closest thing to feeling it at the moment, but it would suffice. "You imply that Shego indeed possesses more than one note..." he observed, thinking. Of course. If she had notes 2 to forge, then she must have come across others.

"Ms. Go... if you'd be so kind as to bring Shego here? Maybe there's a deal that can be worked out..." Sai suggested, then looked to the others. He knew he should be ashamed of the knowledge they possessed... in some way he was even without a heart to bear that heavy weight. But he couldn't let that stall him now. Couldn't faulter, couldn't slow down.

"I'll get to work then..." he said simply, and walked some distance away from the main group to begin constructing a rudimentary morse-code transmitter, the heartsteele safely tucked in a pocket for when Shego arrived. The isolation might be what the group needs to decide if he's worth trusting... he woudln't begrudge them their decision. Who wouldn't see him as a villain after all the secrets and quiet? But he knew what he was, and if they chose to see him differently... well...

He didn't care.

And if they did, they'd have to come talk to him about it. No reason to pretend that their opinion of him mattered to the Nobody. If they want answers, they'll have to come ask for them.

[Abigail Crescentlight]

Abigail nodded to Ellin when she declared they needed to focus on their next step. Looking then to Sai, the white mage listened as he outlined a course of action that seemed real good! She nodded, smiling bit to the others, even Culaki, when the Nobody had finished. Then, things started to get chaotic.

A new heartless showed up! Unable to tell that this one felt no ill will toward them, Abigail's instinct was to grab her staff and get ready to attack! But it... seemed to LIKE Sai a bit! Confused, the white mage lowered her staff and stared. "What..." she whispered, hearing Sai referred to as "Atticus Nobody Number 2". Well, of course Abigail knew what Sai was, but she had not put much thought into where his heart was! All this time, it had been staring them in the face...

"I don't... believe it..." she whispered, her staff lowering. She then snapped lightly, looking to Sai. "This whole time and you never told us! You never told us that MONSTER was your heartless??" she demanded, shaking her head. "This... This is all your fault!!" she cried out, stamping her foot. She wasn't even justified with an answer. Sai walked off without saying a word. "Get back here and look at us when we're talking to you!!" she yelled after him, very upset at this information.

Turning to the others, she frowned, gripping her staff. "What else is going to happen??" she looked ahead at no one in particular, throwing her hands up exhasperatedly. "What next?? Are we going to find out one of our allies is related to the Fallen? Or better! Is the Rose going to get here and drop off a bloodthirsty monster?? Ooh, wait, I know! We're going to see someone produce a keyblade and it'll be useless!"

Flopping down, Abigail took a breath, coming off her rant. "Okay...I think I've got it all out... I'm better now..."

[Ellin Destroix]

Ellin was resting beside Abigail, looking up at the sky and listening to the ideas of the others until Beatrix called to attention the seeping black puddle appearing next to Sai. In curiosity, she looked down blinking at the familiar puddle before chuckling, "Oh dear... it must be Ms. Go." she'd mutter, knowing of the memory condition of hers, "Don't worry everyone, she's a good soul."

Suddenly, something brought her attention toward the silver mage when the Heartless thief called him "Atticus Nobody Number 2" she gasped a little, her eyes slowly widening to look to the man standing there. Never before did the similar style of dressing or... the way they spoke-- it was odd how she did not correlate these two together!

"Atticus' nobody..." she whispered, stepping forward to almost praise him before Abigail went in a mad rant of the horrible things that could happen. The knight laughed nervously at the selection of "worse case scenarios" before resting a hand upon the healer's shoulder, "There, there Miss Abigail-- I have not seen a reason as to why NOT to trust Mr. Sai."

She would say this, even if she had just met him. Ellin also heard Beatrix accuse the man of ill.

"Now, wait a minute!" She called out, holding a hand to the two, " What a Heartless does, and what a Nobody does are two completely different things! Once a heartless is formed there is no control of the Nobody to it, so I don't think Sai's at fault for what ever Mr. Atticus had, has, or will do... is Sai not your friend, should you not give him the benefit of a doubt that he is to do good--?"

This was when Ellin heard the feared word (or at least payed attention to its mentioning) the most dreadful word whispered to her before...

"Key-..keyblade.." she gasped, looking to all of them with a raised eyebrow, "...wh-...what do you all want with a keyblade? I-its a dangerous weapon..."

[General Beatrix]

"What next?? Are we going to find out one of our allies is related to the Fallen? Or better! Is the Rose going to get here and drop off a bloodthirsty monster?? Ooh, wait, I know! We're going to see someone produce a keyblade and it'll be useless!"

Abby's sudden rage against Sai--and then to no one in particular--made the general flinch some, hearing her inquire about a beast falling from the Red Rose. She lowered her head and moved close, resting her hand on the White Mage's shoulder and took a deep breath.

"Worry not, Lady Abigail...for you saw the last beast that will have anything to do with the Alexandrians...I hope." She placed her hand to her heart and looked around at those who would dare stare and then back to the back of the White Mage's head. "And...the Keyblade will not be useless...remember, WE forged one...well, produced one. How I'm still unsure of, but that we did not find useless, right?"

Next she heard Ellin speak:

" What a Heartless does, and what a Nobody does are two completely different things! Once a heartless is formed there is no control of the Nobody to it, so I don't think Sai's at fault for what ever Mr. Atticus had, has, or will do... is Sai not your friend, should you not give him the benefit of a doubt that he is to do good--?"

"Sai is a valued comrade...and his legend truly is something spectacular in light of what's happened. If Atticus the Fallen's managed to...succeed in his work, then how will our Nobody defeat him? Sai is nowhere near as ready as is The Fallen...but once the Rose arrives...utmost importance shall be to obtaining the remaining notes."

"Key-..keyblade...wh-...what do you all want with a keyblade? I-its a dangerous weapon..."

A swift turn and lowering of her blade, Beatrix gave the woman a blank stare, and took a glance around them, eyeing the others. Were they, too, as clueless? Or was there something else in Ellin's questioning.

"A keyblade," she repeated, nodding her head. "With the help of a Keyblade, the race of Heartless will soon meet its swift demise...The Fallen being the first to go..." She frowned, tilting her head to the sky with a look of determintion. "A caretaker...humph. A pretty title, but nothing more. Assembling an army is more like it, through brutal force. Or did you not notice that he's recruited some of the most vile beings in the universe to aid him, and they truly do live up to their titles as 'villains'."

Turning to Oeilvert and the others she did not know quite well, she began to interpret. She discussed Kefka, his deeds, and the importance of his swift demise; next she referred them to her story back at the Opera House...the parody of her service under Maleficent and Atticus.

"...and it has grown much more dangerous for us all..." she directed her blade into the false night-sky. "He has shrouded our world--probably the lot of them--in darkness. That can only mean that The Fallen has reached the gates of Kingdom Hearts...and also, the others have fallen prey to his affliction: they are now Heartless, themselves..."

She rested a finger to her chin. "I wonder what knowledge Sai can reveal to us now..."

[Sai]

Removed from the main cast, Sai sat aside the pieces and parts he would need to construct a transmitter from the broken fragments of the gummi ship his little group crash-landed in so long ago. Funny... long ago... wasn't it less than two days prior? Who knows with this whirlwind of actions any more? Regardless, the task at hand...

Thankfully for Sai, construction with Gummi Blocks was simplistic. They bonded to each other readily, so connecting part A to part B wasn't exactly rocket science. The hard part was getting it to work properly. So, when he combined the naviconsole of the cockpit gummi to the dish from a radar gummi, he had to do some science magic with it. In the end, however, he had the ability to do exactly as he said he would.

Without waiting to consult the others, Sai immediately got the transmitter up and running. It sent out a signal to hyperspace, spreading far and wide across the cosmos with a simple two-word message. "SOS Pridelands"

"And now..." Sai muttered mostly to himself. "We wait..."

[Abigail Crescentlight]

Abigail sighed softly. Everyone else was so hopeful and ready... was she really slipping so much? What would Cosmos think if she saw her like this? She had to put on a good face, not let the darkness take hold of- wait.

Letting out a gasp, Abigail took note of another very dangerous side effect of the blotted sun. She looked to the others with a worried expression. She alone had a weakness that put her in harm's way. She was sensitive to darkness! "Ellin? Do you have that cloak still??" she asked, needing some kind of protection from the Black Sun above.

As she waited for an answer, she tilted her head at Ellin's strange... disliking of the Keyblade. "A dangerous weapon? Well... there are rumors that keyblade masters of the dark once attacked... In fact, I think Sai has a note that describes a keyblade war that stemmed from people fighting for possession of the light..." she reasoned, seeing as there were legends that the Keyblade Masters once saved the worlds... and destroyed them.

Looking to the others, she nodded lightly. "That won't happen with us, though! We're only looking to return the balance..." she held a hand over her heart, looking now to Beatrix. "And... we can't destroy ALL the heartless... there are women and children involved... non combatants. They're peaceful, hiding behind an army that's attacking because they honestly believe its the only way to be safe. We have to be the ones to draw the line and say 'no'. We have to be the ones to know the difference between those that strike out and upset the delicate balance, like the Fallen, and those that don't..."

She paused a bit, looking down. "Without shadow, there can be no light. Without light, there can be no shadow..." she looked up at the sun, sighing. "I think our biggest question to consider while we wait for the rose... is how do we repair Kingdom Hearts?"

[Secondary Characters]

Poor Wall-E, always caught up in more than one line of conversation all at one time. From the moment he came back online, it seemed everyone was arguing with one another. He looked around, trying to make heads or tails of who was saying what, or to whom. The little construct was getting more and more confused. Unable to resolve which line of converstaion he should follow, he drove his way over to Oeilvert, and sat down.

Looking up at the wizard, he let out a curious "Wooo?" before looking up at the darkened sky. Another sigh would escape him, but this one of pining for something lost. Without really asking if it was alright, he pressed a button on his radio to play a slow duet.

"It only takes a mooooo~ment... to be looooved... a whoooole liiiiife loooooong...." the song played, punctuating exactly what it was that Wall-E was missing as he stared up into the starry sky (which was swiftly losing stars even now).

"eeevah..." he whispered to himself, then looked down, poking at his treads. Obviously, he was wondering if she was safe wherever she was...

[Oeilvert]

"Heh..." Oeilvert chuckled lightly when the tiny golem rolled over to him and began playing a song with so much melancholy in it. Truly, that was incorrect, but the Sorcerer'd always seen the context to be a burden...

Dorothy...

As if he were a small pet, Masheck Octavian knelt down beside the construct, picked him up and settled him in his lap, where he began to smooth his hand over the robot's head, over and over. He smiled gently, humming along with the radio built in.

"It would seem not only organic life forms can find love," he remarked to no one in particular, and followed Wall-E's gaze up into the sky, watching those stars blink out of existence right before his eyes. "Eva, you say?" He continued to 'pet' his companion, and then began re-winding him. After a while he turned his attention over to General Beatrix' conversation with Lady Abigail and Miss Ellin.

"Kingdom Hearts...how is it broken, exactly? Surely this Fallen can not maintain this amount of power?"

"Oh yes he can," interrupted the Brass Duke, his arms folded as he shifted uncomfortably on a rock he perched on, kicking his dangling foot into an ant hill, glaring down at them with a menacing smirk.

"To Atticus the Fallen, we are like these ants...and he is the steel-toe of my boot. Basically, we are doomed." When he finished that little bit he stomped out the ant hill, making it as flat as the rest of the soil all around, several tiny insects being trapped and buried, crushed beneath his shoe's weight.

"Hmph..."

"Thank you for your..." she couldn't come up with any remarks and decided simply to stop mid-sentence, turning back to her conversation with the Black Knight and White Mage.

"Lady Abigail, you must remember that all Heartless born are either hearts tainted by another Heartless or those who have willingly given themselves to darkness...all those consumed...are feral, hence why so many we call our enemies. And then there are the willing: The Fallen, Kefka, Male--MeadowSong, Acteur and," she glanced over to where Shego and Sai were. "The Senior Heartless race. They are only going to behave with a senior Heartless controlling them. The whole reason we have this problem is because someone opened the door for them...and then, like a virus, they began consuming our people, one by one. An attack on Light."

She frowned, shaking her head. "Does any of this even register to you two?" she asked the two, and turned to the others. "Or you? It is our duty as Sisters of Light to vanquish the evils of darkness. You know that we spare those of good faith, whether they are truly in darkness. Take Miss Ellin, for example. Or even Lady Lilith. Beings born from darkness, and yet they follow the warming light of Cosmos and Alexander."

[Shego]

[glow=green,2,800]Ms. Go hovered over to Sai, and sat next to him (on air) while she concentrated on a signal. She little antenna she had poked out of her hair, and moved about happily until a little heartless was brought. She instructed the heartless to get Shego back from Pixie Hollow, because she found what she was looking for.

She grinned a little, looking to Sai, "She'll be here soon...~" and she stayed quiet, obedient...waiting next to the Nobody. [/glow]

[Ellin Destroix]

"Then there are the ones who have accepted their lives and found love and have made families in peace, Lady Beatrix!" Ellin argued with Abigail, holding at her arm a little at how nervous she was becoming for the children, "There are ones that want this war to be over as much as us on the other side!"

The dark knight looked to Abigail and saw her worry of the darkness. She smiled weakly at this, never noticing how... fragile those of the light could be toward her element.. then again, it was similar to her reactions when under the warm light...

She got closer, taking the cloak out of the many metal like pockets of her armor, and wrapped it around the girl's shoulders. She bowed her head a little, feeling horrible...

"... I am sorry for everything that is happening... Lady Beatrix... everyone..." she whispered, looking to the General with a sad expression, " ... I wish to join you... to restore the balance, but nothing more... if the keyblade is to help with this, then I will help you get one on one condition: promise me that no harm shall come to the innocent heartless, " she grew serious, holding her hand to the Leader, her lavender eyes glowing with hidden danger," because if you go after the innocent I shall have no choice but to become a vicious enemy to your cause!"

[General Beatrix]

"The Sisters of Light will be those who judge who is innocent...and who is not," said Beatrix flatly, tossing an immaculate glossy chestnut curl behind her shoulder, and folding together her arms as the chilly Serengeti Plain night set in.

"I will attempt to keep a promise as best as I am able, Miss Ellin...those who are truly innocent may yet be spared..."

She turned and went about other business. Looking around for somewhere to sit a moment, as her legs were beginning to swell from running so fast and for so long out on this terrible, uneven terrain--with both its unforgiving climate and recent events drawn out by The Fallen--she found a pile of rocks nearby, brushed them off and settled herself down a moment.

"Sai," she called to the man who stood several meters away. "could you please present me with a status report? What of the Red Rose?" ...of Agrias? Her head drooped, the darkness pressing down on her heart she could only feel pain and guilt right now, but in spite of that she had to maintain a positive, authoritative air about her. "Once the Rose arrives, Duke Brass," she began slowly. "We shall make it safe for you to reuinite with your roving palace and...I'd suggest you find a way off this dismal planet and...do something for its people and take them to safety for all you've done. That is a direct issued order from a Sister of Light."

Though the Sisters had no galactic power, she thought that their influence of helping the worlds would be enough to call for a minor change in modus operandi, at least for a while.

Fortunately the Duke agreed to her request, a little grudgingly, of course, but mostly because he had to pay back Sai from basically saving him. He seethed at this, much to the general's amusement.

"We should start a fire..." she said at one point. "Shall we set up a chore list of where to go and what to get? We may yet be here for a while."

[Sai]

Hearing his name, Sai slowly rejoined the group, the transmitter in one hand and the heartsteele in another. Ms. Go would be nearby, the both of them waiting on Shego to arrive. If that woman had the notes... he'd have to figure a way to get them. As precious as this particular item was, it might just become a bargaining chip.

Looking up to the others, he noticed that Brass was less than thrilled at being ordered around (by a woman no less), and that the others were in various states of agitation or relaxation. Beatrix, at the head of the group, seemed to be maintaining her hold on herself and setting about the business of getting things done. Sai couldn't help but note that with the return of her eye, her vision seemed... much clearer.

"The transmitter is completed and active..." Sai began, reporting as requested. "Radio waves, being part of the electromagnetic spectrum, travel at the speed of light, which is 670,616,629.2 miles per hour. Given that the Rose's last known position is the Jidoor Opera House, a good 2,500 miles from this location, I have set up a widespread beam which should reach them in approximately a minute. Because we have no receiver, we will have no means of knowing if they have gotten the message until they arrive, however. With the thrust of the Red Rose's engine divided by the approximate mass of a fully loaded ship minus the members here and Agrias, I would put their Estimated Time of Arrival in about two hours..."

Long winded, maybe, but precise. "While we wait, the establishment of creature comforts for those that need it is advisable. I will be awaiting the arrival of Ms. Go's nobody in order to discuss the possibility of gaining missing Keyblade Notes..."

Turning from the group now, Sai began to walk to a bit of a clearing. "I will double my productivity by also providing a first watch while others begin the preparations for a short rest..." he added, obviously not caring if anyone distrusted him still. He had business to handle, after all.

[General Beatrix]

"Radio waves, being part of the electromagnetic spectrum, travel at the speed of light, which is 670,616,629.2 miles per hour. Given that the Rose's last known position is the Jidoor Opera House, a good 2,500 miles from this location, I have set up a widespread beam which should reach them in approximately a minute. Because we have no receiver, we will have no means of knowing if they have gotten the message until they arrive, however. With the thrust of the Red Rose's engine divided by the approximate mass of a fully loaded ship minus the members here and Agrias, I would put their Estimated Time of Arrival in about two hours..."

Indeed Sai's report had been long-winded, but the general could never have been happier to hear such words. A smile--which no one could see with her head down--and she stood up, following the Nobody as he marched off to await the arrival of one of Beatrix' rivals.

"A word, if you will?" asked Beatrix, resting a hand on his shoulder. Once they were a ways out of earshot of the others--it wasn't as if Beatrix minded that they hear, but she assumed it would be good manners to keep it private--she relaxed slightly. Her whole body had been tense since he'd come back and told her of the news...she had doubted his loyalties for just a moment, and it was more than enough to make her sick just thinking about it.

"Please forgive me...Sai. I..." Her lips began quivering and again she tensed up. Now is not the time to grow weak, Beatrix! she told herself quietly. Taking a deep breath and swallowing hard, she continued. "I--I understand my apology is appearing only just after you've given us such a valuable bit of news...which somewhat seems ingenuine on my part...but please, know that in my heart, on everything I stand for, that I am sincere. As a Nobody it is clear that you will be unaffected by this and most likely see this as an attempt to clear my conscience. In some senses it is, but you may not have one without the other, correct? In all honesty I know of your intentions, and I know you are trying to right this wrong you mistakenly brought to this world."

She paused and was silent for a couple moments. "I suppose what I am trying to say is that I would like for us to be on good terms again, mostly because you could be a great friend some day, you truly are an honorable member of the Light, even if you would deny it...and because Daphne Winters has grown accustomed to you. That right there is more than enough to tell me you are genuine and right. She lets her guard down to no one."

She let go of his shoulder and held out a hand, hoping that he would take it. "I will give you some time to yourself now, as I may have just burdened your mind. Again, please forgive me."

[Sai]

When Beatrix walked up and put a hand on his shoulder, Sai turned and did the polite thing, which was to stand there and listen. Of course, as she rambled on about how she might seem ingenuine, or that he might take this apology the wrong way, he couldn't help but find irony in the fact that she was in fact "apologizing to nobody". In another time, another lifetime, he might have even laughed at this. Instead he stood there as stoic as a statue, watching her go on and on about how she wishes to be forgiven.

She even mentioned Daphne. This caused even the stone-cold Sai to look away in thought. Daphne... he wondered what she was doing now... if she was worried when he suddenly disappeared. Logically, he could have just corridored to her, but perhaps obligation kept him here? He found that he was concerned for others well-being more for than his own when it came to the darkness. Maybe because he knew better? Maybe because he cared more than he let on.

Looking to Beatrix as she finished, he reached over and patted her shoulder in a bizarrely un-Sai-like manner and nodded. "Is it really me you want forgiveness from?" he asked, his head tilting. Obviously, he was wiser than he let on as well.

"You already knew that I didn't care one way or the other... So long as the Fallen meets his end. Frankly... I used to dilude myself into thinking I merely wanted to be whole again, as all Nobodies do. But looking at this..." his eyes wandered upward to the sky, where the sun was blotted. "...makes me realize that my needs are outweighed by the many. Beatrix... If you are genuine in your apology, then promise me this..."

He looked her right in the eyes, his expression solid and meaningful. Maybe it was because he couldn't feel the weight of his words, but when he began again, the tone was more dead than ever before. "...When you meet the Fallen, keyblade in hand... do whatever it takes to stop him. No matter if I'm there or not. This has to end..."

He looked away again, watching for any corridors, or any sign of the Red Rose. "You must be tired. Go rest with the others. I'll be here if you need me..."