Just Our Luck [Lanying, Demyx]

[Nothingness]

Raen had an odd feeling of deja-vu come over him. He woke up, lying on his face, completely unsure of where he was. This time, however, he wasn't injured, his friend was lying a few yards away, and his ship wasn't destroyed--it was actually completely intact, albeit floating in a small...lake? Standing up, he looked around to see where they were exactly. It was dark, sticky, and it reeked of something awful. He took his foot and prodded the "lake" with it, but when he pulled it away he let out a sound of sheer disgust. The "water" was sticky, and followed the tip of his shoe back. Where in the world were they?

It was then that his eyes had finally adjusted to the lack of light and he looked up. A massive row of teeth could be seen a short way in the distance between large piles of wood and metal, as well as what appeared to be a large chunk of a sailing ship. Taking a few steps back, he felt his shoes stick slightly to the "floor" beneath him. Turning to Lanying, he said with a rather odd tone in his voice, "Uh, I don't mean to state the obvious, but I think we've been...eaten." That sounded just as weird coming out of his mouth as it did in his head.

Of course, as soon as he said that, he had to wonder: how in the world were they supposed to get out of here? That thought scared him more than anything else.There could only be so many exits out of what appeared to be a living creature, and there wasn't the slightest possibility that he was going out any other way than the one he came in. Though, in his mind, there was only one thing that could make this any worse than it could possibly be right now: Heartless. He hoped that none would be here, but right now, he was seriously doubting their luck.

[Aerith]

An Unexpected Stop
Shudder, Monster by Kumi Tanioka from Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles

When Lanying finally opened her eyes, she felt she must have still been asleep and in the middle of some nightmare. Her current bed was sickeningly squishy and gifted her with a thin membrane of...something slimy when she sat up. There was what looked to be a lake nearby, but from the smell, she was wary of actually walking over and attempting to wash herself off. This whole area smelled like it should be a fish market somewhere, but from what she could tell, there were no vendors or piles of sea treasures waiting to be bought and eaten.

Eaten. Raen said that he thought they had been eaten. But that couldn't possibly be right. What could possibly eat their ship and be this roomy on the inside? Lanying had never heard of such a creature before. The mythical dragons from her childhood fairy stories were large. Could they have been swallowed by a dragon? The smell of fish told her otherwise. A dragon wouldn't smell this way on the inside, would it? Of course, she had no first-hand knowledge of what a dragon would smell like on the inside.

When she stood up, she tried her best to wipe what she now figured must be saliva off her person. The sight of giant teeth sitting in a wide band just ahead of them sent a ripple of fear down her spine. It was then that she noticed the "walls" around them were pulsing with life. What in the name of the emperor was going on? Clearly, from the wreckage around them, this thing--whatever it was--was accustomed to swallowing chunks of inedible objects. Luckily, the ship seemed to be unharmed somehow. But even with a workable ship, how were they supposed to escape?

She approached Raen with an uncomfortable look on her face. "I'm not sure how we're going to get out of here, but whenever we finally do, I'm going to need a change of clothes. I feel...disgusting."

[Demyx]

A corridor of darkness (luckily for Demyx) suddenly appeared on a plank, that was overlooking the giant lake-like area inside the whale known as Monstro. Out stepped Demyx, a little peeved that he actually got stuck with this mission. "Why is it Zexion always has to pass on the missions he doesn't want to do to meeee?" he complained aloud to himself. Granted he usually tried to pass off his mission on to other people too, but Zexion specifically always seemed to pass his off onto Demyx, the jerk.

He sighed and then actually took a look around. The walls...if you could really call them that pulsed and moved. Talk about something that just looked unnatural. "This place is soo gross, man," he again said aloud. It was turning out to be just as nasty as he thought it would be. Obviously he was being a little less secretive than he normally would be, after all who would he run into inside a whale?

Sighing again, he took out his little note card that he had wrote today's mission on. "Let's see here.....Find a heartless known as Parasite Cage and destroy it. Ugh, i hate fighting heartless. I should be doing recon instead.....or at least playing my sitar..." he complained putting the note card away. He would leave right now, but Zexion would probably just send him back till he actually did the mission. Sighing, he turned and saw a doorway like thing, in the distance on the same level he was on. He started to head for it, being the closest way out of this lake-area he could see.

[Nothingness]

We're Not Alone

"Yeah, tell me about it." Raen muttered as he looked around what he assumed to be the mouth of the creature. The way this things teeth were clamped shut made Raen think that this creature hardly ever opened his mouth...except when he was eating something. Putting both hands on the back of his head, he grabbed his hair and started to walk around in small circle, then stopped, swung his arms limply back and forth a few times, and ended this odd ritual by looking down, sighing, and pressing the palm of his hand to his forehead. His mind was racing, trying to catch something that was just a hair's breadth out of reach.

After a few moments, his head snapped up. "I know where we are! We're in Monstro--the giant whale! Gepetto told me about this back in Traverse Town." He repeated the ritual, this time much faster and punctuating this with the occasional deep breath and quick release. Stopping, he looked up at Lanying and smiled; his eyes seemed glowed like a child's on Christmas morning. "If we can make him sneeze, we can get out of here!" Pausing for another moment, he put a hand to his mouth and said more so to himself, "But, how do we--"

He immediately stopped as soon as he heard the voice of a third person echo in the cavernous...room. He quickly moved behind the large hunk of the ship and motioned Lanying to come join him. They would be out of sight from anyone not at the back of the mouth. He couldn't make out everything that they were saying, but his eyes immediately became slits when he heard the name, "Zexion." That person knew Zexion:he couldn't be someone good.

[Aerith]

Company Inside a Whale Can't Be Bad, Right?

As Lanying watched Raen's odd behavior, she couldn't help but be amused. Or at least, she would have been amused had she not had saliva soaking through her clothes and creating unsightly dark patches. Perhaps, she thought to herself, this would actually turn out to be a good thing. She doubted she would fit in very well on any world other than her own wearing these clothes. Before she could allow herself to think about new fashion, however, they needed to concentrate on getting out of here.

Her eyebrows shot up when Raen finally realized where they were. "We're...in a...giant whale?" She blinked in disbelief. Had they crashed on some world's ocean and been swallowed? By the size of this whale's mouth alone, she had no idea what sort of world would have a large enough ocean to contain such a monstrous creature. Then, Raen said something about making the whale sneeze in order to get out? This situation kept getting more and more bizarre.

Before she could say anything, another voice, one she didn't recognize, floated over to them. It sounded like it came from above, too, but Lanying only caught the outline of someone exiting this area of the whale. She motioned in that direction, whispering to Raen. "Someone else is in here. And it looks like whoever it was went that way."

[Demyx]

Demyx continued walking through the top doorway-like thing in the lake area of the whale and came to a fairly large area. Only thing was, that Demyx happened to pick the area where the only way to go was up. "Ugh, you're kidding me?!" he complained aloud as he looked above him. There really was no other way to go in this particular area. Man, he wasn't supposed to do anything that required THAT much effort.

He walked back to the lake area. "I'll try over there later....much later," he mumbled to himself. He then noticed that there was another exit below him. Well, guess that was his only other option and hopefully it lead somewhere were the opening to the next area wasn't above him. He dropped down and landed on...what could be called a floor, but was definitely much grosser than that. "Ugh....sooner I find that heartless the sooner I get out of this nasty place...." he muttered as he went through the opening.

This time it lead to a....much more colorful looking place. He couldn't believe this is what the inside of a whale looked like. He wondered where exactly this was in the whale, but thought better of it, he probably didn't want to know the answer. There were two entryways in this part and he picked the one in front of him. It led Demyx to a similar looking area. "What?! Don't tell me the inside of this whale is like a maze? Ugh, I hate mazes....." Of course this mission Zexion passed onto him wasn't in a simple world were you could go from point A to point B in a straight line. OF course it just haaad to be complicated.

[Nothingness]

Down the Rabbit-hole Windpipe

Luckily for them, the cloaked man didn't even notice Raen and Lanying; he just complained about finding a certain Heartless that was here as he disappeared from sight on an upper level of Monstro. Raen was about to say something to Lanying when the man, for some reason, jumped off the platform and walked into a rather large opening--presumably Monstro's windpipe--and continued to mumble about something or another. "If the cloak is anything to go by, he works with Zexion. But...this guy doesn't seem remotely capable enough to even be around someone like Zexion."

He shook his head. He'd figure out that mystery another time--hopefully soon. A thought suddenly dawned on him. "We should follow him. What if he knows a different way out of here?" Of course, he wouldn't admit it, but he also wanted to see if that man knew anything important about Zexion or his whereabouts. He began to follow the man, but when he entered the strange glowing room, he had no idea where his target went. There were two paths to choose, but where did these lead? And which one did that man choose? "Should we take the low road or the high road?"

[Aerith]

Logic

Just as soon as the stranger disappeared from view, he appeared again. From his body language and what she could faintly make out when he spoke, he obviously didn't want to be here. But then, she wondered how exactly he had gotten in here and how long he had been here. She didn't see anything else resembling a vehicle nearby, so when Raen suggested that he might know a way out, she wasn't so sure. After all, if he had been trapped here long enough for his mode of transportation to get...digested, the chances of him knowing how to get out of here were slim.

Nevertheless, she followed Raen deeper into the whale. "It could be possible, I suppose." She tried to keep her voice optimistic. She wasn't usually one to view the glass as half-empty, but it was incredibly difficult not to right now, considering the circumstances. She hoped they could get out of here soon. Her thin layer of whale saliva was beginning to dry and not exactly evaporate since the air was still so heavy with perpetual moisture.

When Raen asked which way they should go, Lanying hesitated. In these sorts of situations, she would normally suggest that they split up to cover more ground. But she was not about to go wandering off by herself through this whale's insides. Even if they weren't tailing a potentially dangerous person, she needed someone with her to keep her sane. As for which road to take, she was not a mind reader, but her instincts told her that, if the man had abandoned his initial choice of direction for a lower road, he would stick with lower roads if at all possible. "The low road. Maybe he doesn't like heights, whoever he is."

[Demyx]

Demyx continued down the area of the whale he was in and followed it to.....a dead end. Great, just great he happened to pick the doorway that lead to a dead end. "Ugh, why me? Why does the inside of a whale have to be like a maze?! It makes no sense!" he complained aloud. He sighed and then began to look around, seeing if there might be another way out in this area.

Demyx noticed a couple different ways out above him. It figured, this area was going to make him actually use some effort into finding the heartless. "Man, I hate this place already and its only been like 5 minutes..." he complained. He then put his hand forward and a corridor of darkness appeared. He then walked through it and another appeared on the top part of the area.

He walked out and looked around, now that he had a better view of the top level. The current part he was on had two doorway things while he saw a couple more in the distance. "Let's try......this one," he said as he picked the one behind him and walked through it.

(He's headed back towards chamber 2, I'm gonna have him loop around back to the first chamber)

[Nothingness]

Hands Where I Can See Them!

Raen nodded in affirmation, walking into the adjacent section, only to find that it looked almost the exact same as the previous room. To make matters worse, there was a pile of boxes and boards of wood blocking the opening to another area at the far end. Cursing under his breath, he looked around, taking note of the ledges and raised areas around them. However, unable to reach them, they'd have to take a different route. Raen was starting to detest this wretched, disgusting place more than he thought possible.

"Woah!" Raen suddenly leaped back, bumping into one of the fleshy walls. Placing a hand to his chest, he was breathing a little shakily and gave Lanying a rather confused stare. "Did you just touch my shoulder?" He could swear that he felt something touch his shoulder, and it wasn't a gentle pat. It was more like a death grip that he barely managed to get out of. He started to look around nervously, thinking to himself, "I don't believe in ghosts, but there is definitely something freaky going on here."

[Aerith]

Boo! ...Or Not.

The maze-like quality of this place wasn't appealing to Lanying, and she didn't foresee it growing on her in the near future. Even if she wasn't still struggling with the fact that they were inside a whale, the squishing sound their feet made as they moved around was beginning to gross her out a little. And she had developed a pretty durable stomach over the years.

It seemed that, unless both of them had the ability to fly or jump much higher than she knew they could, their possible path through the whale was going to be limited. They were going in circles, she knew. Which was odd, considering that, if they were traveling through the whale's digestive system, there should logically only be one route to follow. But she didn't want to think about where that one route would lead.

Raen jumped suddenly, hitting one of the "walls" with a sickening splat. Had she touched him? What kind of question was that? "...No, I haven't touched your shoulder or anything else." She looked at him quizzically.

But then it all made sense when a group of three Heartless appeared. They looked like...ghosts? She drew her sword and pointed it at the Heartless as they floated in the air. "I think I found your mysterious lover." She couldn't help but chuckle a bit at her own tease, but then she became quite serious. "Heartless inside a whale? What sort of place is this?"

It was time for actions, not questions, though. Before the strange ghost Heartless could vanish to cause more trickery, Lanying launched herself at one. To her surprise, Allegretto sliced into the creature's head, sending it flying backwards a bit in a confused tangle of claws and ephemeral tail. The fact that they could be damaged raised her spirits, and encouraged her in her continued attacks. Just more routine Heartless inside a not-so-routine whale.

[Demyx]

Demyx sighed as he entered the next chamber, it was another on that had exits on a level above him. There also seemed to be one on the other side of the area, though it was raised and on the wall. This whale made less and less sense the more he explored it. "Why would the insides of a whale actually form like this?!" he complained. Next time he saw Zexion, man.....he would do....something. He didn't know what but it would be something alright!

Demyx walked towards the exit up on the wall, but soon stopped. In front of him, two things that appeared to be ghost popped up in front of him. He drew back frightened for a moment, but then saw the emblems on their chests. They were just heartless, no big deal then. Though it seemed odd ghost type heartless would be in the insides of a whale. Demyx ignored them and continued moving forward.

A corridor of darkness appeared in front of him and he walked through, the exit point appearing right in the doorway on the wall so he could continue inside it. Though he couldn't believe where it lead. It lead right back to where he started! "Augh!!! No way!!!" he complained as he realized this.

[Nothingness]

It's Not a Mutual Relationship

Raen had mixed feelings about Lanying telling him that she hadn't grabbed his shoulder. On one hand, he was glad that she wasn't messing with him, but on the other hand, he still had no idea what did grab his shoulder. Luckily for him that question was answered rather quickly as Lanying pointed out the ghost Heartless that had just appeared. Raen drew his sword and gave Lanying a rather flat stare when she joked about the Heartless being his lover. "A pretty bad lover they'd make without a heart. All pleasure, no passion."

One of the Search Ghosts shot out his hands at Raen, but missed. Immediately retaliating, he closed the distance between himself and the creature, but when he went to stab it, he found the creature disappeared in a yellowish haze. He stood completely still, just waiting for it. Feeling the death grip of the Heartless' hand on his left shoulder, he instantly swung his right arm up, plunging his blade into the creature's ethereal stomach and knocking it backwards. He was a little surprised that it wasn't dead from that blow. Then again, Raen had experience fighting mostly Shadows and Soldiers, which were dispatched with a few simple strokes. These things, while being ghosts, seemed to be made of tougher stuff.

Standing completely still, he waited for the ghost to reappear, however, he didn't expect to be grabbed under the arms from behind by one while another appeared in front and shot his hands at him. The force of the blow knocked him out of the Heartless' grip, as well as the wind out of him. Catching himself before he could hit the ground, he quickly got up and saw one disappear while the one that punched him went in for another shot. Seeing it attack, Raen rolled underneath white-gloved fists, and not stopping for a moment, came out of the roll a few feet from the Heartless and jumped up at him, plunging his blade into the creature's head, killing it. No more messing around.

[Aerith]

Is It Even a Plausible Relationship?

While two of the ghostly Heartless double-teamed Raen, Lanying was left to contend with the single one she had initially attacked. Though she had confused it for a second, it did not remain so for long. Upon righting itself in mid-air, the thing disappeared, but she knew it had not fled the scene. A gash on the head wasn't nearly enough to make a voracious Heartless run. She waited for it to make its move, finding the time to respond to Raen's comment with a raised eyebrow. “Are you implying that getting laid by a Heartless would be pleasurable?”

Two eyes and a gaping mouth suddenly appeared inches from her face. Reflexively, she jerked backward, bringing her sword to bear on the vile creature, but it blocked the strike with its clawed hands. Her eyes widened only a little in surprise upon finding her forward momentum halted abruptly. She put all her strength into tossing the ghost off her blade, watching in grim satisfaction as it sailed through the opening they had just come through. Maybe it would think twice before coming back.

In the meantime, she decided to assist Raen in the extermination of the remaining Heartless. Since it was currently distracted by Raen, she took advantage and dashed in to attack it from behind. A few quick slashes of her sword caused the creature to go careening closer to Raen, where he would hopefully finish it off.

[Nothingness]

I Really Don't Think So

Turning around to reply to Lanying's comment, he saw her send the Search Ghost his way. Quickly leaping back, he sprung forward just as his toes touched the ground, and impaled the ghost, flying through the black smoke its death created. "That's not at all what I'm saying," Raen finally managed to reply. "I'm simply saying that the phrase, 'to make love,' kind of loses its meaning when said creature can't love." Pausing for a second, he added, "And it just doesn't make sense, either."

It then just dawned on him what an awkward conversation the two were having. Talking about having sexual relations with a Heartless? Not only was it really messed up, but just downright creepy. Shaking his head, he laughed a little. Usually he would be having these kind of strange conversations with his friends back in Traverse Town. Nothing important being said, just silly ramblings of friends and laughing at each others outlandish jokes. Thinking about it made him feel a little homesick, but he tried his best to shrug that feeling off.

Figuring that focusing on the matters at hand would help dispel those feelings, he asked Lanying, "Say, what happened to the third Heartless?" It didn't feel like it was around, but he still wondered where it was.