Where Darkness and Light Collide

[Agrias Oaks]

"General Beatrix will be quite alright, Lady Agrias. Please, please calm down. She should wake soon enough, herself. The battle here is won; we have succeeded--you have, at least--in destroying the Harbinger, almost completely."

"The Harbinger... it is slain then...?" Agrias gasped. The doctor was now helping the woman onto the patient bed, and while vomiting what little remained in her stomach, she was able to speak between, "What has.. befallen Lady Beatrix..wh-why is she so... ill?" apparently, it was new to the woman that Beatrix went into the radiated compartment to save Agrias.

The knight was assisted into her stay, and she rested back against the upright pillow, with her legs arched up and her stomach held by quivering hands. It was then when the hi-potion was offered to her, and she held it within the left hand, tightly against her chest.

"Certain, Lady Daphne-- that she will be--" She was about to finish, until she herself saw the General stir...then also throw up. To this, the Holy Knight cringed, and tried to stand again from her resting bed.

"Ugh...A-agr-agrias?"


"Lady Beatrix!" she gasped in relief, sitting up dizzily and starring at her direction, "L-lady Daphne, please assist her...! Ooh..." she held at her stomach again.

[Twilight Path]

**From A New Melody, Dive**

Sarah opened her eyes slowly, looking at the ceiling above her. Where was she? She had been talking to Hercules and then exhaustion had overtaken her body. The mask had disappeared from her grasp. "Welcome home, Acteur." She spoke softly, sitting up in the bed. It looked like one of the rooms used by one of the soldier's.

Standing up slowly, she noted that her hair was currently a mess. "I hope that the person who has this room doesn't mind." She spoke beneath her breath and approached the bathroom in it, brushing her hair slowly. Once she had untangled it, she put it into a french braid and moved the bottom of it over her left shoulder. Her hair had grown longer, she noticed.

She carefully cleaned the brush and washed her face, heading towards the infirmary. The last thing she remembered Daphne talking about. She wasn't sure what would happen if she did enter it, so she waited outside until there was a confirmation of anything going on. Everyone else seemed so busy.

[Sai]

With the unfolding drama between the Captain of the Rose and the Head of Tactics, Sai knew that Daphne had her hands full. That aside, Oeilvert was better now, so there was little Sai could continue to do which was productive. He knew that Daphne would inform the two of his need to speak with them, and the best place to speak to HER would be in her quarters, away from the rest of the ship, so she wouldn't feel the need to keep herself so contained.

That having been observed, Sai quietly and without drawing attention to himself, slipped out the door to the infirmary.

Upon his exit, he immediately found Sarah standing nearby with the look of someone with something on their mind played across her face. "Miss Appleton..." he muttered in acknowledgment, no tone of surprise or anything of the sort in his voice. He stood a second, the doors automatically closing behind him as he looked to her.

"You appear troubled..." he said, more statement than question. "We are swiftly approaching the stronghold of the strongest members of the darkness. A clouded mind is a liability." Sai-language for "do you need to talk".

[Twilight Path]

Sarah was a bit surprised to see Sai talking to her while the situation in the infirmary was going on. "It's not clouded." She answered, leading him to a less busy area near the room. "It's just that a lot of things happened." She put her hands together an closed her eyes. "I did remove Acteur from his restraints, but something else happened as a result. His heart formed a key chain." She opened her eyes and looked into Sai's eyes. "I met him in one of those dreams just now. I killed him, but he stayed with me."

Her hands moved to her sides. "I know it's not able to be explained. It's just... That now I'm not sure what else I can do but fight when the enemy appears. I may have some of Acteur's abilities since we are together in a form that is much more spiritual than physical now." She took a deep breath before finishing her thought. "I'm not quite sure what use I may be on the ship at this time."

[nexus]

Nexus stepped out of his stance,looking dumbstruck

"uhhhh huh?" he said out loud , he scratched the back of his head as the wind slowly started to dissipate around him "Did i miss something" he added as he watched Ellin being lead away by a girl he'd never seen before.

He felt as confused as a red drake that just realized that it had caught it's own tail on fire.

With a hearty laugh and a relieved sigh he looked around the corridor and to the solders still around. Seeing a couple of them nearby still shaken up he walked over to them. "I geuss that is that then, ladies, i think we are in the clear now" He said given them a reassuring smile.

After a bit of helping the solders recover and catch their breath, Nexus turned to one of them "Hey ummmm could you do me a favor , I happen to be looking for a solder, her name is Ria, could you pass the word along that i'm looking for her? i'll be in the cargo bay" he finished as he walked off,

After a moment or two he began to move quicker, he just remembered........ Airinose was still outside.... "O man she's guna kill me"

[Sai]

Sai followed Sarah as she lead, listening to her concerns and thoughts. He didn't have much else he could accomplish right now, so putting to ease the mind of an ally was the best he could hope to do right now. Walking along, he nodded and kept his eyes forward, thinking over the facts.

"It cannot be explained, maybe. I can only theorize on the nature of the heart without one of my own..." he stated when they came to a stop, his arms crossing in thought, one hand lifted to his scarf-covered chin. He immediately dropped this pose, however, recalling that Sarah found it upsetting whenever he tried to analyze her the way he did everybody else.

If the goal of this excercise was to calm the girl, that would be counter-productive.

Instead, Sai focused on Sarah's last statement, that she didn't know what use she was on the ship. Taking this into consideration, Sai immediately began to process an entire list of possibilities.

"You are gifted with magic, as I recall. You could use your combined piccolo-blade to cast healing spells on the soldiers that require it. Conversely, if you intend to take an active role in the oncoming battle, you could invest some time in training. You believe you might be able to channel some of the Heartless Puppetmaster's skills, so harnessing them would be beneficial. Further, should either of these options be unattractive, I am certain there are repairs that could be done, combat plans to be made, meals, or any number of preparations to complete. This is a very busy ship, and with the fall of many soldiers in both Beast's Castle and this battle, one can venture an educated guess as to the number of uses one could find for themselves..."

Sai paused, realizing his long-winded nature might have come across as overwhelming. He didn't care if she couldn't keep up, but again, counter-productive. After a moment, he spoke again.

"I know you dislike my analyzation of yourself. However, let me offer this: You behave in a manner that suggests low self-esteem or confusion at your current state of affairs. Allow me further to counter this line of thought by submitting the following facts: you have mastered skills others will never possess, you know musical tunes which can bolster the spirits of others, you have beside you the heart of one which you hold dear, and finally in the face of your own doubts and fears you have accomplished far more than many your age. In conclusion, you rank yourself ordinary and without merit, when all evidence points to the opposite. Perhaps it is time that you take a step back, examine your actions without bias, and determine a new hypothesis."

The silver-garbed Nobody put a hand on her shoulder, knowing this to be an encouraging gesture, though from him he doubted there was any warmth to it. After all, he could not genuinely feel pride for her. Still, he knew the gestures and the mannerisms.

"If you are looking for something to do, however..." he looked off to a nearby communications terminal then back to her.

"I cannot offer the emotional support almost everyone on this ship needs. Maybe it takes a musician's touch?"

[Twilight Path]

Sarah approached the terminal, finding a case near it. It was a violin case. Sai's explanation had been to the point. As a musician, she could do something for the ship. She checked the violin carefully with her hands. The strings needed some adjusting before she could try and test it out.

It played well enough. She prepared a piece in her mind, thinking of the piece that might work. A lullaby that was sad, yet beautiful and allowed people to rest. Even for a little while. She allowed Sai to press the buttons that allowed the music to be spread to the whole ship. She began playing, her eyes closing as the melody filled the ship.

[General Beatrix]

"I'm fine," the general said, waving her hand before Daphne to shoo her away. She attempted to stand once more, this time able to keep balance for five seconds before having to sit back down.

Turning to Agrias, she smiled.

"Professor, please find my sword," she said casually. "Agrias, I am glad that you are alright..."

[Hercules]

Hercules was walking along with Gabranth, until finally finding their destination. The doors slid open and the tall greek strode in with his chest out and looking like the definitive hero. With a smile, he put his fists on his hips and nodded. "Finally! This place could use some more greek signs..."

Walking in, he noticed Kim Possible not far, and greeted her as a happy comrade. Looking over, he could see Wall-E having some difficulty and the Captain yelling at him shortly before their one heartless ally made an attempt to help him in. It seemed everyone was trying to gather for their next step, sort of a war room meeting, if you will.

Looking over to Gabranth, he patted the man's shoulder once more. "Enough putting yourself down for now..." he whispered over to him. "A lot of people here do look up to you even if you prefer them not to. Don't want good soldiers doing sloppy work because of a disillusioned image of the Great Gabranth, huh?" he said, then immediately put that "I can handle anything" smile on his face.

"Hero rule #317, appearance is everything!"

[Sai]

Finding an instrument was simple work. This ship was filled with women, each with diverse interests, the least among which was the arts. Once Sarah had located something that spoke to her, Sai punched in the necessary codes to transmit a message to every room in the entire flagship. With a nod, he took his leave to allow the woman a mote of privacy as she weaved her particular brand of aid.

As he stepped out into the hallways, Sai could hear the vibrating tones of the violin coursing through the halls like an invisible bloodstream. He made sure that it would reach every ear within the ship, so that it would have most effect.

As the soothing tones weaved this way and that, Sai could feel nothing of its beneficial side effects. He was a Nobody. Without a heart he could not be moved, but he knew what it was to let music in and be moved. The emptiness in the face of memory is the biggest insult to his kind. If only they didn't remember, maybe they wouldn't desire their hearts so badly. Maybe they could go about their lives blissfully ignorant. Sadly, only two ever had the chance to test this theory and their lives were equally pitiful.

He could hear it. The music. He could analyze it and he could quantify it, but he could not feel it. Tragic, but not important. There was work to be done, plans to make, and a battle for which to prepare. So much on his mind...

As the song built and the emotional undertones tried to reach the unemotional wizard, Sai found a place outside the door to the bridge and leaned against the wall there. Inside he could hear the bustling of returns and concerns, and knew that the two he needed to speak with would have to pass this way soon. With luck, so would the third person that warranted his attention. If not, he could easily find her quarters from here.

Looking down the hall, he could see the music's effect on the soldiers. Some were smiling, some were too tired to react. Whatever the result, Sai knew one simple fact based on their limited motion...

Time was running out. All light was fading, and if they didn't move soon, there wouldn't even be enough for them to continue.

[General Beatrix]

Daphne jumped at the general's quivering command and bolted across the room where some of the soldiers had collected the knights' fallen gear. Seeing Beatrix' glittering hilt, she took a firm grip and pulled it close to her heart, hesitating only a few seconds or so while she breathed.

When she had returned she noticed that General Beatrix had engaged Agrias in conversation and so she simply knelt down and let Save the Queen beside her.

"I am very glad the both of you are alright," she said in a robotic voice, punching a fist to her heart like the perfect, uniform soldier. "Please, I will be having some of the other doctors come in now; Sai wished to speak with me and I'm Afraid I kept him waiting an awful long time."

Daphne stood, saluted again for whatever reason and left to be sterilized, exchange equipment and notes, and go look for the Nobody who had her heart.

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

"I am going to lie down for a little while," said Masheck, who had seemed to start moving again once Sarah's music began; Locke returned to the mage's shoulder and whispered in its own language--as best as a bird can whisper, mind--about all the foolish actions he witnessed.

"I know, I know..." said the prince, now to not only Locke but to Vivi, as well, who now looked upon him like he needed to be safer.

"Yeah, you should lie down."

Masheck nodded, stood up and exited, raven in tow.

[Agrias Oaks]

"Agrias, I am glad that you are alright..." said the person closest to her heart.

The Knight's heart pounded lightly in hearing such words, and she would sigh in relief to know that the General was to be in good health soon. She sat up as best as she could manage and gave a light bow, not needing to hold any contents from her empty stomach in.

"It pleases me to see thee with a smile again, Lady Beatrix..." she smiled weakly, looking up with a sad frown, "Had I known danger befell thou upon the bridge, I would of been there...what happened to thee?"

The knight still didn't know how Beatrix came upon her sickly gaze-- and little did she of her own. Radiation was somewhat newly experienced to the knight, and she was not near a mirror to see the blood shot eyes, pale face, purple lips, and the over all appearance of a dead person. Slowly, she stood up, and wobbled over to kneel near Beatrix's bed tiredly, ignoring all of her pain as best as she could to be near the woman.

"I heard-- that the battle was still won? Did Alexander help? -- C-casualties? A-ah, and Boco-- and Everyone? What of Abigail and Ellin-- a-and the Lady Fox--...oh!" she laughed a little, reaching up to scratch at her head quiveringly, exhausted, "...S-so many questions, ...I am sorry. I know not if the answers are with thee-- Thou awakens and so has my curiosity. Many pardons, Lady Beatrix. Hahah. I am simply...happy you are to be well."

[General Beatrix]

"O-on the bridge?" asked Beatrix, brushing away some strands to clear Agrias' face. She shook her head. "The bridge remained secure throughout the battle, Agrias. Actually, when Alexander appeared, I foolishly ran off to find you."

Beatrix chuckled, glancing to the side where on the floor Save the Queen lay, motionless. "I know not what compelled such a brazen act, but I'm glad it turned out for the best. Perhaps you shall be freed from your burdens soon with this revelation."

[Agrias Oaks]

"Thou came in search of me...?" Agrias would whisper to her own person, before frowning, "Dost thou say it is my fault you are in such condition...?"

Agrias noted the tone in her voice, and stopped this discussion before it started. She reached up to rest a hand upon the General's knee, still kneeling in front of her-- almost as if a proposal was being done.

"I know not what compelled such a brazen act, but I'm glad it turned out for the best." said the General, and to this, the knight responded, "Likewise, My Lady."

"Perhaps you shall be freed from your burdens soon with this revelation."

"Revelation, Lady Beatrix?" Agrias would frown at this, looking to the woman who eyed her motionless sword, "Freed? Pray tell, what doest thou mean?" The knight grew increasingly nervous-- Beatrix was not the type one could read so easily. Was she planning something?

In her slowly recovering state, she stood and casually walked a few steps back, keeping eyes on the other woman with a smile, "Well, t'wont be long 'til we are hastily recovered... What shall be our next act?"

[Ellin Destroix]

Ellin was still out of it, trying to calm her anger as much as she could for the caring woman. "A-Arcane...circle." she would mutter, and place a spell on the unknown soldier to be protected against magic pots and such objects. She felt horrible, first she had upset Abby, and then she had back handed all those soldiers that tried to help. Then she nearly lost it to the boy, Nexus. The soldier took her to an unoccupied room, and had her sit on the bed. The dark knight looked up to find the other grinning wickedly, unlike the other soldiers.

"...who are you?" She frowned, "...you don't smile like the others..."

[glow=green,2,800]
"Oops." Shego cackled, removing her helm so the girl could get a good look at her glowing green eyes, " Well, honey, that's because when I smile, I actually mean it. I don't fake it. Atticus sent me."[/glow]

"....father sent you?" To these news, Ellin blinked, and she grew suspicious, "Why?"

[glow=green,2,800] 'HIS WHAAAT!?!??!'

Ms. Go perked a little at the 'father' comment, and suddenly, Shego's eyes grew large and wide, almost cat-like to good news, "Your FATHER?" she sighed happily, sitting next to the girl and patting her knee, "Silly, willy~ Now it all makes sense~ He should of told me he was your Papi~ Aw, it must of been a surprise." [/glow]

"S-surprise...wait, you didn't know?" Ellin felt uncomfortable. Shego and Ms. Go could tell, "Uhm... Look, I'm not going back, I hope you don't mind-- I have much to do here."

[glow=green,2,800]'She's getting nervous...'

"Oh, no no no, Sweety~ I don't mind." Ms. Go giggled- her black with a small ring of green around them. They would eye the girl intently, almost proudly, "What he is to you doesn't really matter-- he just cares for you, we all do. He sent me to help you out, so nothing bad happens to you. Mmkay?"[/glow]

"So...who are you?" Ellin relaxed, a little surprised that Atticus sent her support in the middle of a war. She blushed a little, a warm feeling overtaking her heart and calming her down even further. 'He cares for me after all,' she thought, 'he sent me help...'

[glow=green,2,800]"WELL, my real name is Ms. Go--" The girl cleared her throat, and suddenly her eyes sharpened-- Shego had taken over, "BUT, I am under cover, ya see? So, you'll have to call me Shelly. If the others found out: General One eye, Lady Holy Butt, or any of the Barbies running around the ship, I'd be in serious trouble. So it stays between us, ok?"[/glow]

"Why would you be in trouble if you came to help us?"

[glow=green,2,800]"No, no, no-- we are here to help YOU. See, I don't trust these people you hang out with yet, and neither does Atticus. In fact, we believe they are here for their own greedy intentions... but to find out, this has to be between US, ok?" The soldier's eyes grew wide and round once more, "Treat it as a game! If I get caught, it's game over~ and I won't be able to protect you anymore... That would make Attikins and me very sad." [/glow]

"Attikins?"

[glow=green,2,800]"Its my pet name for him~ Isn't it perfect?" swooned Ms. Go, clasping her hands together, and looking to Ellin with an adoring smile, "Anyways, if you ever feel like you need to chat, I'll be around to assist you! Also, I heard around that your little Abby friend is not in the ship-- once you feel better, we can go and search for her, but for now you rest and let me treat that wound of yours!"

Shego began to remove part of the armor, only that which allowed the wound to be visible, and began to treat it with the items she found in the room. Thankfully, all rooms came with a small med kit, in case stuff like this would happen. Ellin, feeling she could trust her after this story, and being unwise of strangers, allowed the woman to mend her wound. The cunning thief would not take the armor just yet... she needed to be broken first, as she remembered...
[/glow]

"I still can't believe Father sent me help... and you are not a Heartless, either-- he never trusts those that are not Heartless."

[glow=green,2,800]"I am an honorary Heartless, just for you! Ya see..." she paused, helping her put the armor on now, "You and I are not so different. We don't look like Heartless, but we have darkness in us to MAKE us Heartless material. That and...well, the Heartless are our family." she frowned, looking to the side, her eyes narrowing, "... I've also had my fair shunning from the light. Being made fun of because of how I am and my powers. They MAKE me not like them, because they are mean to me."[/glow]

"Well, wait until you meet Abby! She's different from all of them." she smiled to her, feeling her arm and moving it about to see the bandages were secured, "The others have grown to like me too."

[glow=green,2,800]Shego smiled sweetly to her, "Oh, if only you knew... Honey, they are nice to you... because they HAVE to be. You are Abby's friend, an important member of the light. So, as to not get on her bad side, they HAVE to be nice to you, so no arguments happen."
[/glow]

"Wait, what?" Ellin frowned, "That's not true...! They like me, I know they do!"

[glow=green,2,800]"They wait for the RIGHT moment you go crazy and give them reason to come after you." Shego sighed, picking up her helm and placing it over her head, "... listen, lets not think about this right now. You need to rest, at least ten minutes, and then we'll go find your friend. Who knows if she's in trouble... I'll wake you if anything, ok?"

Ms. Go reached over to help Ellin down on the bed, armor and all, as she seemed to even sleep with it, and covered her with a soft, thin blanket-- tucking her in.

"There we go... now, I'll come get you soon..."[/glow]

It did not take Ellin long before going to bed; what she thought was dust being released from the pillow would be a soft sleeping powder, and soon she would be out like a light. Ellin would of just thought she was really comfortable with the girl, enough to sleep easily.

[glow=green,2,800]"Aw," Ms. Go would whisper, lightly brushing the knight's hair from her eyes, "she's so cute..."

Focus.

"Right, right." She left the knight there to rest, and continued to do some recon along the ship, helping out wherever she could as Shelly, to finally go back to the sleeping Knight, and waiting patiently for her to wake.[/glow]