Scene #9043: Bespoken-1

Owner	Pose
Rufus Shinra	PREVIOUSLY: "Brave heroine! Though you may not yet know it - you are destined to save our kingdom. For you are, secretly, an Elite! Keep this weapon close it hand, let no other touch it, and follow to where the light shines. Please hurry! The fate of the kingdom is at stake!" So announced the odd kunai, when Sarracenia picked it up from Rufus's collection. ("It certainly didn't do that for me.") Along with the announcement, a beam of light shot out - towards a location on the superplanet... ... A place in Spring, as it turns out. Practically the Sundew Kingdom's backyard, geographically speaking. (Not literally the backyard, it's a good 10 or so border crossings away.) Rufus has been salty about the whole thing. This was his artifact, that he purchased with his hard-earned* cash, above board, from a legitimate merchant via a legitimate* marketplace, with a guaranteed* provenance of destiny. *lies So he has conditions, if Sarracenia is going to make use of the kunai. First of which being he gets half of whatever the reward is, second that he gets to come along. Merelisa's coming along too, by Sarracenia's invitation. And at that point with three people in the party, it just sort of becomes an open-invite adventure thing. From the Sundew Kingdom, the light emitted by the kunai points north by northeast. An hour or four of travel time later (via Sundew airship, Shinra helicopter, or whatever means available) brings the group to... ... honestly, nothing much. If generic fantasy kingdoms had 'the sticks', this'd be it. There's a few castles scattered about - if you can call them castles. They're more like forts, really. Motte and baileys. There's a few scattered villages, and one larger settlement that could be arguably called a 'town', but certainly no place that could be called a city even if you were to argue it till you were blue in the face. The exact place the light is pointing to is off the beaten track (which is already looking like it's not beaten enough). It's a small village that can't have more than a few dozen people in what look like quickly-erected huts. A few people mill about, looking up warily, as the airship(s)/helicopter(s) travel overhead. The exact exact spot is a dias towards the outskirts of town. There's a convenient flat spot nearby for landing vertical takeoff vehicles - and a similarly convenient flat-ish road that a reasonably skilled pilot could land a small plane at. The kunai glows brighter, and starts vibrating, as it nears the dias... "Excuse me..." says an old man, breaking off from the assembling crowd to hobble towards the group, eyes locking onto the kunai as he does so. "Are you..." "... Are you the destined hero we've been waiting for?"
Merelisa Shaynore	Merelisa agrees. Three is the point where an adventure becomes open-invite-- at least, to like-minded allies, but she's willing to be a little flexible with that this time. Because right now, she's just quietly giddy about having a quest so plainly dropped in front of her, and new party members for her to make good impressions on so easily. After the awkward mix-up with both she and Sarracenia having to apologize to the staff of Rufus's high-rise for destroying parts of the building, Merelisa got a glimpse of Sarra's airship, and thought it was absolutely adorable. So, when the time comes to embark on the quest, she asks Sarra for a ride along; and, of course, Merelisa is here to support the princess's journey, so it's only right that she arrive with her. Standing at the bow of the ship, hands leaned into the rails and long red hair trailing behind her in the wind, Merelisa takes a long, deep breath of the crisp moving air. She exhales slowly, scanning the charitably rural kingdom, unable to stop a smile from blooming on her face. With her greatsword on her back, well-worn red cloak with white accents matching her black and brown belted adventurer's outfit, she wears the pre-quest look phenomenally, as if she was born forit. The calf-height heeled boots, in that sense, speak to the exertion she expects to have demanded of her, rather than a misstep in her wardrobe-- that is, she doesn't expect to need armor, personally. To Sarra, over the sound of the wind, "This is nice, isn't it? It's a bit quiet, but... the people out here need help all the same. If you hadn't touched that kunai, who knows how long they might've waited?" "... Are you the destined hero we've been waiting for?" Merelisa hops out of the airship and passes through the crowd to the dias with all the casual ease of someone who's done this a thousand times before. When the old man approaches them, Merelisa starts to turn around and flash a winning smile, finger touched to the amulet around her neck, before stopping herself. "That's me-- er, rather, I'm escorting her, in her quest. The real hero you're destined to meet is Princess Sarracenia Sundew, right here!" Merelisa makes up for her awkward fumble at not being the foretold one for once by gesturing with both arms at Sarra, clumsily.
Sarracenia	The princess agreed to Rufus's conditions without a second thought...but did take the time to teasingly jab that perhaps there would be no reward to split since it was a heroic quest. She has tried not to rub it in Rufus's face since it was only his generosity that led to this quest. Sarracenia has been on heroic missions before, but this is the first one that feels like a proper heroic quest! As such, she is rolling out in style. The Sundew Sovereign - the largest of the dozen or so airships and flagship of the Sundew Kingdom - has been deployed. It is a ship around 250 feet long, with a building style much like the Spanish Galleons of Earth. Its railings are intricately inlaid with gold, and there is a golden Sarracenia statue on the front as the figurehead. In the same spirit, Sarra is wearing one of her more regal royal gowns. Actually, it's the same one that Sarra wore to Shinra's penthouse. Shimmering red fabric with shining gold accents. But, this is a heroic mission. Which means possible fighting. Which means she has had the dress augmented with some armor pieces. A red and gold chestplate that is made to accentuate her body, and a skirt of four triangular armor pieces to compliment the dress's skirt. She rides at the bow of the ship with Merelisa, hammer held with the haft resting on the deck and the kunai held in the other to point the way. Those who are part of the adventuring party were naturally invited to embark from the Sundew Kingdom aboard the airship with her. They also would have seen the Sundew Kingdom, a kingdom of a single large-ish city in the center of a lake withing a massively overgrown jungle. The trees are taller that the castle of the kingdom and thicker than the towers of the castle. So...really it isn't all that different from this area in regards to number of people at least. 'This is nice, isn't it? It's a bit quiet, but... the people out here need help all the same. If you hadn't touched that kunai, who knows how long they might've waited?' "I enjoy visiting areas such as this! Large cities are nice, but there is a quiet quaintness to these sort of rural areas. And the things they sell are often full of love and local flair! I simply adore visiting shopping stalls in smaller places. Or even bigger places! But, heroics come first of course. I am indeed glad they do not have to wait any longer. One never knows when a dark force will finally overwhelm whatever has been holding it back!" The airship follows the light faithfully and lands a short distance away from the small village. From there, Sarra leaps right off the bow of the ship and walks quickly and eagerly toward wherever the light is pointing. Anyone watching her face or her quick pace can tell she is excited! '... Are you the destined hero we've been waiting for?' Sarra skids to a stop, then holds up the kunai excitedly. "It seems so!" she exclaims happily, then twirls with her hammer held over her shoulder before curtseying to the old man. "Thank you Merelisa~ As she said, I am Princess Sarracenia Sundew, Crown Princess of the Sundew Kingdom. And aspiring hero~! Whatever your trouble is, I have no doubt that my friends and I will be able to solve it!" She gestures to each in turn. "This is Merelisa, also known as the hero Andromeda. And this is Rufus Shinra, adventurous collector of artifacts!"
Alexis	"Not the strangest start to an adventure I ever heard," was Alexis' response to Sarracenia explaining what had happened. She's not all that big on fate and destiny and all that... But practically jumped in without a second thought when Sarra asked if she wanted to come on the potential adventure as well. Thus she hopped off the airship with the Princess. To avoid any potential misunderstandings she didn't have any Pokemon out but the multi-colored balls were visible on her belt should the need arise. She took a look around after a moment. She's more a wilderness type so she's not complaining. "Mmm. Pretty out of the way setting... but looks are usually misleading." As soon is apparent when the elderly man hobbles forth to Sarracenia and her kunai. "Ah, that's more like it." Alexis keeps a couple steps back though, folding hands behind her head. This is her best friend's adventure after all.
Angela	Angela really could care less about this. However, Rufus has been strangely supportive of her lately--even against other Partners. Angela is normally quite suspicious about such acts and this case is no different but she has to acknowledge that in prior cases, they ultimately ended up true and loyal--as much as anyone could be expected to be. So she is willing to take the risk here too. She is less interested, admittedly, in helping Sarracenia specifically but even she has admitted that Sarracenia has assisted Lobotomy Corp in the past and it would be a 'bad look', in her head, to not repay Sarracenia for her help. Angela's current plan is to become so indispensible to the Concord that they the Directors will always side with her over the Princess and if she even helps Sarracenia out, despite their bad blood, then she's sure that will prove to Zero Kiryu she is worth more than any royalty. Merelisa is someone she knows less well or, more accurately, she believes she has a solid understanding of the core motivations of Merelisa but she desn't think they are particularly close or anything so this is an opportunity to make positive inroads with a new Partner. ...But this doesn't mean she's going to risk her best Agents for a job like this. Agents that also hate Sarracenia are out because picking a fight with her would be unhelpful and top tier Agents are out because they have better shit to do (in Angela's min). So instead, Angela has sent Moku and Haschen on this journey. Moku, because she is capable and will not badmouth Sarracenia because she can't talk and Haschen, because she will be starstruck by Merelisa and do whatever she says. Angela has elected to oversee the matter herself and is on a pad being held by Moku because she the Sephirah, in her mind, are still a little crazy even if they worked through their issues. Not her though. She's solid. ''Are you the destined hero we've been waiting for?'' "..." Moku answers. "We are here to assist the destined hero." Angela says, glancing to Merelisa from the pad. "Mhm mhm mhm," Haschen adds happily. "You can count on us! If anybody needs to be trained in something, let me know! That's my specialty!" She jerks a thumb towards her crash-test-dummyesque uniform.
Rufus Shinra	As the group talks, another aircraft can be spotted high up above, circling and starting to descend. It's a twin-seater propeller plane. > "The real hero you're destined to meet is Princess Sarracenia Sundew, right here!" "Oh! Yes. A princess. Of course!" The old man nods. "A princess, here to claim her destiny. And that is-" "Rufus Shinra, Prince Rufus Shinra, the actual owner of the kunai, and probably the real hero," interjects. "... I was... about to say, that is the mystical item she's holding," says the old man. Sarracenia makes introductions. The old man clasps his hands together. "I see! A princess, accompanied by a veteran heroic mentor, her personal trainers, a beastmaster, and a merchant sidekick. Quite the retinue!" "Sidekick...?" says Rufus. "You see - you have arrived just in time! Our peaceful kingdom of Farlina is under attack by the foul forces of the evil Darkmancer! His forces lay waste to the countryside, and our towns are at risk of invasion at any moment! For too long, we've been holding out hope, that one day someone may come save us... for there is an ancient prophecy, speaking of the coming of a hero!" The old man clasps his hands together. "And so it is written - only a destined hero, with their destined item, may banish the Darkmancer, return peace to the kingdom, and maybe, just maybe..." He spreads his arms wide. "Claim that most awesome of potentials: becoming a multiversal elite!" "Aren't we-" Rufus starts to say. "Quickly, hero! As the prophecy states, your quest starts by taking the dias, and holding your destined item aloft!" Sarracenia can feel a tug on the kunai she's holding - it wants her to go to the dias...
Merelisa Shaynore	"One never knows when a dark force will finally overwhelm whatever has been holding it back!" Merelisa isn't quite sure what to make of Sarra's comments about the charms of small towns, or the quality of shopping. She casts her mind out to consider what her own opinions on that kind of stakeless tourism are, and finds absolutely nothing. She hasn't ever had the opportunity, and considering the time investment it takes... it's hard to imagine doing it at all. Being somewhere for the purpose of appreciating it sounds exhausting. The last part, though, she jumps on excitedly. "Right! Sometimes, it's the most remote places that hold the biggest danger. The fringes of civilization are where a lot of the worst villains live, and monsters that prey on humanity, or ancient curses. Ancient curses can sometimes be rooted in big cities, too, but those are usually a different sort. I wouldn't be surprised if this kunai was connected to that dark forest, you can see over there . . ." "You can count on us! If anybody needs to be trained in something, let me know! That's my specialty!" Merelisa has never seen a 'LobCorp Agent' before. She hasn't even heard of them except in the abstract, like some sort of zoological phenomenon in the terrarium that Angela keeps. Seeing one up close, and learning that the 'average' agent is a bright-eyed and adorable goober clashes with her mental image of some sort of pale nugget-shaped thing wandering around in a suit, and to clear the dissonance, Merelisa plants a gloved hand directly on the top of Haschen's head without thinking. Her thumb idly pets between the bunny ears of Haschen's EGO gear, and she looks between the two agents. "So you're Angela's workers? How capable are you?" "I see! A princess, accompanied by a veteran heroic mentor, her personal trainers, a beastmaster, and a merchant sidekick." All of this seems exactly right to Merelisa, but there's one part that gives her momentary pause. She lifts her hand from Haschen's head and lays her palm to her cheek, tilting her head into it thoughtfully. "A 'veteran mentor', huh.... I've thought about taking on an apprentice, but... it feels a bit like passing a torch I'm still plenty capable of holding. Maybe I'll find someone out in the multiverse that strikes me as protege material." "Oh-- but I'm not holding the torch this time. Go hold that kunai up, Sarra! Good luck!" After urging Sarra on, and keeping an eye on her when she makes her way up onto the dias, Merelisa says aside to the old man, "So, is the Darkmancer some sort of necromancer? Are there legions of walking dead for us to contend with?" "Claim that most awesome of potentials: becoming a multiversal elite!" Merelisa is technically the most junior Concord Partner here, but the terminology of 'Elite' is as natural to her as her sword-- it doesn't, really, feel like something only awarded to her by joining the Concord, just something given a defined word for a new community. She glances over to her fellow Elites, eyes narrowed doubtfully. "Wouldn't accomplishing a quest like this already... be something an Elite is able to do? It's kind of--" A beat, as she tried to recall a certain word, "Tautological, isn't it?"
Alexis	Alexis gives a light shake of her head, ponytail swishing with the motion. "They've been waiting a long time, let them have their moment," Alexis murmurs with a faint smirk when people question the 'becoming an Elite' remark. She figures they're so focused on the prophecy that they wouldn't really know a clear difference in the first place. She gives Sarra a nod and a light nudge. Go on, do the fulfilling the start of your destiny quest and what not. By now the adventurer twitches were starting to itch again, and she was enjoying it in spite whatever danger might loom ahead. She had no factional investiment in this, her only skin in the game was as Sarracenia's best friend/lady-in-waiting. Which was plenty for Alexis. If anything, she possibly cared more because it was personal rather than alliance oriented. But some Trainer habits of poking into bigger affairs than their own never truly die... She watchs the kunai coaxing Sarracenia towards the dias for a moment, then turned her attention back to the elder man, maybe the closest thing this villa has to a sage. She knows Sarra is probably going to get wrapped up in the moment and theatrics, so she'll do a little casual nosing into the matter herself. "Can you tell us anything else about this Darkmancer and his forces?" she asks. Beat pause. "So we can make sure your destined heroine princess and her princely counterpoint are as prepared as possible." She's at least nice and doesn't call Rufus a sidekick. He's claiming half of the quest for himself after all.
Sarracenia	Sarra is quite happy to have Alexis along! She retroactively includes Alexis in the introduction she gave of her friends. She does not retroactively include Angela. In fact, the princess is obviously none-too-happy to Angela-tablet along. Haschen is tolerated pretty well, but Sarra keeps a healthy distance from Moku. 'Silent' is often a word that prefaces 'Assassin'. "What are you even doing here?" Sarra quietly growls at Angela at some point. "There is no way you want to help me in this. You have some kind of plot in mind, don't you? Well, whatever it is, it will not work." 'Rufus Shinra, Prince Rufus Shinra...' Sarra blinks in surprise. "Oh! You are a prince, Rufus? I had no idea!" she says with a smile. And a giggle as Rufus is called a sidekick. And shushes him lightly when he starts to object to the elite thing. 'Quickly, hero! As the prophecy states, your quest starts by taking the dias, and holding your destined item aloft!' Take the dias? Sarra assumes that means stand on it, so she slips her hammer into her purse for easier travelling and follows the tug of the kunai onto the dias! Then, following Merelisa's and Alexis's urging, she holds the kuani aloft in both hands and just prepares herself for something amazing to happen! It is good that Alexis starts asking questions, because she is right in that Sarra is completely swept up in the moment and doesn't think to gather information.
Angela	Moku doesn't agree or disagree with the presumption that she is also a trainer. She remains silent. Her expression seems a bit dull--not uninterested, exactly, since she does seem alert--just not much more alert than a 9 to 5 job can call for (LobCorp is not 9 to 5, however). She extends a hand and a butterfly lands on it. She stares at the butterfly like in that meme in a loose sort of way. "Haschen is a personal trainer," Angela corrects. "Moku is a former assassin with psychoment training." "..." Moku either confirms or denies Angela's words. Haschen is not expecting someone to just palm her skull. "Wh..." She manages, eyes widening but the truth is she kind of enjoys getting pat on the head and can't muster the will to protest no matter how itm akes her look. "Um--um--um...Well, I don't have as much field experience as Moku, her perfrrmance reviews rate her as above average and me, um, well--my EGO Gear is still a Zayin and I don't get sent out to handle Abnormalities much, but I l-like to think I'm good at tutorializing complex concepts down into easy to understand chunks...")] Her cheeks blush fiercely. "..." Did Moku just nod? Hard to tell if it was a full nod or just an absentminded head dip. ''It feels a bit like passing a torch I'm still plenty capable of holding.'' "Mm. I think it is ideal to train others before your skills atrophy myself. I understand in the stories, of course, they are usually treated as the last generation but I feel this is because the tales largely understand the cinematic conceit of a mentor being suddenly unable to help the chosen one of the story. There is no reason to be stuck to either extreme, however, simply because stories often skip over the less dire parts of the story." Angela says, thinking about that. "In truth I have never read a story about this stage in someone's journey, but I suppose that means there is some opportunity for interesting and unexpected narratives to unfold." ''Silent is often a word that prefaces Assassin.'' Moku quietly stares at Sarracenia.
Rufus Shinra	> "Tautological, isn't it?" "Yeah? I think?" says Rufus, who kinda sorta bought his way in and hasn't examined the definitions too closely. > "So, is the Darkmancer some sort of necromancer? Are there legions of walking dead for us to contend with?" "Legions of shadowy dark forces, the souls of the damned, yearning to be free and yet under his oppressive yoke," says the old man gravely. "Defeating them frees them from his control causes them no pain, I can assure you." Sarracenia takes the dias and holds the Kunai aloft. The ground starts shaking. From the dias, four beams of light appear - red, blue, yellow, and green, all shooting into the sky. The plane veers to avoid them "Thank you for coming to the kingdom's aid, heroine! You must gather the four crystals to defeat the Darkmancer once and for all! But be wary - his minions lie in wait to thwart your quest. Your journey begins in the town of Berkingham, to the north!" "The prophecy!" gasps the old man. The lights fade, and the ground stops rumbling. "We must prepare you for your quest, heroine," says the old man. "We do not have much, here in the village, but for the sake of the kingdom we can give you what supplies and equipment we can spare. Follow me." The old man doesn't get far before the plane lands. "(Bit of a rough landing, and not sure what the light show as about, but we made it... Those weekend flying lessons are paying off, huh?)" "(C'mon, dad! They said the kingdom was in danger! Look, there's already a princess waiting for us.)" There's a pair of humans exiting the plane - one middle aged male, and what looks like his teenage circa-just-out-of-high-school daughter, both in stereotypical '90's adventuring cartoon' jumpsuits. The old man glances from Sarracenia to the approaching newcomers. "Excuse me... would you mind coming back in an hour? There's an inn just over there, and I'm sure you're tired and hungry from your long journey to-" "Oh! I can feel a tug. And there's one of those stone disc things, like in the Legend of Legalia! I bet I'm supposed to go there!" The teenage girl pulls out a rapier, and runs to the dias, holding it aloft. "I am... the destined hero!" she calls as she jumps up onto it, next to Sarracenia. The ground starts shaking. From the dias, four beams of light appear - red, blue, yellow, and green, all shooting into the sky. "Thank you for coming to the kingdom's aid, heroine! You must gather the four crystals to defeat the Darkmancer once and for all! But be wary - his minions lie in wait to thwart your quest. Your journey begins in the town of Berkingham, to the north!" "The- the prophecy!" gasps the old man. "Again!" "Woo! Destined hero time!" yells the teenaged girl. The lights fade, and the ground stops rumbling. "Way to go, honey," says the dad, supportively, clapping his hands. "Two heroines! The... the kingdom is certain to be safe, now!" the old man says. "The prophecy - maybe it could be translated another way, to mean more than one heroine - it's not important! Let me get you both outfitted for your quest."
Sarracenia	'Haschen is a personal trainer, Moku is a former assassin with psychoment training.' "...I knew it..." Sarra mutters quietly, continuing to keep her distance from Moku. A butterfly landing on someone might make them seem innocent, but Sarra knows that butterflies can also be an agent of death! Haschen though, Haschen seems nice and Sarra offers a smile that way. "We are happy to have you along. Perhaps your skills will come in handy when we run into a puzzle or some ancient knowledge!" Moku quietly stares. Sarra is quietly unnerved. Sarra holds up the kunai...and the magical voice speaks again! At least, she thinks that is what it was. The old man offers to prepare them and Sarra starts to follow when... 'Oh! I can feel a tug. And there's one of those stone disc things, like in the Legend of Legalia! I bet I'm supposed to go there!' Sarra is joined on the dais by a much younger heroine with a more heroic item. Sword just trumps kunai when it comes to heroic symbolism! Needless to say, Sarra's is thoroughly confused. "Wh-but...I am the destined hero!" Sarra exclaims with a bit of a whine when the teenage girl declares herself. Sarra still follows after the old man, but it is with a much more flat expression and some minor grumbling. Sharing adventure time with a gathered party is fine. Sharing adventure time with another destined heroine...Sarra looks like she just found out her one of a kind collectable was just revealed to be part of a set. And not even the best of the set. She clears her throat, then addresses the father and daughter. "Excuse me. I am Princess Sarracenia Sundew, Crown Princess of the Sundew Kingdom and..." She pauses, looks at her kunai, then mmphs softly, "...apparently a fellow destined heroine. And you are?"
Alexis	Alexis frowns. Partially at the information given. It was kind of expected with a name involving -mancer but still, the thought of subjegating entities only wanting their eternal release under another's control like that rubs her all sorts of wrong ways. The frown shifts more to a thoughtful grimace when the old man assures them defeating the creatures frees them. Still means there's probably going to be armies and other groups of opposition they're going to have to fight through. It reminds her of Shadow Pokemon. A little too much. Or some of the other way's she's seen creatures manipulated. And there's a tingle in the back of her mind that might be Wildfire agreeing with her. But it's put aside as some kind of ritual occurs when Sarracenia reachs the dias. And occurs again when there's a second arrival with a different weapon. This gets a raised brow from her, and Alexis leans a little closer to Rufus to mutter "Did you know there was a rapier as well?" though she's pretty sure what the answer is going to be. This little destiny quest got a bit more... complicated.
Merelisa Shaynore	"Oh! You are a prince, Rufus?" Merelisa, thinking of those sorts of companies that let you buy a tiny plot of land in order to pretend you can call yourself a lord, and entirely unable to imagine Rufus as a real prince, suggests to Sarra, "I think you can buy that sort of thing?" "my EGO Gear is still a Zayin and I don't get sent out to handle Abnormalities much, but I l-like to think I'm good at tutorializing complex concepts down into easy to understand chunks..." Merelisa gives Moku a nod when Haschen gives her report on her above-average skills, but she doesn't question her further than that. She hasn't put together that Moku is mute; she just thinks that she's off in her head doing her own thing. Assassins are like this sometimes. Haschen, meanwhile, gets an approving double-pat before Merelisa draws her hand away. "That might be really useful, if something like that comes up. I figured everything out on my own, so it's hard for me to explain it to other people. Keep up the good work!" Merelisa has no idea what a 'Zayin' is, but she can smell inexperience. "I think it is ideal to train others before your skills atrophy myself." "I have a long time before my 'skills atrophy', Angela." Merelisa bristles a little bit, but sighs, understanding her point. "I'm still the greatest hero in the world. And if there's someone out there in the multiverse that disproves that, then that's just more proof I still have a ways to go. I'm not in any rush to 'pass anything on' unless I find someone I really like." "There is no way you want to help me in this. You have some kind of plot in mind, don't you? Well, whatever it is, it will not work." Merelisa, because of sticking by Sarracenia, catches her quiet words to Angela. She glances between them subtly, to not draw more attention to the exchange, and then very slightly draws closer to Sarra's side. "We're all Partners here. This is a quest for the sake of a kingdom. It's not the place to bring grudges, and I'm sure Angela understands that." Implicitly, if she doesn't-- Merelisa knows whose side she'd be on. "Defeating them frees them from his control causes them no pain, I can assure you." With an equally serious expression, Merelisa responds, "So we'll have to free all of them. Got it." "The prophecy - maybe it could be translated another way, to mean more than one heroine - it's not important! Let me get you both outfitted for your quest." This whole exchange causes Merelisa to squint narrower and narrower, gears working in her head as she tries to figure out what's going on. And then, she gasps in realization, and taps on Sarra's shoulder excitedly. "There must be a whole set of artifacts! I bet there's several others besides her, who you'll meet along the way... oh, but now I feel like I'm intruding?"
Angela	Angela frowns as a third possible destined hero appears. She really doesn't want to juggle any more plotlines but she has a feeling this will get annoying quickly and is already considering how to pass this off to some other Sephirah. She hates destined hero loopholes. It always feels like it's essentially telling you how the story will go in advance. Of course, this is reality and not a story, but time with Petra has started to really convince her that storybook tales and reality are a lot closer than she originally thought. ''...I knew it...'' "..." Moku stares at Sarracenia. ''We are happy to have you along. Perhaps your skills will come in handy when we run into a puzzle...'' "Do you promise??" Haschen asks excitedly, eyes widening with hope... and more hope! Yeah Haschen doesn't really have the usual heat towards Sarracenia that has been fostered in LobCorp. Angela is secretly hopeful for puzzles too but frowns because she isn't really inclined to show it. "Aheheheheh...." Haschen giggles zonkedoutedly at Haschen's doublepat and compliments. "I'll do my best..." ''I have a long time before my skills atrophy, Angela.'' "That is precisely--...Of course." Angela says, since obviously she's never going to talk shit aobut Merelisa's hero status. She knows a sore point that glowing and flashing. She reminds herself that even talking around such points is something she better be wary of in the future. ''It's not the place to bring grudges, and I'm sure Angela understands that.'' "Of course I understand. I am practical." Angela is an AI that can tell the truth? "Besides, it would be particularly rude." ''You have some kind of plot in mind, don't you?'' "Always. You are welcome to figure it out, Sarracenia." Angela says, whose evil scheme is to keep making Sarracenia wonder about what scheme she is up to but never actually act on it.
Rufus Shinra	"Oh! A princess! I get to go on an adventure with a real life princess!" "My name's Tanya! I do soccer, and mah-jong, and I play video games!" she enthuses. "And that's my dad. He does business stuff." "Hello. I'm Robert, and I'm the Chief Financial Officer of Bergens and Youngling. I'm just here to support my daughter. You're all the Princess's friends, I take it?" Robert shakes the hand of anyone who will stand still for it. "I get why the Princess is disappointed, personally I kinda thought we had a private reservation and-" "I assure you all that there's enough equipment, quests, and minions of the Darkmancer to go around," says the old man quickly. Tanya fawns over Sarracenia. "That's an awesome dress! And you have a kunai - does that mean you'll be a ninja princess? I always wanted to be a fencer, like the Scarlet Wizards in my favorite video game - and I found this magic rapier out in a cave while we were doing river rafting on vacation! Is that lucky or destiny or what!" "Best adventuring buddies!" Sarracenia gets pulled into a selfie situation. > "Did you know there was a rapier as well?" > "There must be a whole set of artifacts!" Rufus shrugs. "I didn't know squat, I just bought it off some guy for twenty million. I asked after Sarracenia got it to do the voice thing - apparently he got it from an estate sale. Whole family died in a car crash, kinda tragic but the stuff has to go somewhere, right?" "So maybe there's a matched set after all. Hey, wagie, where'd you get yours?" "... Me? I didn't 'get' it, my daughter found it in a cave," says Robert. > "but now I feel like I'm intruding?" "Actually, now that you mention it I'm sure our destined heroines could handle things well enough on their own, or with only one or two helpers, if the rest of you would like to sit out and-" the old man starts to say. "Nuh uh, I'm seeing this through, it was my artifact," says Rufus. "... Alright, well, I'm sure it'll be a fine adventure with... nine people altogether." The old man is counting Angela, it seems. Starting equipment is found and handed out to the two Destined Heroines. Tanya needs it a lot more than Sarracenia does, really. There's a few pieces left, if anyone really wants ration packs or unenchanted leather armor. "Hey," says Tanya, to Merelisa. "You said you were the greatest hero in the world? Great! You got any tips?"
Alexis	That is about what Alexis expected for an answer -- that Rufus had no idea at the time. Just that it was part of a lot. So there could be more out there. "Yeah, that sounds about right. Passed around but no one had the ... whatever to trigger it's prophecy." Or maybe it was just the two. A rapier and a smaller blade do make an interesting pair, and these sort of 'prophecies' don't always care that they're from entirely different cultures. So she just shrugs a bit. Hands folded behind her head once more "Eh. Someone's gotta keep an eye on them," she replies to the old man. At least the new girl doesn't have an issue getting familiar with the rest of the group. And a businessman that's actually a supportive father figure? That's kind of rare. "If nothing else, we're versatile. It'll make it harder for the Darkmancer to plan against them if he has to plan for -all- of us."
Sarracenia	'There must be a whole set of artifacts!' Sarra mmphs softly. "Yes...there must be." she says, clearly not a fan of the idea. "It likely is one of those multiple summoned heroes situations. But, the old man did not seem to mind that I brought an entourage." she says. She brightens a bit after that. "And even if he did, I do not think you are intruding. I am happy to have you along, as well as my oldest best friend, Alexis! Have you met her? She commands powerful creatures called pokemon. Some of them are very cute, and some are very destructive. And some are both!" Sarra wants her friends to be friends, of course. "Oh, and Alexis, this is Merelisa! She is a bonafide heroine with an amazing fiery sword and summonable robot arms! We have become fast friends" She says, then starts to look uncertain. "...I think?" she says toward Merelisa with a hopeful but cautious smile. 'We're all Partners here. This is a quest for the sake of a kingdom. It's not the place to bring grudges, and I'm sure Angela understands that.' 'Of course I understand. I am practical. Besides, it would be particularly rude.' "That just means she will be exceedingly subtle about it..." Sarra mumbles to Merelisa. 'Do you promise??' Haschen is a ray of sunshine, so Sarra's face brightens accordingly. "Why, of course! I am only passable at such things, so I will certainly take your advice in such situations!" she says, though it carries an unspoken caveat of 'unless Angela gave it to you to give to me'. Which is fairly well conveyed when Sarra glares at Angela daring her to figure out the plot. Oh, she will definitely spend an inordinate amount of time trying! And Sarra's downturn in demeanor is further lifted by Tanya's eagerness and praise. "Ah. Well, it is good to meet you Tanya. And you, Robert." she says before soaking in some more of Tanya's fawning. "Thank you~ I designed the dress myself! Would you like one? If we are going to be fellow heroines, we could also be matching heroines!" At the question about the kunai, Sarra looks uncertain. "I do not think so. I am...rather far from being a ninja in any regard except perhaps quick costume changes." She pauses a moment. "...and my skill at throwing things. And...my various elemental powers that might qualify under some definitions of shinobi...?" Wait, is Sarra just a very loud ninja? She's considering the possibility now. 'Best adventuring buddies!' Sarra is easily swept up in such moments, and after all the praise she cheerfully says, "Indeed! Best adventuring buddies!" and poses properly for the selfie with a wink and a pair of fingers held in front of her in a sideways V. Sarra does indeed turn down all of the equipment and provisions. She is both well equipped and endlessly provisioned...unless something were ever to happen to her purse. And when the old man does start to try and break them up Sarra shakes her head quickly in agreement with Rufus. "Indeed. I made an agreement with Mister Shinra, and a heroine cannot go back on such an agreement. Without him, we would not be here."
Angela	"You never will figure out my schemes." Angela says, with about 70 percent effort in being convincing. She looks off to the side for a moment and starts tapping at a console. "Hm...Yes. Yes, I see.... Heh..." She smirks, evilly, looks towards Sarracenia. "Heh...!" She repeats and then looks back to the screen--one that Sarracenia can't see. "..." Moku says. She adjusts her EGO Gear absentmindedly with her hands and dusts them off lightly. And then she looks back to Sarracenia. ''It'll be a fine adventure... with nine people altogether.'' Angela is briefly sartled out of the bit. She looks towards the old man. She absolutebly believed she would be, like, not counted. "Mm. We will look after your daughter as best we can." She says, having not paid attention to their actual relationship. ''I am only passable at such things.'' Haschen makes a smug expression that doesn't quite work on her bullyable face. "Eheh... I'll do my best!" And she immediately blushes, ruining the whole smug effect and her gaze shifts low as she is overcome by shyness.
Rufus Shinra	The crowd watching the elites (and the accountant and his daughter) have dispersed by now, going back into their little houses. "Alright, well, the town of Berkingham is half an hour to the north! You'll be there before you know it. Good luck!" The old man expects the group to walk. That is the adventuring convention - you walk from town to town, right? Then again, they do have that nice Sundew airship... ... Either way the group goes, when they start getting near Berkingham, it's coming under attack. Dark shadowy things, vaguely in the shape of people, are flooding into the town - seeking out townsfolk and beating them harshly with their fists of shadow and darkness! "Oh no! They need our help!" Tanya rushes into the fray, swinging her rapier inexpertly. It turns out not to matter, because one touch of the rapier - or of Sarracenia's kunai - causes any of the shadows to disincorporate into harmless smoke instantly. Any other weapon or ability still does damage, destined or not, but... ... Well, these aren't exactly the cream of the crop of elite minions. Their punches and kicks hurt, but not any more than regular punches. They go down in one solid hit each. And they don't seem to be very aggressive - the elites might get surrounded by sheer numbers, but there'll only be one shadow minion going at each of them at a time, using obviously telegraphed attacks. "Ha, this is... a challenge!" says Tanya, who's having to lock in to keep from getting hit too much. "That's my girl!" says her dad, who's got his phone out and is recording his heroic daughter's first heroic intervention.
Alexis	Typically Alexis would just hop on a Pokemon and roll out, but doesn't want to scatter the building group dynamic so just tags along on the available vehicles with everyone else. Which honestly turns out to be a good choice because she doesn't end up bombarding into the middle of a large assault on her own. Still, even they're lower end mooks, the sheer number gets an impressed whistle out of her. The two Heroines leap into action with their weapons.. and they're SUPER EFFECTIVE! Though it's clear that Tayna, try as she might, is lacking in experience. Whereas Sarra can take care of herself for the most part. "Let's give her a hand." Alexis pulls a pokeball off her belt, gives it a little twirl and then lobs it into the air. "Go, Firetrap!" The sphere clicks open and dispels a surge of energy that manifests into a moth-like form with a faint glow, with six fiery orange wings spreading from it's back like the rays of a sun. The Volcarona screes sharply as she hovers near Tanya, looking to Alexis for guidance. Who makes a flittery motion with her fingers. "Get their attention. Use Rage Powder!" Firetrap screes again and beats her sextupal wings to scatter billows of faintly glittery powder towards the shadowy creatures. Powder that turns out to be an intense irritant to aggrivate and provoke any creature exposed to it into attacking the source of the aggrivation, even if they only do so one at a time. In other words, using it to taunt several of the creatures into focusing on the moth-mon instead. "Hit 'em while they're distracted," Alexis suggests to Tanya. Though being drawn into striking the Volcarona isn't without it's own perils, as any attacker that does strike her while do some harm but also has a chance of being set afire by her Flame Body ability, farther weakening them for others to attack. Like when Alexis pulls out her good ol' trusty hockey stick and starts racking up an hit count of her own.
Merelisa Shaynore	" You're all the Princess's friends, I take it?" "We have become fast friends," Merelisa, to Robert and answering Sarracenia's uncertainty at the same time, shakes his hand and smiles. "Yep, we're all here to accompany her. I only met her recently, but she's absolutely got the qualities of a hero." After greeting Robert, whose nature as a CFO is the most suspicious thing Merelisa's found about this entire setup, she offers her hand to Alexis too. "One of Sarra's friends, huh? You can call me Merelisa." That part is automatic, even though Sarracenia didn't actually introduce her as Andromeda to Alexis. Friends of friends are given the same first-name privilege that the old man and the others didn't get, so she's clearly interested in building that bridge too. She leans in to add to Alexis, trying not to be too blatantly overheard by Sarra, "With this whole business, I don't think it'll be any issue. I'm not getting the sense that there's any world-ending threats around here, and if there were, I've already saved worlds. So don't worry about Sarra getting in over her head." "That just means she will be exceedingly subtle about it..." It takes a bit more than that simmering mistrust for Merelisa to mistrust a fellow Concord Partner. Angela, however, immediately provides it, by stating directly that she's scheming against Sarra. Merelisa frowns at the tablet, tucking her hair behind her ear and brushing her thumb against the pommel of her greatsword. "I'm serious, really. Let's not make plans against each other. You don't get another warning." "Indeed! Best adventuring buddies!" Merelisa sighs fondly at the quick-forming bond of new party members, but after the selfie snap and the giggling, something tugs on her mood. Was it that fast when she first started linking up with the other four? Serpens and Taurus both caused trouble for her at first, and Cassiopeia was skittish for months, and Laurent was.... Maybe Sarracenia is just set up on a kinder quest than hers was. If that sort of thing is possible, which is a thought that only occurs to Merelisa for the first time now. Aren't the hardships half of what she values, along with triumphing over them? Is this image of two girls giggling and sewing matching outfits because their relics drew them together something any hero could have, and she just didn't? After a while of contemplation, when boarding Sarra's airship to head to the town up north, Merelisa says aside to her, a little curiously awestruck, "... You design and sew your own clothes? Aren't you super busy, between being a heroine and a princess?" "Ha, this is... a challenge!" It's hard for Merelisa to really assess the strength of these minions. Whether her sword cleaves right through them by her own merit or by their patheticness is beyond her scope of reference, and it's when Tanya starts struggling that Merelisa herself locks in. "Right. I've got it. This is only the first one of many, so you should conserve your strength-- leave it to me!" Merelisa draws a flickering red crystal out of her pouch and holds it up to the sky, methodically chanting a long magical incantation that causes the crystal to whisk away into fiery sparkles. The sparkles twist in the air in front of her, forming an amorphous cloud in the midst of the minion horde, and with a heavy thrust Merelisa impales the cloud on her sword. Magic sparks up the edge like a fuse, and the crystalline cloud explodes in a cone of fire that vaporizes the landscape in a wide arc, leaving charred earth and embers behind.
Angela	Neiher Haschen or Moku rush off to battle the spooky shadows. Haschen's knees are actually shaking and Moku is just watching placidly. Maybe ... She is just seeing if these trainee heroes have what it takes?? Moku bashes back any who get too close with her staff, covering for Haschen who DOES have a weapon on her back but is lagely trying to get a feel for what SHADOWY FIGUREs are actually made out of and what their deal is, largely by observing them. ''That's my girl!'' Angela turns to look to the dad. "..." Unseen, she clenches her fists. And she just stares at the dad rather than on anything else that's actually going on, even when Alexis summons a pokemon out of a pokeball. '...How cruel. To think they would do this to the people of that world...' Angela thinks absentmindedly, thinking of someone imprisoning Spinda into a small ball and getting furious at the idea, only outmatched by Angela being sour at seeing a supportive father figure. Again. ''I'm serious, really. Let's not make plans against each other. You don't get another warning.'' Angela realizes that Merelisa doesn't realize she's just fucking with SArracenia. "...I dare not stand against a hero like you." She says. "Very well, I shall end my scheming." Of course she could just be using this as an opportunity...to get subtler about it??? But she isn't actually willing to get other Concord Partners miffy at her just to mess with Sarracenia. That's not practical, after all. But she's certainly not going to admit it's just fucking with Sarracenia either.
Sarracenia	"I will -sooooo- figure them out!!" Sarra exclaims at Angela, then mmphs and tries to ignore all the evil plotting going on. Though she can't quite keep herself from glancing that way every now and then. She looks to the old man after a moment. "Do not count her. She is not heroic and only came along because those two need a chaperone." 'I'll do my best!' Sarra smiles at Haschen though and joins Merelisa in headpatting Haschen for a moment. "I am sure you will." she says. 'I'm serious, really. Let's not make plans against each other. You don't get another warning.' Sarra's eyes go wide as...someone supports her against an enemy! She can't help a slight haughty hmph and a bit of a smirk at Angela after. Moku's subtle adjustment and dusting of her EGO gear does not go unnoticed, and Sarra hmphs again. "Just try it. I am not afraid of you." she says...despite the fact that she has carefully kept her distance from Moku the entire time. 'Alright, well, the town of Berkingham is half an hour to the north! You'll be there before you know it. Good luck!' "...half an hour? Hah! It will take us only a few minutes~" Sarra says as she heads toward the airship. A quick text on her cell phone and the engines are spinning up even as they walk toward it. All are welcomed aboard and transported, even the newest additions to the party. '... You design and sew your own clothes? Aren't you super busy, between being a heroine and a princess?' "I do! Well, I do not sew them myself, but I do design them! I pass my designs on to trusted seamstresses and clothiers to ensure they are created to my high standards." Sarra answers Merelisa. And she looks somewhat disappointed when Tanya is too caught up in the heroism to accept the offer of matching dresses. Or perhaps just does not like Sarra's style choices. The airship ride gives them a bird's eye view of the battle as they close in on the town. The airship goes to land as close as it can get to the action, but Sarra does not wait. "They do indeed need our help!" she agrees with Tanya and leaps off the deck of the airship. She pulls her hammer as she falls and rides the head downward straight into a group of the Darkmancer minions. It sends out a shockwave and a small explosion around it as she lands, then she leaps in an acrobatic forward flip to bring it up from the ground and down again on a few more.
Sarracenia	She notices Tanya's rapier doing the job instantly and looks at her kunai. She really isn't trained in bladed weapons, much less very small bladed weapons. But, if she is going to be a destined heroine she is going to do it right! So, she puts away her hammer and charges in with the small throwing knife...which she is afraid to throw because...well...it told her not to let any other hands touch it. Of course, this means that Sarra is fighting at a much lower level. Even on her best fighting days she does not have much luck avoiding hits. By the end of it she is rather likely to end up looking more battered than Tanya. And she is more than a little jealous to be paired up with a heroine who in addition to being younger and having a better weapon...has a supportive father who is willing to go on the adventures with his daughter. Sarra's own father disapproves strongly of her adventuring and other things she does that are 'not becoming of a princess'. "If you...we...are proven to be elites, you can expect such strenuous combat on a regular basis! After a bit more, Sarra lets out an annoyed huff as another minion manages to land a hit on her. "This is ridiculous!" she exclaims, and reaches to touch the metal lotus in her hair. Liquid metal flows off of it and down her arms, sheathing them in metal to help protect her a bit more. As they fight, Sarra calls out to the others. "Check the homes! If anyone needs evacuation lead them to the Sundew Sovereign! The safety of the townsfolk is paramount!" Surely that is an appropriate task for supporting party members while the heroines try to clear out the baddies.
Rufus Shinra	The group launches frankly overpowered attacks against the swarm of 1HKO minions. Mixing in Alexis's crowd control acts as a further force multiplier - it's overpowered on top of overpowered. And while Merelisa is careful to not get any people caught up in her blast - that can't be said of the nearby houses and roads. The collateral damage puts a qualifier on how grateful the villagers are for being rescued. On the other hand - the shadow darkness evil nether shilouette smoke darkness shadow darkness demons, weak as they are, were causing very real injuries on the townsfolk, and the amount of bruises and broken limbs is kept to a minimum thanks to the timely intervention. Angela's seething anger towards a supportive father figure goes unnoticed by most. Rufus does notice, though, and decides he shares Angela's feelings. How dare his own father not be down here taking part? It'd be so much better if President Shinra was here, because then Rufus could stab him and blame it on the evil minions. When the last minion is defeated... it drops a BLUE ORB. "Score!" says Tanya. "That's one down out of four!" "Group photo!" calls the supportive father figure, and everyone present who doesn't speak up forcefully against it is coerced into posing (amidst the burning ruins of this part of the town, which provides an unfortunate background for what's an otherwise heroic photo). "This sucks," says one of the townsfolk, in the aftermath. "I just moved from Whiteridge. It just got attacked last week, and it'd be totally destroyed if it wasn't for someone else showing up with a fancy shadow-banishing weapon like yours." "Yeah. Feels like it happens once a week, to a different town each time," says another villager. "So far we've been lucky enough to have heroes coming through to save each of the towns each time they've been attacked." "Well - it won't keep happening for much longer! The destined heroes of prophecy are on the case!" says Tanya, posing dramatically with her destined hero rapier. "I can't believe it - we're on a real adventure, really saving people for real! Becoming a real Elite! It's everything I ever dreamed of!" And so the adventure continues... NEXT TIME!