Shattered [Vexen]

[Slash]

It's not only the Organization that is insane.
[July 27, 2010]

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Aixfeur sat calmly near the peak of a mountain, watching the snow fall. She had been called here by the Academic, who as time passed became the sole person she listened to. The others chose not to speak to her, and she couldn't say she minded that.

Her mind went over the battle- no, it wasn't a battle- the Champion's pointless display at the Graveyard.

Pointless. Very pointless. I didn't even get to fight. So many fighters, and then the Champion and the other Organization members retreated.

She was not as bothered as she had been, though. Surrounded by her element, with Iceheart held close, she could be nothing but quietly serene.

[Matt]

Meeting on the Mountain

It had been two days since the long anticipated confrontation at the Keyblade Graveyard; an event which had turned out extremely anticlimactic, unfortunately. After all that planning and waiting, the Champion had simply left before anything had really had any chance to unfold. Although the Academic himself had not been particularly wanting to do much fighting himself, he had been hoping for some sort of resolution. Something interesting, at the very least. But alas: nothing.

Now that those two days had passed, the Academic decided it was time to meet with his… associate. In all honestly, he had yet to decide exactly what it was he ought to think of her as. The Soldier did not officially serve him, but after their little conversation in the Grey Room that was basically what their relationship seemed to have become. The exact extent of her loyalty, was still yet to be determined.

A corridor of darkness opened several feet behind Aixfeur, Vexen stepping out of it.

"Hello, Aixfeur." he said, to alert her of his presence. The words might have contained the faintest amount of friendliness which he had tried to put in there, but mostly he kept if stiffly professional.

[Slash]

Sir.

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Aixfeur immediately snapped back to alertness when she heard a voice, then stood up and faced the Academic. It was rude to just sit around, and he had basically taken the role of her commanding officer- in her rank-obsessed mind, at least.

"Hello, sir." Whether out of respect or some need to be formal, she rarely referred to him by his actual name.

"For what was I called here?" she asked. There had to be a reason, but she had no idea what it might be.

[Matt]

Formulating the Experiment

Sir it was, as per usual, he noted at the girl's response. It was a minor detail to pick up, but then again the scientist often found those to be some of the most important. This seeming inconsequential action showed an admirable display of respect that most of the Organization seemed so incapable of comprehending. Respect was hardly existent amongst the group anymore, sadly. In this sense the new Number Eleven was proving to be quite a refreshing change.

None the less, apparent respect, whether genuine or otherwise, did not necessarily equate loyalty. And if there was one thing that just about everyone who had been assigned to Castle Oblivion could thank Axel for, it was reminding them to not be too quick to trust anyone. Better to be overly suspicious than to have all of your plans ruined... or to be brutally incinerated.

Aixfeur did appear to be more trustworthy than that sly redhead ever had, that much was true, but precautions still needed to be taken. Vexen decided that a sort of experiment was in order. A test would prove just hot loyal she really was. But how exactly to go about doing it? He had a few good ideas...

"I called you here because I have an important task for you." he replied, pausing for a moment. "But first, I'm curious to hear what your thoughts are on the events at the Graveyard, and the Champion's actions." Her response was something he was interested to hear, but the delivery of it would also give him enough time to decide what exactly he intended to ask her to do.

[Slash]

Something important?

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The Academic mentioned an important task, then asked he about the events of the Graveyard. Her response was immediate- the subject had been on her mind ever since it had happened, after all.

"The Graveyard proved to be a waste of time and resources. Nothing was gained and nothing was lost. No one was seriously harmed, enemy or ally. In fact, the only thing that took a hit was the illustrious Champion's reputation."

She shrugged. "He is admittedly powerful, but from his actions it can be concluded that he is either easily distracted, insane, or a combination of both. He is still a threat, certainly, but if he is so quickly turned from such a major event he is a lesser one than was anticipated."

After giving her answer, she listened closely, waiting for news of whatever he wanted her to do. It would have to be insanely ridiculous for her not to attempt it, whatever it was. After all, it wasn't like she was going to be doing anything else besides training.

[Matt]

To the Point

"Perhaps." he replied in response to her analysis of the Champion. "Though I would say insanity would make someone with such power more dangerous, in some ways." Not that he truly thought the Champion to be crazy. Or at least he wasn't making that assumption just yet. No, more likely they simply did not fully understand the Tool's motives yet. Vexen did have ideas, of course.

"If I had to guess, I would think that his sudden exit has something to do with the death of the Princess of Heart, Kairi, who was killed in the midst of the blizzard immediately before." That was what little evidence there was to pick up pointed to. "From what he said, it would seem that she somehow had something to do with his so-called 'objective', whatever that may be. And now her death has managed to cause problems for his plan."

What exactly this objective was, the Academic couldn't say for sure. But after what he had heard earlier that morning, he had a growing suspicion. "Yesterday, apparently, the Champion attempted to kidnap a different Princess of Heart. This one named Belle." Pausing for a moment, he added thoughtfully. "What interest could he have in the Princesses, I wonder..." For now he decided not to share his hypothesis with the Soldier.

"To put it simply, what I would like for you to do is look into the situation."

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...Does that mean no fighting?

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He wanted her to learn more about the Princesses and why the Champion was interested in them.

...?

She was terrible at interacting with people, worse at persuading them. Well, maybe she could threaten people with death until she got somewhere. As for what she could do...she could go meet with the Princesses and try to extract information, or search for the people who had been allied with the Champion in the hopes that they knew something...

Perhaps it would be better to speak to a few of the other Organization members first. The ones who spent the most time gone were Thirteen, Seven, Eight, and Six. She really didn't want to spend any time around them, but that did not matter. It was all part of her mission, which took place over any discomfort she may or may not have.

"Understood. I will report to you as soon as information is gained." Aixfeur considered taking her leave, but that would be rude without checking for more.

"Anything else, sir?"

[Matt]

Dismissed

Aixfeur accepted the mission immediately, not voicing any objections to it. "Good." In fact, she refrained from expressing any opinion on the matter at all. Taking orders without question: a Soldier indeed. How successful she would be in carrying out the task given to her was another matter entirely, but hopefully she would prove equally as proficient in that respect. That Vexen would have to be the judge of.

"No." he answered simply. "That is all." Now it was just a matter of sitting back and waiting for whatever results Number Twelve was able to find. Though he supposed he could go ahead and set her off on right track; the shorter the Academic had to wait the better. "If you need any information on the Princesses, such as where each can be found, then you should be able to find it in the Castle's Library."

Turning around, Vexen looked down at the view, before quickly adding. "Anything else of possible interest you may find, you may also inform me of." With that he was silent, signaling to Aixfeur that she could leave.

[Slash]

Understood.

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Aixfeur gave a sharp, quick nod as soon as the Academic was finished speaking. "Yes, sir."

She opened a Corridor and disappeared through it. What was she going to start out with? Either way, she was going to do something very quickly. It was her first real mission, and to finish it as soon as she could would improve her reputation. Then she could be sent on more dangerous missions.

For now, she would go to the Library. She was lacking in the sort of knowledge that the Academic possessed about such subjects. However, she could get a good start if she lowered her hours of sleep for tonight to 3.