Final Fantasy - Dissidia Infinity

[Lillythelez]

Zwei leaves her helmet, and goes to pick her sword up. She then moves to follow the clown, seemingly to miraculously keep up with him. "So your master, is he a worthy one to serve..." Was her main question she had an amazing amount of fortitude to stand traveling anywhere with Kefka of all the chaos warriors to actually follow to a destination. Eventually the two make it out of the desert. Her current motive was unclear, but she had one it take an utter fool not to realize this.

 

[Kaybee]

[u

Ein Kebia[/u]]
[Cornelia Plains - Northern Spit]

While they hadn't seen him at first, when he came running both of them caught sight and turned to look. The Darker haired girl watches him warily, but the lighter one grins at him. "Oh hey! I wouldn't say we're familiar but..." She trails off, faint puzzlement upon her face. "We really don't know much about this place huh..."

The dark-haired girl is still frowning, but slowly she nods, seemingly more to herself than anything else though. "We aren't exactly familiar no, but we have... An idea?" She shrugs. "I'm Tifa, and this is Rikku." The blonde girl in question waves as Tifa introduces her. "Cosmos asked us, so we're going to investigate the manikins. Would you like to come along-..." She trails off. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

[u

Zwei Kebia[/u]]
[Bahamut Isles - Southeastern Pass]

The journey across the sea of sand was plagued by increasing numbers of those ghostly figures, but as before they never drew close enough to be seen. "What, scared of the Manikins?" Kefka taunted Zwei the few times she moved as though to try and pursue the creatures. "They're harmless to us, but if you'd gone with that brat of Cosmos'..." He capered along, giggling to himself, though Zwei often had the uncomfortable sensation the giggling was directed at her as well on occasion. Particularly on those occasions she stumbled or nearly fell into sinkholes and sudden openings in the treacherous sand...

"Yes, Chaos is quite the master, doesn't keep us on much of a leash at all as long as we go out and kill Cosmos' heroes. Powerful too, more powerful than me!" He cackles, but his praises of chaos feel hollow besides those directed at his power. Zwei gets a sure impression that while Kefka respects power, he doesn't respect much else. "He's worth serving though, he'll let us inherit worlds when we win! All the spoils that could be wished for!"

It is as they leave the sandsea behind and begin to climb into a mountain pass that Kefka starts sniffing at the air. Then he grins back at Zwei. "I smell hypocrisy about...!" He declares gleefully. "And that can only be one person, which side is she on this time I wonder?" A figure is ahead Zwei realizes, sillhouetted against the red-lit sky at the top of the pass. Not much can be made out from Zwei's angle unfortunately, but she can see a sheathed sword and a broad-brimmed pointed hat atop the stranger's head. "Well girl?" Kefka barks to Zwei. "Go see what she wants eh?" He cackles, and the sound grates on Zwei's ears. How she's lasted this long in his constant company is a very good question indeed at this point...

 

[MoFo]

Ein blinks a few seconds. He was having trouble keeping up by the time they introduced themselves and spoke of someone called Cosmos and manikins. "Manikins? Oh uh I'm Ein Tebia...." He said relaxing the hoe down grasping it by the butt of the pole and letting the head rest top side down. He looks to them... "Cosmos.... I fear I don't know them..." The young man didn't look like much of a fighter.... "If you would like to fill me in a long the way I'd like to come along..." A sudden sneeze came up out of nowhere as if some force were refering to him (ie the fool who wouldn't notice Zwei scheming.).

 

[Lillythelez]

Zwei after spending what felt like ages with the clown. Talking to someone else would prove a worthy break. Taking the clowns words to heart, well the information that was relevent to her anyways. The female knight approached the woman with the hat, this time she remained at ease, keeping her sword down and away she was tired at this point and should her hours with Kefka prove she wanted to behead the infuriating man but her face was kept void of such notions. "You there state your identity!" She called firmly.

 

[Kaybee]

[u

Ein Kebia[/u]]
[Cornelia Plains - Northern Spit]

Tifa gives a sharp look at the mention that he doesn't know of Cosmos but says nothing, and if Rikku has any doubt it doesn't slip through her cheer. "That's great! Welcome to the party Ein!" She hesitates then though, then examines the hoe in his hands for the first time. "You can fight right?"

Tifa cuts in "Manikins are... Creatures, made of some sort of crystal or other. We keep finding them in greater and greater numbers, and while many are weak, some of them are frighteningly strong, and even fight using parodies of others' abilities." She sighs. "As for Cosmos... Well..."

She seems to struggle with words for a moment, and Rikku takes the chance to seize control of the conversation again. "She's the goddess, she rules this half of the world while chaos rules the other half." She seems to lose a little of her manic energy as she speaks, though she quickly regains it as she moves the discussion away from the topic.

"I hope you can fight, you'll just get in the way if you can't." Tifa states matter-of-factly. "Though I get this impression you just might manage..."

[u

Zwei Kebia[/u]]
[Bahamut Isles - Southeastern Pass]

"I should ask you to do the same..." The woman replies. "You are not of Cosmos, but you do not quite feel like chaos either, and moreover, Chaos has never seen you before..."

The figure begins to pace back and forth, and the red light above reveals pale silver locks as she turns one way and then the other. "You're far too free-spirited to be a pet of Kefka's" "-More's the pity..." The clown remarks behind Zwei- "hmm... Neither one nor the other, much like myself I suppose..." And Zwei catches a flash of teeth bared in a grin before the woman faces her again, and then begins to descend towards them.

"I am Elayne, the Red Mage, and I think I was once something very like you, of neither side in this eternal war..." Behind them, Kefka sniffs at the air, then makes a mocking face of disgust, muttering about 'hypocrisy' again. "Then again..." Elayne smirks. "I suppose you have chosen a side after a fashion..." Kefka chuckles again, and Elayne gives an exasperated snort. "Why are you still here clown!? Shouldn't you be out chasing that little sorceress you're always hunting after?"

"Hmph! I almost forgot... Oh well! She's your problem then. Enjoy!" Kefka replies idly, before shrugging. "Told you more than enough given you didn't even kill that Lightning girl... You owe me one Zwei!" Before Zwei can reply though, the clown takes off, skipping through the air away, back towards the sea of sand. Seems he doesn't like Elayne any more than she likes him, but at least she drove him away rather than the other way around...

"Thank Chaos..." The woman rolls her eyes, now on the level with Zwei as she looks her over. "How long were you travelling with him? Not to worry, we aren't all as crazed as he here..."

 

[MoFo]

Ein blinks, he actually found his posture resting over the hoe like it was a fence post he was leaning over to rest from a long days work. He kicks it up letting it flip into the air and with a hand stretched out he caught it and looked it over. "So, let me digest the info a little, theres a goddess and someone named Chaos in this land... and manikins are some form of.... imitations.... made of crystal." He digs into his pocket pulls out a small red crystal shard. "I beat one down in the forest in the valley there." He points the way he came. "I noticed some form of something blocking the bridge there.... it looks like Mist or some sort of portal...." He holds the shard out to the inquisitive blond. "By the way know what this is... retrieved it after crushing one of those Manikins."

 

[Lillythelez]

"Pretty long....." She said waiting for the clown to be completely gone. Zwei then let her normally guarded posture sink and allowed herself to slouch and let out a sigh of relief..... "Thank the round he's gone, any longer and I may have wound up executing the cretin on the spot, I fear you may not be mad but anyone whose liable to keep that jester off a leash can't be an individual good at choosing his allies." Soon she took to combing her long blond hair out sand was in it and it felt awful.... " I'm Zwei.... and I could really use a shower right now... the desert isn't my favorite location ever..."

 

[Kaybee]

[u

Ein Kebia[/u]]
[Cornelia Plains - Northern Spit]

"Really?" Tifa seemed doubtful, but impressed as she found a few lingering shards still stuck in the wood of the hoe, and even more so as she saw the glowing shard.

"Ooh! You said it had a sword right? That's a fighter's soul!" Rikku jumps in enthusiastically. By now the three are walking, steadily making their way east. The air is growing colder, and there are patches of snow here and there as they walk. "Manikins don't really have souls, but they do have... Collections of stuff, that give them their abilities. You can absorb them to gain the same abilities, sort of..."

"That shard probably has weapon forms on it, fighting stances, things like that! If you couldn't fight before, you'd certainly be able to after using it, though you'd still need to train and build muscle and memory..." Tifa explains a little more sedately. "As for the portals, they're puzzles, sort of like locks to prevent easy passage from one place to another by those unwanted. At least, that's what they were supposed to be. They're dangerous to everyone now ever since the manikins started infesting them..."

The sun is setting now, and Snow is all around the three. Rikku produced a tattered cloak from somewhere and she's wrapped it around herself, but while Tifa doesn't seem to be shivering she's still crossed her arms over her chest and hunched her shoulders slightly to ward off the cold. Eventually, as the sun sets and the cold worsens even Tifa is shivering, and eventually the two girls vote to make a camp in an abandoned castle they spy atop the next hill. "Finally get to warm up eh?" Rikku nudges Tifa, who flushes and scowls at her. "Sh-shut up! Next time we find a Manikin it's cloak is mine!"

Inside the castle, it's still cold, but there is less wind, and the storerooms have plenty of wood stocked for the fireplaces. It is of course here that they run into the first major snag. "I don't suppose either of you knows any fire magic?" Rikku asks, still shivering slightly herself. "Or have a tinderbox maybe?" Tifa suggests, with a glance at Ein.

[u

Zwei Kebia[/u]]
[Bahamut Isles - Southeastern Pass]

"I'd wish you luck in trying, but I doubt even the two of us could manage it. Kefka may be quite mad but he's terrifyingly powerful, if he weren't always chasing after that 'Terra' girl..." Elayne shuddered, then shook her head with a sigh. "His madness makes him tolerant, but beware you do not truly cross him, for he can be quite inventive with his abilities, and he will put it all into making you suffer." For a moment, a shadow attended the Red Mage's voice, as though she was remembering something akin with those words, but then it passed as quickly as it had come, and she shook her head again. "Chaos keeps him around for that power, and I've seen him leash Kefka on occasion, but it is rare... He must have a reason though, he is too intelligent not to realize such potential problems."

Elayne leads the way up the final ascent of the pass ocne mroe then descends the other side, motioning towards a coast some mile or so distant as it comes into view. "There are some old buildings down there, not quite ruins, but good places to camp. It's all a little lacking in privacy though..." The silver-haired woman flushes slightly. "Never thought I'd be bringing back a pr-. A passenger..." She quickens her pace. "We'll make do somehow, come on! It's dark enough out this far north when we've daylight, it'll be impossible to see once we get past dusk! I'd rather be inside by then if it's all the same to you!"

A quick glance does tell Zwei that the sky is indeed getting darker, the red light that shines through the clouds dimming to an angry glow as the sun sets...

The ruins are open and broad, but they do possess functional technology. Elayne's camp is situated in one corner of the least-run-down room, a small fire to heat the space with a spit over it to cook with, a heavy door dragged into place and barred with a leaned metal sheet, and most importantly to the sand-encrusted lady knight, a shower room with running hot water, albeit without any sort of dividers between the stalls. "No soap I'm afraid... Sorry." Elayne apologizes as she shows Zwei around the place. She lights the fire with a flick of her fingers interestingly enough, showing her to be a mage as well as a swordswoman. A curious combination...

 

[MoFo]

Ein followed the two of them for a good while. When the land of pastures and plains turned to ice and snow, he noticed that the two of them were rather bothered by the cold. He on the other hand had a bit more fortitude then one gave him credit for. The young man was in sandals for the most, but his feet were calloused and were for the most part less bothered by the cold. Soon they had arrived at what looked like an old ruined fort of some kind. "Looks, like who ever lived here before left in quite the hurry.... the curtains are no longer on the windows..." Ein would join the girls around where the fire places were after gathering up tools, he was now armed better for the next journey, a sledgehammer slung across the hip, a boomerang was found in one of the rooms up wards, and a better conditioned hoe. "So, you need a fire started?" He said as he finally managed to meet up with them after his little spelunking in the fortress, it wasn't being used now from the looks of it, and while he did feel bad about the minor looting he felt the tools could be put to use at some point. "I have some flint and iron in my pocket I could try." He digs around his pockets and produced an iron clapper and a flint stone. He moved over to one of the fire places and set the wood into it stacking it neatly..

"It looks like this should do it..." He was proving worthy at having the tool for the right occasion, he clapped and soon a spark came and he blew upon the logs to get the fire going, soon the place was lit by fire light in moments. "There we go... that should do us for a night..." He listened to the sounds out side, the land was so desolate there wasn't even the sound of night bugs chirping.... mind you it was bloody freezing outside... "I dunno if the pipeline still works around here, it looks like this place was abandoned long ago..."

 

[Lillythelez]

Soon enough Zwei would brighten up as she saw that there was actually a facility with working water. She immediatly clamped the Red mage in a big hug and began to not bother worrying about modesty at this point. "Thank you, just some water will do me just fine, the desert was hot, and that armor is not fun to wear when it gets incredibly hot ya know." Her actual accent popping out as she spoke revealing while on the outside she looked like a princess she was as every bit a country born girl. "Ya cannot say how happy I am at this point...." Her armor clattering to the ground at this point leaving her in little more then a blue cotton like bra and tiny slip panties, she bent and swayed blinking, looking over to the woman lighting a fire. "You have to show me how you do that, it make cooking a lot faster then sitting around a camp fire or something." Her figure under the armor was slender and her bust was a gentle B-cup with a rosy pair of nipples removing the bra would reveal. She slipped the little panties off and dashed under the shower and began it the water felt so much nicer after having been cooking in the silver plate armor... "Ohhh that feels so much better." She said in a rather child like excitement to her, her fingers running the water through her hair brushing the sand from it and cleaning the sweat from her frame "Oh, did... you wanna join me." She flashed a flirty little smile towards Elayne.

 

[Kaybee]

[u

Ein Kebia[/u]]
[Cornelia Plains - SnowBound Castle]

Both of the girls looked quite grateful when the tinderbox was produced, and soon enough the dry logs were caught and brilliant flames were steadily growing. Both of them might have been fairly resistant to the cold given their skimpy outfits but it looked like they quite appreciated the warmth of the fire, huddling close to it and holding out chilled hands and feet to warm them quickly. Aside from the crackling of the flames, the wind occasionally gusting fast enough to whistle in the stonework outside, and the shuffling and low conversation of the trio taking shelter in the castle's walls the night is quiet indeed. The land is not entirely free of wildlife of course, but it seems very close to such, particularly in moments like these...

"Pipeline?" Tifa looks confused at that, then it dawns on her as Rikku catches on more quickly.

"Oh, you mean the plumbing!" The blonde girl chirps. "There's a boiler downstairs we could light for hot water, but the pump is broken so we'll have to get it by hand..." She heaves a deep sigh. "Hhhaahhh... If only I had my tools I could fix it..." She mutters bitterly. "The cold water pipes are all cracked anyways, so we don't get either, not that we need more cold..." She shivers, and huddles closer to the fire, as though the mere thought of bathing in cold water in these conditions had set a chill into her bones.

"At least we've a mattress and bedding aplenty, so the night should be warm..." The attempt to lighten the mood again comes from Tifa, who continues: "We'll just have to hope the next stop has some more functional facilities... Or we could take refuge in one of the gates if we can make it that far tomorrow. I suppose we'll see come the morning..." It is at this point that Ein notices that while he was wandering about the fortress Tifa has only set up one mattress for them to sleep on. It is a massive affair, springy, quite comfortable, and more than spacious enough for all three of them to share, but it would likely seem odd that she seems not to have any concern for impropriety, especially considering she only just met Ein...

[u

Zwei Kebia[/u]]
[Bahamut Isles - Southeastern Pass]

Elayne was caught frozen mid-sentence of her apology as Zwei started to strip in front of her, turning steadily redder and redder as her newfound companion quickly reveals more and more skin. "U-uh... I mean..." She struggles to form words before finally screwing her eyes shut and turning away to regain her focus, though Zwei catches a muttered curse as she turns. "It's been far too long, far too long..."

She's pretty sure she wasn't meant to hear that...

"Ah... Yes, I could try to teach you, If you can learn magic then a Red Mage's path might suit you actually." Elayne glances back over her shoulder and visibly twitches as she catches an eyeful of Zwei's bared chest, stumbling over her next words. "B-but m-m-eehhh... Maybe we should save that discussion for... Later. When you aren't..." She looks back again, and is transfixed as she does so just in time to see Zwei in all her unclothed glory step under the water.

Elayne swallows thickly, "Far too damn long..." She murmurs. And then she takes her hat off, unbuckling her cloak as she makes her way towards the showers. "I'd love to." she manages to reply more loudly, kicking off boots and shrugging off her leather jerkin and shirt before stepping into the rapidly-steaming room, shoving her pants and underwear down and flicking them back towards the door with her ankles before she doesn't bother to start a second shower running but instead simply steps under the water from Zwei's herself with a sigh, just barely brushing against Zwei as she does so.

 

[MoFo]

Ein was rather, surprised to see the Matress yes. But he at this point was to tired to care weather they huddled or not, actually if the fire went out that be better to sleeping seperately, after all the only thing they could call a blanket here was Rikku's cloak... and no way they all would fit under there... His gaze lingering upon Tifa's bosom as if to confirm his own inner thoughts. Shaking his head he kicked his sandals off and let his feet wiggle against the stone floor of the castle. "I miss the grass back home, do any of you remember your homes by the way? I don't remember much of mine but I know the grass was probably much greener there then on this side." He said and thought upon what to do from here onwards.

"Well, if you ladies are going to travel more once we are out of here, I may not be the greatest at fighting, but I learn my way around pretty quick, and I know how to get a lay of the land..." He would be good for the outdoor traveling he carried tools with him for clearing the way, "If I had my say, I think if we make it through that gate we saw back there the looks of a town ship of some sort looked like it was on the other side, but I couldn't see to much more then that." He gave out a slight yawn and stretched his arms upward he held the crystal still in his hand, he hadn't used it yet.

He looks at it and would pull a chain and fixture he found rummaging around and would hook the crystal up to it and would manage to make a necklace of it, and held it up, it was clear he was good with his hands as such a delicate trinket would require dexterous hands. "There we go... I think I still got it.." He then pulled to his feet and moved to settle the tools he was going to take with him off near where they left their stuff... "That should do it, I wager we can manage a night without a shower, after all just getting warm at this rate is wise getting wet at this point would result in us just getting a cold once the fire dwindles down over the night... besides I would risk stinking rather then catching a cold" He was clear he was looking out for their health more from a civilian stand point.

 

[Lillythelez]

Zwei was happy once the girl joined her. She scrubbed and brushed her hair with the water as it trickled down. It was clear enough that Zwei preferred women. Her way she pulled the girl in close and actually wound up being the one cleaning her. "We need a more fitting bath some time.... your so soft and supple." She said as she glides her hands over the woman's frame and would be none the shyer about letting herself pull Elayne in close. The way it was now she found she could only depend on this girl once she met with Chaos "Elayne was it..." She stopped her overly affectionate bathing of the young woman to gaze at her "Tell, me the opposing forces have you.... met with any of them yet, there was this girl with Pink hair... she was such a wonderful fighter... Lightning her name was..." She stopped and looked at her, "That tower of light over there... she works for them right." From the window of the shower softly off in the distance one could see a sliver of what would be Cosmos's sanctuary. "I don't feel I like the looks of it... it looks to beautiful to be true in a land like this, I wonder if... Ein is okay..." She said in a bit of melancholy to her voice.

 

[Kaybee]

[u

Ein Kebia[/u]]
[Cornelia Plains - SnowBound Castle]

At least with the chill of the outdoors none of them had been sweating much during the day's travels, so while a lack of water might present a few issues as they travelled on, it certainly wouldn't be a problem if it was only for tonight. "The gate tomorrow should serve well enough for amenities, but we will need an early start. Best to be slumbering sooner rather than later." Tifa concludes, while behind her Rikku fiddles with a small silvery item in her palm before wandering over to place it at the sill, shivering as she parts the blinds to set it on the sill and lets a brief draught of cold air into the room.

Tifa shudders, and when Rikku returns, Ein can't help but at least notice her nipples stiff against the thin fabric of her top for a few moments afterwards. Then the chill passes, and everything is as before. Rikku remains by the fire a little while, re-warming herself after her brief brush with the cold while Tifa makes her way over to the massive pile of bedding and delicately sits down, teasing her shoes off before swinging around such that her bare feet don't touch the still-chilled stone floor. "Come Ein, better to be abed. We've much travel tomorrow if we're to make the gate."

Rikku waves him away as well. "Go on, I'll be along in a moment."

[u

Zwei Kebia[/u]]
[Bahamut Isles - Elayne's Camp]

Elayne squeaks and goes quite crimson as Zwei pulls her close but submits to being washed. While her fluster and flush show her to be similarly minded in terms of her preferences, she is clearly unused to someone so forward as the lady knight. "Y-yes... More time would be... Nice..." She stammers the words out, and breaths an audible sigh of relief as Zwei slows a little, though she still coos and leans into the other woman's touch slightly. "I-I've been... Guarding the pass. I've seen none of them so far, but that name..."

She looks thoughtful for a moment, a look that is rather ruined by a sharp intake of breath as Zwei's fingers glide against the curve of her waist. "I've heard of h-her... I remember L-Lightning... But she's always been of Cosmos... Even when I can't seem to keep my self straight..." There's memory there, just a flash of it, but then it passes again. "Who's Ein?"

[u

Thrice X[/u]]
[Mirage Sandsea - Southern Peaks]

The mountains stretch to the far distance forward and back as the being stands upon a peak. To his left, a sea of grey sand, pocked and flickering with unknowns, ruins and wanderers, predators and prey, over all of which looms a black sky streaked with red light. To his right, a sea of blue water, shimmering in the light of the setting sun, it's only distinguishing feature the faint brown blob of a lonely pier and the pale white square of a single furled sail, over all of which shines a sky of palest blue, fading gently to white in the far distance.

Thrice stands here, magitech rifle strapped to his back, surveying the horizon, and reflects at how this environment seems to offer a choice to him. The dark path, the light, or the wanderer's path, walking the mountains in between...

How long will that middle road last..? He cannot see any end to it in either direction from here, and yet, there is no sense of a true path there...

Eventually, he will need to choose.

[u

Michael Fertar[/u]]
[Melmond Fens - Western Shore]

On a sandy spit in a watery marsh, a young man awakens... Patches of blue scale decorate his skin, curved horns emerge delicately from his skull along with a lock of blue hair.

A pair of long curving swords lie sheathed beside him, and as he awakens, he beholds the setting sun, a golden half-disc of light on the far wester horizon.

Looking east, he beholds a divided sky, one half fading to deepest black, the other half a pale white, both dimming as night approaches, a spectrum of possibility, and untapped potential.

Michael remembers little, but he feels there is a world to be explored ahead of him, and for the moment, nothing seems to stand in his way, as he chooses where he might seek to travel.

 

[MoFo]

Ein

Ein ultimately found himself moving in close and settling down, he scrunched in his shoulders as he took to being in the dead center... He would be the gentleman he could be and try and keep himself from brushing his shoulders betwixt Tifa's bosom, he couldn't quite stop staring. "....hmmm" He shook his head and rubs his eyes as they were dry from exhaustion. "Bed sounds nice.... I'll take the middle if that doesn't bother either of you?" He said his broader body would settle into the center and not being liable to budge at the point he settled in. If anything he would be something to cuddle against for either of them.

Ein laid back and would take to looking up wards arms crossed up behind his head, "Have any of you entered one of those gates before?" He hazard to ask while he was trying to convince himself to sleep. It had been a long day, or at least he had felt, his dark brownish black hair was a mess more so then when he had woken up. "..... this is a really strange place...." He said being a tad bit ambiguous. His yawn soon came and he opened wide and let it out as easy as could be.

He reaches for his bandana he wore around his neck, he pulled it from his neck unfolded it and raised it up to the dwindling light it was a simple thing, incredibly so, but for what it was worth it felt like it meant something more then as an accessory, he calmly tied it back around and would settle back his head reaching the pillowing and he didn't know what Tifa and Rikku would decide as he would feel his eyelids grow heavy the young man had energy before all this but with the quiet chill at the door the fire towards his feet and the almost gentle warmth of Tifa off to his side.

Ein felt perfectly capable of falling asleep, then he would dream, was it of home there within his dream the view of a gigantic tree set atop a massive rolling hill of open grass and down at the hills foot was a small farming village. The place looked peaceful, was it home to him, he wondered as he dreamed, then there was the point where everything seemed to go dark, the dream had ended there... Maybe it was a memory. He didn't know he didn't have the answers for that yet.


Thrice X

Thrice would find himself face down on the ground, the sound of mechanical clanking could be heard as he shifted and moved to settle his mechanical almost clock work like legs up under him. He shifts and then the sound of the pistons that were his leg joints began to pressurize and release allowing him to right himself, the Magi-tech man had a metal face that was a series of lights and bolts for the most part. The looks of an old hat was settled on his mechanized head.

He slowly turns his head from side to side, his neck rotater making a slow creaking sound, as he did his mouth was also a light that would blink when he managed to speak. "Gosh darn it all where am I, this isn't where I remember laying down at at all..." The Magic-tech man looked like a robot any which way you looked at him, the poncho and slacks were dug with holes in various placements. The mechanical joints moved forward as he walked his feet and hands were moving about as he was checking to be sure he could still move them. Then reached up and brushed the brim of the hat then looked up from over yonder behind him at the pier the looks of a black bird or maybe the remnants of one a pair of black feathers settled along the dock.

He shook his metal head "Damned buzzards must have picked me up..." He said thinking he had been dragged off to here by some massive black bird of some kind, he saw what lay before him, the expanse of land forward and the deep blue sea behind him, the calm sound of waves sound to him, as his ears which were more like microphones, at his center underneath his cowboy like clothing was a spiraling sphere at his core which was his Magitech core a vital part of him to say the least.

He felt over it with his hand for a second or two it was generating heat still, so he could manage a trip for a bit before having to recharge, his rifle and pistol had something similar on them a sort of magitech sphere to them where the ammo would go. Thrice felt compelled now to move forward, he took a step forward and tripped as one of his feet gets tangled on a stick or something. "Damnit..." he said slowly righting himself again, and moving on forward across towards the Wanderer's trail, "This way seems about right..." He said calmly as he spoke the light on his mouth flashed where a scentence ended and where it began. It made it easy to tell when he is speaking since he didn't have lips.

 

[Lillythelez]

Zwei looks to Elayne, and she would smile, "Ultimately I need to learn to use the magic, that is my first desire from you, second I want you to accompany me... I wager if I am not compatible with magic we working together should prove more effective, You handling them with magic I handling with my sword." She said gently and slips her fingers up along the toned backside of Elayne's "That Lightning woman, I think we can have her work with us, sure, she looks like she may be some sort of hero, but.... she seems lost, as if she is not where she should be, that tower of light... that is where our opposition is yes? The thing is to pretty, it mocks the course of this land... this desolate land has it there, I think it is a false light..." She said cupping the woman's face, "I should let your lord know I will be working on this side, I can feel my desire to fight the most noble of spirits yonder, and I feel you would be an asset to me... care to take me up on my options." She calmly trails her fingers down the girl's back and along the bumps in her spine, "Your so stiff, relax." This was not the way Zwei should be, but this land allowed one to corrupt so, very easily.

 

[Kaybee]

[u

Ein Kebia[/u]]
[Cornelia Plains - SnowBound Castle]

Neither of the two voiced any objections, and Tifa barely even shifted when Ein's weight depressed the mattress as he crawled in next to her. The tiredness plaguing him seemed much heavier now that he was comfortable and warm, and almost immediately he felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him. He was dimly aware of Tifa brushing against his left side, and Rikku's lesser weight on the mattress to his right, but then slumber claimed him and the world was swept away by velvet darkness...

When he awakes, he is cocooned in blankets, and dim light is just beginning to filter into the room, filling it with a grey-black gloom. He can feel two weights against him, Tifa's face buried in his left shoulder and her chest pressing against his biceps where she must have rolled against him sometime in the night, and Rikku curled up against his right side, her back nestled against his side while she uses his arm as part of her pillow...

For a while, the silence is unbroken, but then as the light grows stronger a metallic chirruping sound filters in from the window, high pitched enough to disrupt the gentle calm with it's noise. It comes twice, then pauses for a moment... Then comes twice again as Rikku begins to stir against him, then crawls out from beneath the blankets, stealing one to wrap around herself as she makes her way over to the window and picks up the device she set on it's sill last night just as it begins to chirrup a third time. Silencing it with a complex hand motion that Ein can't quite catch before she swishes the blanket off her shoulders, crumples it into a bundle, kicks it away, and gives a langorous stretch in the morning sunlight that turns into a shuddering shiver halfway through as cold air drifts through the crack in the curtains. Even so, Ein can't help but notice she's wearing little more than would be considered undergarments, bereft of the open vest and boots she'd been wearing the night before.

If she catches him staring though, she doesn't seem to mind, or perhaps she simply didn't notice...

Meanwhile, Tifa is stirring to Ein's left, and as the hollows left behind by the girls departure begin to cool, Ein is driven from the blankets as well. Time to face the day, and much walking ahead if they're to make the next gate before the sun sets again...

[u

Zwei Kebia[/u]]
[Bahamut Isles - Elayne's Camp]

Zwei's voice carries a commanding tone, at odds with the tenderness of her caresses, and Elayne looks positively frightened as she speaks, even though the red mage can't seem to help but nod. "L-Lightning is... Stronger than you think... Y-you might..." She falls silent but for a hissed breath as Zwei pulls her close, and she shivers for a moment, tensing in the lady knight's arms as she feels a sudden darkening of the other woman's spirit. "I-I... Y-yes... I accept m-..." She holds the word back, despite that it seems to try to leave unbidden, but -perhaps without even meaning to- Zwei's voice cuts through that resistance with the sharp-voiced command. "I-I'll try Mistress..."

And she does try, leaning into Zwei's arms, meek and pliable, allowing the lady knight to do as she will as Elayne does her absolute best to let the sensations sweep her away. Despite this, she remains frightened as much by her own response to the woman's aggressive come-on as she is by Zwei herself. "P-please... Touch me more M-... Mistress..?" She pleads softly. She would rather feel pleasure, and try to forget that terrifying shift for the moment than feel the darkness take root in Zwei's soul again in her memory. "Please..."

[u

Thrice X[/u]]
[Mirage Sandsea - Southern Peaks]

For all that he supposes a bird must have brought him, Thrice sees no shapes in the sky, nor hears any cries. He might for a moment catch a glimpse of a figure watching from a distant peak closer to the darkened lands, but when he refocuses on that spot, the figure is gone as quickly as it appeared, and were he human, he might suppose their presence to be little more than some quirk of his imagination, and in any case th peak quickly vanishes from view as he descends the slope, making his way slowly and with much cursing as he tumbles a few more times before getting the hand of walking once more.

It is a long day, pacing down one slope to clamber up the next, skirting around cliffs and larger stones... Once or twice, thrice does see a shape in the sky from the corner of his eye but it is distant...

Up the slope and down again, the mountains continue on, an almost endless-seeming chain if not for that it seems to curve slightly to the left as he walks, and walks, and walks as the sunlight dims and night begins to fall...

Until he comes to a different sort of valley, where a winding pass runs along the floor of it while gently-glowing archways rest at either end. He can also see figures moving down there, a half dozen of them in all, wandering about almost aimlessly, many carrying weapons on their persons...

A curious sight to say the least, but following the pass means choosing left or right, for it does not follow the path of the wanderer...

Still, he will need to cross through to carry on his own way at the very least.

((I realize time is starting to become disjointed now, but frankly, I don't care. It'll probably work itself out in the end, and if it doesn't, well, this is a chaotic world anyways, time shifting a little is nothing.))

 

[MoFo]

Ein

Ein would soon enough find the warmth at both sides of him gone. The sound of birds, or something that sounded like a metallic bird came from the window sil. Soon enough he was sitting up, and yawning raising his arms up into the air and would find as he did so his hand as he crossed it over to support his upper arm in the stretch bump lightly against one of Tifa's breasts. In his sleepy moment he would open his palm feeling the softness his hand touched. But soon seeing who it was he stopped suddenly, and rolled to his side and shook himself away before toddling up to his feet.

Grabbing his stuff, and moving to where Rikku was and turning to hope Tifa hadn't been awake enough to come running at him. "It looks like a really bright morning..." He said as he looks over her shoulder a moment and then turns to check out the door as he fixed his sandals up on his feet, the hammer and boomerang added to his arsenal would make it easier for him to get around obstacles that might be in the way, he could break big rocks with the sledge hammer and the boomerang may be able to get stuff down from high places. "We should head for the Gate once we are ready, I may stick behind you two if things look tough, but if you need my help getting through things you let me know." He said offering to do what he could.


Thrice

Thrice's sensors were giving him the feeling he was being followed. The mechanical man was tripping over his feet all along the rocky way, showing how unsuited for all-terrain he was. "I miss my chocobo right about now, where would he be I wonder..." The robot spoke to himself, leaving it to believe while he had memories of things he had no idea where they were exactly. The peer downwards gave him a view of a dozen folks with weapons and then there was the figure passing in the sky, his sensors must have been on the fritz surely.

Soon as could be he would choose the right path to make towards where the gathering would be. He settled up forward finding a good spot to look out with, he grabs up his rifle and attached his scope and would begin to use the scope to spot out yonder what the gathering up ahead looked like, if they were trouble, he'd rather pick them off from here then get any closer. But if he felt he could make by with them, then he would make sure if he wanted to get any closer.

 

[Mike the Bloodwolf]

Mike looked at all the direction he could go and after packing up his camp he choose to follow the path under the brighter sky. He was an Au Ra, he looked almost fully like a dragon but was not one, just very closely related to them.
He sorted out his blue hair and chest armor before he finally started to walk singing a song to himself as he walked. He suddenly stop as he looked around thinking he could hear people but surely there was no one here in this empty shore, he shook his head and kept walking wondering where this light path would take him next.

 

[Lillythelez]

Soon Zwei would be touching the young red mage in places. She put her weight up against the girl, and placed her hands upon the girls center and forced the girl down unto her knees. She thrusts her cunt out right before the woman "Well, since there isn't any soap in here your better off licking me clean, so are there other cuties on the other side of the land, does this... other entity hold women worth taking for my own?" She asked rather certainly going from once worried about. "My brother Ein, he must be here in these lands... surely he will come to this side, and not go towards that light..." She was clearly being influenced by something the light had been dim in her already but now it was merely a speck of light was now flickering and flickering. The woman pushed her authority upon the red mage hoping to really set in root her dominence.

 

[Kaybee]

[u

Ein Kebia[/u]]
[Cornelia Plains - SnowBound Castle]

Tifa gave Ein a somewhat impenetrable look at the incidental grope but said nothing, though she did push his hand away before he began his roll. When she rolled to her feet and started doing stretches rather than coming after him it seemed she had let it go as an accident...

"Bright, but still cold!" Rikku was pulling her clothes -such as such were at any rate- on now, cheerful despite her rather dire-seeming statement.

"The better we keep moving then." Tifa replied, still managing to display a truly impressive degree of athleticism as she did so in the midst of a full splits. Then she stood up with a contented sigh, and smiled at Ein. "You were looking around a bit last night, did you find anything useful besides all those tools?"

[u

Zwei Kebia[/u]]
[Bahamut Isles - Elayne's Camp]

Elayne looks to hesitate for a moment, but then does as Zwei commands, pressing her lips to the lady knight's nethers in a perverse parody of a loving kiss. Then the red mage's tongue slipped forth, and she used it with a deftness that suggested prior practice, running softly over Zwei's labia, tracing a steady spiral inwards towards her slick entrance, (though she deviated several times to deliberately slide against Zwei's clit). Elayne tries to remain focused on the act rather than reply, though she finds she cannot help but raise her head from Zwei's womanhood for a brief moment to speak. "Yes Mistress" -the word still feels strange on her tongue, but more and more right with every passing moment- "Cosmos has many warriors, and some are worthy..." Naming names could take some time, so she hurriedly dips her head back to her task, now alternating between pushing her tongue into Zwei and suckling the lady knight's clit with abandon as her hands creep up the other woman's thighs.

Whether it was fear or something else that motivated her, the Red Mage was clearly willing to serve Zwei as her mistress now.

[u

Thrice X[/u]]
[Mirage Sandsea - Southern Pass]

The milling half-dozen warriors don't seem to be 'people' per se, for the most part anyways. They move like people, but they appear to be made of semi-translucent crystal, though their weapons and armor seem normal enough for the most part... Only the figure at the lightmost end of the pass appears to be fully human, a man in dark tight clothing with short brown hair that seems to stick back from his head and a curiously-hilted sword slung over one shoulder. If anything he seems to be commanding the crystalline beings, pointing here and there as they respond. It looks almost as though they might be setting up an ambush, intended to capture someone coming from the dark side of the pass...

Before Thrice can decide whether or not to begin firing, another being enters from the dark side in question, human also, shorter, and pink-haired, moving curiously, as though injured somehow... The constructs don't move from their positions, and she doesn't appear to notice them, or if she does, perhaps she considers them inconsequential. It seems that she may be walking into a trap though, and now it is not on Thrice just to worry about himself. How he reacts here might affect the potential fate of this newcomer as well.

[u

Michael Fertar[/u]]
[Melmond Fens - Western Shore]

Trekking towards the light leads the young Au Ra inland, away from the shore, and up into a series of low foothills, mostly dry atop, but swampy in the recesses between them. It is slow going despite everything, and as he walks -while he hears no evidence of people around- he catches glimpses of a figure. Never a full sight, but always present, a distant glimpse silhouetted against the hills just as he reaches the peak, but vanishing before he can get a proper look.

The sightings are consistent enough that this mysterious figure appears to be stalking him, but they do not draw any closer. If he wishes to discover more, he will need to either seek the figure out, or wait for them to tire of their game and approach him instead...

 

[Mike the Bloodwolf]

Mike took in every place and every path as he walked . He could feel someone watching him so he stop and drew his duel blades as he yelled out to the figure "Why don't you come out and let me see you? Or do you prefer to hide in the shadows and wait for me to fall asleep so you can rob me?".
A part of him hoped to meet someone like him but he doubted there was a female of his kind here, though he hoped to met one so he could relax a little. Instead he simple began to walk towards the last place the figure appeared and draw them out so he could see them and maybe learn about this place he was in.

 

[Lillythelez]

Zwei loved the sound of the word Mistress from the girl's lips. Also the feel of that tongue brushing up between her netherlips, which elicit a sharp sensual purr from the depths of her throat in delight. "Oh, you really know how to use your mouth... tell me are there any of these women you know to be traveling light, may make for easy conversion, and I am sure Chaos could use more allies in these lands, after all, if I am here that means more are liable to pop up, and soon even with the help of the dolls or manikins he will still need thinking minds and warm bodies." She said inquisitively before the feel of her 'partners' mouth drew her to moan and press more down onto the woman's lips. "Hmmmmm you keep working that mouth, and you may find me very rewarding for hard work."

 

[MoFo]

Ein

Ein would be notably watching Rikku dress for a few seconds before Tifa took his attention, she could really stretch. "Your pretty limber anyone tell ya that?.." He said to Tifa, and looked over to Rikku gently and smile. "Well, it should be warmer while the.... " He peeks out the window to make sure he was accurately calling a Sun a Sun.

"Sun is a little closer ...." Soon he had the question Tifa asked of him, and he carefully produced some other things. "Just some potions and what look like metal parts... not sure what the metal parts are for but I wager if we need them somewhere down the road it be good to grab what can be salvaged for later.." He would not say why he felt these parts could be useful, but a bit of scrap could be useful when you least expected.

"Anyways we should get through that gate who knows what stuff may be inside it..." He simply stated and would look at the Fighter Crystal he had and would ponder if he used this now he would surely have used it up, he felt saving it for a rainy day may be best.


Thrice

Thrice set himself up on the higher ground, if anything he had the better vintage point. His scope moved slowly along the figures down in the narrow valley. His scope marked on the young man's face "He looks confident..." He looms the scope a long the rows of crystal men. "They look like trouble..." His scope then rests on the injured looking woman and he carefully watched as the man was ordering around the crystal folk, he shook his head seeing as the woman looked like she was going to need help "And she needs some help." He tilts his hat low and would gaze out through the clipped off corner of his hat and settles his sights on him. "Well, then... lets see how good his reflexes are..."

He would charge up a bit settling his mechanical finger around the trigger of his rifle, the magitech core of the rifle was set for snipe, and he held very still, till he was ready to fire. The core went from white, to blue, to green, to red.... When it hit red he pulled back the trigger, and fired, a beam like projectile fires straight forward from the rifle, heading straight for the brown haired young man aimed straight for the man's dome.

 

[Kaybee]

[u

Ein Kebia[/u]]
[Cornelia Plains - SnowBound Castle]

Tifa shrugged. "Whatever helps... Shame there's no more to be found." She smiled, and Rikku gave a half-smile, half-shrug.

Outside the early morning air was chill, and the grass was dusted with frost, but the sun was warm on Ein's face as the trio set out for the gate. The path was clear at least, rolling hills they needed to mount and descend being the only obstacles, and the gleam of the gate in the distance at the crest of each hill made it difficult for them to veer off course in the process.

The greatest threat at first was weariness. The cold was warded off easily enough by the steady activity, but hunger and tiredness wore at Ein as they walked. He did not feel as hungry as he knew he should, especially considering he hadn't eaten much at all, but at the same time, it was a low gnawing thing in his belly, sapping his strength.

But as the day progressed, two other threats began to rear their head. The first, the howling of wolves in the distance, slowly growing closer...

And the second, the shimmering forms of Manikins wandering the area around the gate, or rather, floating aimlessly... They were too far away to make out, but they didn't quite look human, a few too many limbs it seemed...

[u

Zwei Kebia[/u]]
[Bahamut Isles - Elayne's Camp]

Elayne bent herself to the task of pleasure at her mistress' command, grateful for the chance to avoid answering the question, even if the reprieve would only be momentary in the long run. She redoubled her efforts, lashing at Zwei's clit with her tongue and pushing two fingers up into the lady knight, flexing the digits rhythmically inside her as she pumped them in and out. Quickly she switched, suckling Zwei's clit, then running her tongue against it again, greedily drinking down the juices her efforts yielded.

Quietly, Elayne let her other hand drift between her own thighs, delving into her own slick cunny as she worked Zwei towards her orgasm.

[u

Thrice X[/u]]
[Mirage Sandsea - Southern Pass]

The shot impacted even as the man seemed to move at the last second. Whether it was coincidence or some sort of sixth sense that alerted him to the danger, rather than his head becoming a fine mist he spun around as the energy caught him in the shoulder. Confused, the Manikins looked back, and some of them seemed to inadvertently reveal themselves as the pink-haired woman begins to react to their presence now, taking a few steps back with impressive alacrity given her injury and pulling out some sort of handgun, which fired with a report that echoed along the pass as she aimed up at one of the manikins on the slope.

Of course, even without the element of surprise, the woman was still outnumbered seven-to-one.

Well, Three to one with Thrice on her side one could suppose. Not quite even odds, but better ones at least...

[u

Michael Fertar[/u]]
[Melmond Fens - Western Shore]

At least no one was around, for no matter how quickly Michael turned to look directly at the figure it vanished before he brought it into focus, leaving him shouting at nothing.

Following the figure at least gave him a degree of purpose to his movements, but as he walked, he realized that he was wandering. Every time he turned to where he'd last seen the figure and made some progress towards there, the figure appeared out of the corner of his eye again.

Whoever it was, they were fast, and apparently quite dedicated to not coming face to face with him...