Constant Motion [Radiant Garden People]

[Fate]

Everywhere In A Day
[July 20, 2010]

This was his fourth stop of the day now. Zexion was really hoping that Sora would be somewhere in this world. It would be extremely helpful right now. This traveling thing was starting to wear him out.

He appeared through a Corridor in an alley near the Borough, his hood still up. For now, he would be keeping that up until he had delivered the message to someone of the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee. Mickey would have wanted this message to go to them as well, the group important to him. The Schemer of course did not truly feel like warning them, but they could perhaps aid in protecting Sora while the Organization was being restored.

He glanced both ways before walking out of the alleyway and straight into the Borough. Merlin's house stood where it always did. Hopefully, someone of the Restoration Committee would be there to take his message and then deliver it to the others. He did not want to stick around and deliver the message to everyone. Some of the members would surely strike him down just for being an Organization member, which they would see by looking at his cloak. Perhaps the Organization should invest some time into looking at new attire that was not quite as suspicious...

He walked up to the door and knocked on it, now standing and waiting. He truly hoped that whoever answered the door, it was not one of the ones with the large swords. He did not want to be on the receiving end of those. It would be nice to speak to Merlin since he was not one for showing hostility. He did not know of anyone else in the Committee itself truly, never paying attention to it. Why pay attention to a Committee that was doing something that could never be fulfilled? That was of course his logic speaking, but he would go no further with that. He knocked again with insistence, making sure to emphasize that this message was important.

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[Aerith]

Well, You Certainly Aren't the Milkman
--------
[A Flower Blooming in the Slums arranged by Takeharu Ishimoto]

Today, Aerith was taking a break from tending her garden and was instead catching up on her reading in Merlin's study. She could never get over how comfy this particular armchair was, even if it was a bit dusty. Still, the dust mingled with the smell of the old leather books and gave this corner of Merlin's house much character. It was an ideal space for thinking. Of course, thinking so much made it harder to concentrate on her book.

It turned out that both thinking and reading were going to be interrupted for the moment. A knock sounded at the door. Who would be knocking? Everyone in the RGRC was used to walking straight into Merlin's. They knew the old wizard's house was open, unless it was ridiculously late at night, of course.

The knock sounded again, much more insistent this time, and Aerith quickly unfolded herself from the chair. "I'm coming!" She carefully set her book down, making sure to mark what page she left off on, and then moved over to the door.

When she opened it, her eyes widened a little in surprise. An Organization member was here? Why? She stood there silently for a few moments, waiting for an attack that never came. Finally, she found her voice. "Can I... help you?"

[Fate]

Maybe I Should Wear A Sign... Too Rude?

It was a member of the Restoration Committee that did not attack on sight, something Zexion was thankful for. In fact, he was not sure who this was. He never met this woman before and had not stayed around Radiant Garden enough to figure out who she was. He took off his hood for her once it was established that he was not a threat. "Yes," he said simply, "I have very important news to tell you that needs to also be told to the rest of the Committee. May I come in briefly?" There was really only one reason that he wanted to come in, even though he should be making this visit sort of brief: that armchair looked mighty comfortable.

He was invited in, his eyes drawn in to his surroundings. It was a comfortable abode with plenty of books and sitting areas. There was a bed as well and a book on a special podium of sorts. He didn't bother to look at that more, but chose to sit himself down in an armchair. "You will want to sit down for this as well," he told her, "The news I have to tell you is grave. Queen Minnie has asked me to make sure that everyone knows."

He would wait to give her the news, wait until she was ready to hear it; those with hearts would take this news much more gravely than Nobodies would. Perhaps some other members of the Committee would take this opportunity to come and hear the news as well so it would not be repeated. He doubted this woman would want to repeat it otherwise. She seemed like the gentle and kind sort that Radiant Garden was very used to having.

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[Cloud]

Trouble

Cloud made his way out of the Marketplace into the Borough. Wanting to get some air and not really having anything else to do, he had gone for a walk. Lacking any clear cut purpose or destination, this had consisted of his wandering about aimlessly, occasionally observing something worth noting. Most, if not all of the damage caused by the Tool of Darkness appeared to have finally been repaired; any final touches that had still yet to be made were fairly minor.

Everything in Radiant Garden seemed to basically be returning to normal. On the surface, at least...

Turning the corner, into his view came Merlin's house. He stopped abruptly, seeing that the door was open and spotting someone less than welcomed standing in front of it. Although Cloud was not personally familiar with the identity of this figure, the standard black cloak informed him immediately that he was looking at a member of Organization XIII, which obviously meant trouble. And to make matters worse, he realized that on the other side of the doorway stood Aerith, who must have currently been all alone at the wizard's home.

Immediately sensing the possible danger of the situation, Cloud grabbed his buster sword from his back, and began to rush towards the situation. "Aerith!" He probably wouldn't have hesitated to slash straight at the grey-haired Nobody with his large weapon, had his target not moved into the house. Still brandishing his sword, he stopped, looking with confusion at Aerith through the open door. "What's going on?"

[Aerith]

Apparently, I'm the Unofficial Leader?
--------

The second after Aerith invited the Nobody inside, she saw a familiar sight--Cloud rushing toward the door, Buster Sword brandished in his hands. Thank goodness, the Nobody got inside before Cloud had a chance to do some damage. If there was news willingly being offered, there was no reason to attack a guest, especially now that he had been asked to come into the house.

Cloud slowed a few feet from her, though his sword was still in his hands. "Calm down, Cloud." She put a reassuring hand on his arm. "He isn't here to attack, just to deliver some important news. Why don't you put your sword away now?" It was less of a suggestion and more of a gentle command.

Satisfied that Cloud wouldn't charge recklessly inside, seeking the Nobody's head, Aerith turned and moved toward an empty chair. She sat and folded her legs beneath her, taking a few moments to adjust her dress until she was comfortable. Then, she gave her full attention to the Nobody.

"I don't think we've ever met before, even though I've seen some of your fellow members. My name is Aerith."

[Nothingness]

Wariness

As per the usual, Leon had been making his rounds, making sure that the reconstruction effort was going as smoothly as possible. As for today, it was going fairly well. They'd had slower days than this, so it wasn't too much of a bother, but he knew that he would be lying if he didn't say that he was excited for it all to be done.

Heading towards the Borough, he saw Cloud draw his sword and charge into Merlin's house. Following suit, Leon whipped out his gunblade and ran after him, but stopped just outside the door when he heard Aerith's voice coming from inside. Confused, he put his gunblade away and walked inside, surprised to see an Organization member, and even more irritated to see him sitting in one of Merlin's chairs. Terrible guest.

Taking his normal spot (leaning against the door frame) he gave the Nobody a cold stare, and asked in an even chillier, albeit polite, voice, "What are you doing here?"

[Yuffie]

Yuffie had just gotten finished patrolling around the town (though making sure to stay away from the castle). There really wasn't much to report or anything, but that still wasn't going to stop her from seeing who was over at Merlin's place. After all it would be a boring day otherwise. Apparently though it wasn't all that boring over at Merlin's, as she saw a man wearing a familiar looking cloak. The cloak of Organization XIII.

Aerith had answered the door and let him in and then soon after Cloud and Leon came in. Yuffie followed suit, but sneaked in instead of announcing her presence. She tried to get towards the man as close as she could, shuriken ready. And then she struck! Or at least she would have if she hadn't tripped and fell on her face. "Owww......"

[Fate]

So Much For Not Attack On Sight

The rest of the Restoration made their appearances, none of them as kind as Aerith. Only one of them had no weapon, but it was obvious in his tone of voice that Zexion was not welcome here whatsoever. One of them had jumped to attack him, which the Schemer did nothing to prepare for, but fell on her face in the process. Was this, and the large sword, really necessary? He did not openly attack them, so why should they attack him when he had done nothing as of yet? The Restoration Committee could be so impulsive that it was almost laughable.

Well, at least everyone was here. He could make this visit brief by delivering the news to everyone at once. He looked to the brunette who spoke to him first and answered. "I am delivering news, as per Queen Minnie's request." That should be at least a suitable answer. He looked to the rest as he spoke, sitting up correctly in the armchair before doing so. "The Queen has asked me to make sure everyone is aware of the threat of the Champion, extremely aware. Two days ago, the Champion was able to infiltrate Disney Castle and kill King Mickey. The Cornerstone of Light is no longer functioning because of this."

This wasn't all, but he paused for a moment to let that sink in. "I also want to emphasize that this is not the first Keyblade Master that the Champion has killed. In the world known as the Keyblade Graveyard, he has made his own section with fifty three new Keyblades. Mickey's will be the fifty-fourth." He paused again, looking around the room. This was the very group that had first encountered the Champion before. All of them had most likely fought and knew how dangerous this man was. He crossed his arms.

"I have also been instructed to give this warning to Sora on whichever world he is on. If you wish, I will tell him to come here for protection and so you may come up with a plan of counteraction." They could take that or leave that. They would most likely want Sora to come back here for protection at the very least, even though the Keyblade Master was strong. His life was more in danger when he traveled alone,as was Kairi's.

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[Administrator]

A shadow on the wall...er, floor.

There was a shadow on the floor, one that didn't fit properly. Zexion would have noticed him, of course, but the others were too distraught now. One of the three of the deal, dead? That broke a hole in their plans. The shadow shifted, moving towards the door. Hopefully, the perceptive Zexion would realize this meant Humor wanted to speak with him.

As to why the Heartless scientist had been at this meeting in the first place? He had grown bored of stalking the girl, and instead decided to go to Radiant Garden and walk around. He had seen Zexion appear here, and followed him in. It was that simple. Of course, the party writing this realizes that the invitation was for Ava to join in the festivities, but the man behind the writing did not know what would occur when the Champion met Ava in the End of the World and they had their chat.

And so, Humor again shifted slightly towards the door. He, Zexion, and Mickey had had a secret alliance of sorts. And now that Mickey was killed, they no longer had the representative of light, and therefore there was no balance to their alliance. If their light-aligned spokesman was dead, then they could no longer seek to calm the light-fervor. Things could get much worse for the Heartless as a populace, and Humor wanted to still be around in the next few years.

[Nothingness]

Time Stop

No, that couldn't be true. It just couldn't be. Mickey, of all people, dead? Leon felt all of the warmth in his body leave him--the blood drained, his heart stopped, his flesh turned to ice, his mind numb. The world froze for him, trapped in this moment for what seemed to be an eternity. He heard Zexion's voice continue, but he didn't consciously register any of it. Only upon hearing Sora's name was Leon snapped out of his stupor. "We'll warn him. And the Champion won't get away from us again." He'd had enough of this worrying about the "darkness spreading in their hearts." He'd had enough of the rumors and everything. He would kill that bastard or die trying.

[Aerith]

The Essence of Grief
--------

Not long after Cloud arrived, Leon and Yuffie did, as well. Their reception of the Nobody (who had still not offered a name) was about as warm as Cloud's had been. Leon was colder than his usual self, and Yuffie went so far as to attempt an attack. This was not the way Aerith wanted this meeting to go.

Things quickly went from bad to worse.

She felt tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. King Mickey was dead? That couldn't be right. Nothing could kill His Majesty, except maybe for...

The Champion.

When the Nobody said that name, it felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. It was a struggle to remember how to breathe. One of their most beloved friends had been murdered by the very same man who had attacked their home. Why? Why was he doing all this? And apparently, Mickey was not the first Keyblade master the Champion had killed.

Why so much death?

Aerith couldn't help but shudder a little.

Sora. Sora did need to be warned if he wasn't aware already. Aerith pulled herself together. There would be time for grieving once the Nobody was gone. These feelings were too private to be displayed in front of someone who wouldn't even understand them.

"Yes, Sora should be told as soon as possible." She flicked a glance at Leon.

[Administrator]

. . .

Walking down the road, slightly later than he had said he would be, a familiar keyblader was heading towards Merlin's house. He was anticipating seeing the Restoration Committee. As fate would have it, the meeting wasn't as fortuitous as that. Walking into the house, Riku saw the mood of the room. The depression of it all reminded him a little of how he had been at one time, when he blamed himself for what happened to his homeworld.

But that burden, though it would never be lifted fully, was lighter now, when he knew that no one else blamed him. Looking around, he heard what Aerith said, that they'd tell Sora as soon as possible. "Tell Sora...what? What happened?" What was it that could possibly make them all sad like this, and Leon so angry? What affected them all like this?

"I left Mickey in the Castle a few weeks ago..." his voice trailed off. Nothing had happened to him, had it? No...nothing could have happened to Mickey. He was the King, and a keybearer to boot. He couldn't have been struck down, he never could have lost to anyone. His light was too strong to fade... Riku looked around at everyone, at the deep sadness that everyone was feeling. "He was trying too hard; I told him he needed some rest..."

[Castle]

Sora and Kairi were unlucky in their attempt to visit Cinderella back in the Castle of Dreams. For whatever reason, the princess hadn't been present, and rather than waste time waiting around for her, they decided to return to Radiant Garden to seek some answers from the Restoration Committee. They were usually among the first to find out about important stuff, as Sora reasoned upon their departure. Maybe this visit would shed some light on the mysterious motives of the Champion.

The gummi ship put them down by the entrance to the Borough. Sora glanced around; everything looked normal, peaceful. That was good. He turned to Kairi and smiled.

"Come on, Merlin's house is this way," he said, beckoning for her to follow him as he started down the road.

It didn't take him long to see that the front door was open. And just beyond the opening, he thought he saw silver hair. No, he did see silver hair, and the person it belonged to looked very, very familiar. Sora grinned broadly, his heart soaring, and ran inside to meet him,

"Riku! There you are!" he said happily, momentarily oblivious to everyone else in the room. He chuckled and reached up to clap a hand on Riku's shoulder, "Bet you didn't think I'd catch up to you this quick after you snuck out, huh?"

Well, it was quick in comparison to the last time. It put Sora in an extremely good mood, but as he turned his head to glance back at Kairi, he finally noticed the Committee members who sat or stood somberly around the room, as well as Zexion, who sat in a chair. The looks on their faces made his smile fade.

"What's going on?" he asked, his tone sobering as concerned puzzlement took over. He looked from one member to the next, hoping for an answer from any of them. "What's wrong, guys?"

[Fate]

Fade Into Dark

Grief filled the room silently and swiftly. Zexion knew this emotion well, almost too well, and had specifically blocked it from his memory. The looks that crossed the faces of all present in the room when he spoke was all he needed to see. There was confusion, sadness, and pain. Then there was the attempt to be strong through it, like all had to be sooner or later. The brunette was the first to speak from it, telling him that he would warn Sora. The female brunette that had greeted him agreed with this. The Nobody would be taking on this responsibility though, not them. This was one thing he could not push off onto another.

Others entered the room as he spoke. Humor made his appearance as a shadow on the floor, the only one of the alliance remaining other than him. There was no one of the light represented now, which left things at a standstill. Who would represent the light now that they could both be allies with? For some reason, Zexion did not think Sora would fall into that category. He did not trust the Nobodies. Mickey hadn't either, but he had been willing to work with them. He wanted the same thing that he did.

The Keyblade Masters, all three of them entered the room now. Riku looked sincerely confused and particularly struck by grief while Sora entered with no idea what was going on. He came in cheerfully, though the atmosphere of the room immediately made him change. Zexion stood upon his arrival, feeling fortunate that he came. That meant that he would not have to track him and he could fulfill Mickey's last wish. He looked straight to the Keyblade Masters now, all of three of them, and spoke.

"Your King has been killed by the Champion," he said, not making any attempt to sugarcoat his words or pretend that he felt anything by this. He could probably fake this emotion better than some of the Nobodies present in the Organization, but he was not about to. "It was his last request that I be the one to tell you, Sora. He wanted me to tell you specifically so you can be warned. You are most likely one of the next ones on the Champion's list. He has killed many Keyblade Masters before this, far too many."

He glanced around the room again, thinking. What was he supposed to say now? He had said his bit, or at least for the most part. Sora now knew and was now warned, but there was still something else to say before he departed for his last world. "I will be in contact with you all again shortly. Perhaps all of us, including the Organization, can make a stand against the Champion. It would be the only way to stop him."

He created a Corridor of Darkness behind him, signalling it was time for him to exit. "I will be speaking with Yen Sid now. I apologize for having to deliver this news." Wait, what? Why was he apologizing? He could not truly feel condolence for any of them. He supposed it was an automatic response, what someone should say in situations like this. Either way, he could not take the words back. He disappeared through the Corridor of Darkness to make his final stop: Yen Sid's tower.

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[Vincent Valentine]

You really should start sending out invitations to these things.
--

Once again, Vincent was late to the party. Of course, that's a terrible metaphor because the gathering inside the house was not at all a party.

He had been thinking his day away, reflecting on his conversation with Aerith almost a week prior. He wasn't sure why, but he decided he would like to further discuss it with her and so he left his home and began to walk down to her house. He knocked; no one was home. He stood outside Aerith's house for a few moments, trying to figure out where the woman could be. He looked around. Come to think of it, he didn't know where any of the other committee members were. Even Yuffie seemed to have made herself scarce.

That couldn't have possibly been a good sign. He decided to check Merlin's house. He knocked on the door when he arrived, but he could hear voices on the other side. The voices were muffled though, and he couldn't make out specific words. Just a general feeling of sadness from the tone of the words. He then decided to let himself in.

It seemed that everyone but him had been present for some kind of meeting. He looked at everyone, the looks on their faces. He saw three people there he was not familiar with, but they must have been friends because they also looked sad.

Vincent closed the door behind him. "What happened?[/color]"