The Cloaked Schemer (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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spira_rp2015-01-21 01:44 am
theschemer) wrote in spira_rp2015-01-21 01:44 am
Entry tags:
It all seems to fall at your defense.
Ienzo ached all over.
He wasn't sure he could remember the last time that he felt so exhausted. He had slept well enough in the hotel bed, but a single night's sleep was nowhere near enough to soothe away the strain of travel. He had, thus far, been unsuccessful in his request for a second one.
Just under a week ago, he had been informed that one of the Ryoka had defected from the main group and relocated to Daguerreo, an ancient, vast and half-submerged library out in the wilds of Nabradia. The Ryoka in question, a man described as being tall and very similar in appearance to an Al Bhed, could only be Vexen. Or Even. Whatever he was going by now -- Ienzo didn't know.
Under ordinary circumstances, Ienzo would have pointed out that Vexen was a scientist and that a trip to a repository of information like Daguerreo would not be out of character for him, certainly not enough to count such a trip as being a defection. However, these weren't ordinary circumstances, not now. He remembered Ulquiorra's recording of the battle following the Fall of Midgar. More precisely, he remembered Axel's participation in said battle, and the fact that he was fighting alongside Saix. That, Ienzo was sure, would definitely be enough of a push to get Vexen to cut ties with the group once and for all.
After the revelation came to light (something that L was responsible for), a quiet meeting was held with some of the other members of Khamja. From there, it was decided that he should be ... collected. It wasn't that Ienzo was concerned about him returning to the Order that had made him agree to do it, it was more that he wouldn't put Vexen's elimination past certain members now that he had shown a desire to leave them behind. Clan Khamja was not exactly safe, but it was certainly safer than going it alone in a still unfamiliar world, with enemies behind you, even in a remote location such as he had chosen.
A brief discussion later and a small party was decided upon. It was a carefully picked group of powerful fighters, friends and, it had to be said, enemies.
The group that left the Desert Palace consisted of Lumi and Marluxia, a pair of full Khamja members with enough firepower between them to subdue an unwilling addition to their ranks; himself, due in part to his long association with Vexen, his similar circumstances and the knowledge that Vexen would not trust Marluxia or his partner in the slightest without someone to vouch for them; Ulquiorra, now known to be an associate of his and someone Aizen could trust not to let him escape; and Neliel, because she was strong, non-antagonistic and it was safer for two of Aizen's minions to go on a trip such as this than one, especially given the company.
So far, the journey had been arduous, at least as far as Ienzo was concerned. For a start, it had all been taken across ground, or under it, instead of by airship. They had travelled more of the Zertinan Caverns than Ienzo had known existed and, in spite of the fact that some of it had been undertaken on chocobo-back, there was rather more walking on his own two feet than he would have liked. The second leg had been across the desert, all mounted. The longest part thus far had been through a great tunnel called the Fossil Roo.
That had been the worst.
The Caverns were bad enough, but the tunnel was long to the point of being seemingly endless and, as if that wasn't bad enough, it was also full of air so stale that it had been recommended that masks were worn for that part of the trip.
The aspect of it that had unnerved Ienzo the most was the fact that the Roo stretched from one continent to the other. Underwater. The idea that there was no hope of escape in the event of a cave-in was not his idea of a good time. The huge Gargants that scurried along the long-dead root systems that sprawled across the ceiling was not much fun either and they had, at least to begin with, spooked the chocobos quite as much as they had spooked him.
Well, they were giant spiders.
It had not taken him long to work out that, when the tunnel was built by whichever ancient culture had carved it out, the path between Dalmasca and Nabradia had probably not been submerged at all. Indeed, the sea above them was very likely to be considerably shallower than the rest of it. It had, to his reckoning, been some sort of land bridge recently enough that an intelligent culture had made and, for the duration of their stay, maintained the path. It was a minor miracle that it had survived for so long without its integrity being compromised.
Alternating between riding and walking, they had made the trip from one end to the other in a few long and, after a while, rather painful days. The only positive aspect of the Roo was that it was, for the most part, free of monsters brave enough to bother a party of their calibre.
They had come up some distance inland on Nabradian soil. The nearest city and, as luck would have it, their destination, was Luxerion. It took the group more than a day to reach it, but it was visible long before that thanks to the sky-piercing spire of the city's Cathedral. Luxerion may have even lived up to its name if it wasn't permanently overcast and swirling with Mist of the sort of density that could probably be described as 'low-to-moderate-risk-to-foreigners'.
They arrived late and in darkness. Luxerion did not have much of a tourism industry, not since Nabradia's fall, so the party had no trouble getting a hotel room for the night.
With dawn having broken, the city was beginning to come to life again. Shops opened their doors as the cathedral's bell tolled and, an hour later, Ienzo found himself sat inside an open-fronted café in the railway station, nursing a cup of rapidly cooling tea.
He wasn't sure he could remember the last time that he felt so exhausted. He had slept well enough in the hotel bed, but a single night's sleep was nowhere near enough to soothe away the strain of travel. He had, thus far, been unsuccessful in his request for a second one.
Just under a week ago, he had been informed that one of the Ryoka had defected from the main group and relocated to Daguerreo, an ancient, vast and half-submerged library out in the wilds of Nabradia. The Ryoka in question, a man described as being tall and very similar in appearance to an Al Bhed, could only be Vexen. Or Even. Whatever he was going by now -- Ienzo didn't know.
Under ordinary circumstances, Ienzo would have pointed out that Vexen was a scientist and that a trip to a repository of information like Daguerreo would not be out of character for him, certainly not enough to count such a trip as being a defection. However, these weren't ordinary circumstances, not now. He remembered Ulquiorra's recording of the battle following the Fall of Midgar. More precisely, he remembered Axel's participation in said battle, and the fact that he was fighting alongside Saix. That, Ienzo was sure, would definitely be enough of a push to get Vexen to cut ties with the group once and for all.
After the revelation came to light (something that L was responsible for), a quiet meeting was held with some of the other members of Khamja. From there, it was decided that he should be ... collected. It wasn't that Ienzo was concerned about him returning to the Order that had made him agree to do it, it was more that he wouldn't put Vexen's elimination past certain members now that he had shown a desire to leave them behind. Clan Khamja was not exactly safe, but it was certainly safer than going it alone in a still unfamiliar world, with enemies behind you, even in a remote location such as he had chosen.
A brief discussion later and a small party was decided upon. It was a carefully picked group of powerful fighters, friends and, it had to be said, enemies.
The group that left the Desert Palace consisted of Lumi and Marluxia, a pair of full Khamja members with enough firepower between them to subdue an unwilling addition to their ranks; himself, due in part to his long association with Vexen, his similar circumstances and the knowledge that Vexen would not trust Marluxia or his partner in the slightest without someone to vouch for them; Ulquiorra, now known to be an associate of his and someone Aizen could trust not to let him escape; and Neliel, because she was strong, non-antagonistic and it was safer for two of Aizen's minions to go on a trip such as this than one, especially given the company.
So far, the journey had been arduous, at least as far as Ienzo was concerned. For a start, it had all been taken across ground, or under it, instead of by airship. They had travelled more of the Zertinan Caverns than Ienzo had known existed and, in spite of the fact that some of it had been undertaken on chocobo-back, there was rather more walking on his own two feet than he would have liked. The second leg had been across the desert, all mounted. The longest part thus far had been through a great tunnel called the Fossil Roo.
That had been the worst.
The Caverns were bad enough, but the tunnel was long to the point of being seemingly endless and, as if that wasn't bad enough, it was also full of air so stale that it had been recommended that masks were worn for that part of the trip.
The aspect of it that had unnerved Ienzo the most was the fact that the Roo stretched from one continent to the other. Underwater. The idea that there was no hope of escape in the event of a cave-in was not his idea of a good time. The huge Gargants that scurried along the long-dead root systems that sprawled across the ceiling was not much fun either and they had, at least to begin with, spooked the chocobos quite as much as they had spooked him.
Well, they were giant spiders.
It had not taken him long to work out that, when the tunnel was built by whichever ancient culture had carved it out, the path between Dalmasca and Nabradia had probably not been submerged at all. Indeed, the sea above them was very likely to be considerably shallower than the rest of it. It had, to his reckoning, been some sort of land bridge recently enough that an intelligent culture had made and, for the duration of their stay, maintained the path. It was a minor miracle that it had survived for so long without its integrity being compromised.
Alternating between riding and walking, they had made the trip from one end to the other in a few long and, after a while, rather painful days. The only positive aspect of the Roo was that it was, for the most part, free of monsters brave enough to bother a party of their calibre.
They had come up some distance inland on Nabradian soil. The nearest city and, as luck would have it, their destination, was Luxerion. It took the group more than a day to reach it, but it was visible long before that thanks to the sky-piercing spire of the city's Cathedral. Luxerion may have even lived up to its name if it wasn't permanently overcast and swirling with Mist of the sort of density that could probably be described as 'low-to-moderate-risk-to-foreigners'.
They arrived late and in darkness. Luxerion did not have much of a tourism industry, not since Nabradia's fall, so the party had no trouble getting a hotel room for the night.
With dawn having broken, the city was beginning to come to life again. Shops opened their doors as the cathedral's bell tolled and, an hour later, Ienzo found himself sat inside an open-fronted café in the railway station, nursing a cup of rapidly cooling tea.
no subject
It looked different in daylight.
During the night, when they had arrived, it had seemed sombre but full of the splendour of a large, modern -- for a given value of 'modern' -- and potentially lively city. Windows had been illuminated in the darkness and the late-opening shops had cast inviting rectangles of light across the richly tiled floors. Wrought iron metalwork had gleamed darkly in the streetlights and the frontages of the train station and surrounding buildings had looked impressive and well-kept.
Now, in the thin morning light, Lumi noticed that the ironwork was spotted with rust, some of the tiles were broken and the plastered walls were ingrained with years of accumulated grime and chipping in places. It was as though the light had washed away the city's delusions of grandeur.
"Bullet trains," he elaborated. "The journeys were short. I don't imagine that this one will be."
He swung his bag up onto his shoulder and expertly kept the wince he felt from his face. The travel was taking its toll. He ached and he was tired. Lumi had barely slept on the journey through the underground, catching only snippets and snatches of sleep when it wasn't his turn on watch. He had gone out like a light almost the moment his head hit the pillow once they had checked into the hotel, but it hadn't been near enough.
On the upside, the next leg of their journey was at least a day's ride by steam train across the country. It was slow and likely to be dull and uneventful, so he should be able to catch an hour or two. When they came back through Luxerion, however, he was going to insist on spending more than a night there to catch up on his rest before they headed back towards that damned Roo.
no subject
Marluxia didn't mind chocobos, exactly, but you could definitely have too much of them. Around the point where you were accustomed to the smell was where you'd had too much.
"And then Vexen," he said, trying to picture that man making the return journey with them and struggling. Recruiting him without restraining him and forcibly carrying him back with them was going to require all of Zexion and Marluxia's talents at diplomacy.
no subject
He blew out a short sigh and looked up at the nearest clock -- Luxerion did seem to have an unusually high number of them. They still had some time to kill before they would find themselves cooped up with Zexion and the Arrancar.
"What should we expect from him?" He asked. "I understand that you and he do not see eye to eye."
He knew that much, but the swift nature of the mission's start and the current company had not given Lumi chance to ask his opinion on how things were likely to go. Now, away from the others, was the first opportunity he had found.
no subject
"I ordered him killed," Marluxia said, with a smile. "He's a tedious, shrieking harpy with an inflated sense of his own importance, whose presence is as aggravating as that of Szayel," although Vexen's presence didn't constitute a low-grade sexual assault all on its own.
He looked at Lumi, and shifted the weight of his own bag before he added, with a sigh, "Unfortunately, he's also a singularly talented scientist, which means that, as much as I don't relish the idea of bringing him to the Palace so I can be in close confines with the man, having him and Zexion on our side is of significant benefit. The two are a scientific dream team, and if there are any edges or talents available to us as Ryoka, they will be the first ones to discover and master them. They will also be able to discern a lot of information from this world that we may find useful."
They might, also, spot flaws or weaknesses in the other people in Khamja, including the Arrancar, or in their abilities, and Marluxia would welcome that information, should it come his way. That, however, was a possibility, and not something Marluxia considered key to Vexen's potential value.
"If nothing else, we should take the opportunity to keep him out of Xigbar's hands."
no subject
So, they were a clash of personalities, but beyond their likely mutual dislike of each other, Vexen was useful. Zexion had proved useful already, even without Vexen, so if they were a 'dream team' together, it explained why Marluxia was keen to have him on board despite everything else.
Getting him away from the other Ryoka was just a bonus, apparently.
Still, none of the upsides to his recruitment changed the fact that Vexen probably hated Marluxia. If he'd had him killed, whatever that entailed, Lumi was not entirely certain about what had happened within Organization XIII and chose not to ask, he had every right to be difficult about or refuse. That would be where Zexion came in, but...
"How do you suppose he will react to your presence on this retrieval?"
no subject
"He'll most likely expect it," Marluxia admitted. Vexen was not so naive as to think they wouldn't at least try to contact him once his separation from The Order was apparent. If their arrival did come as a surprise, then Marluxia had clearly overestimated the man's intelligence, or ego. Vexen in the least liked to think of himself as important, and important enough to contact was a part of that.
"Though he won't be pleased to see me in any respect. This time, however, we have a mutual enemy, which is more in common than we had previously." He looked at Lumi, "Zexion is the in-road," he explained, "he has no great care for me, either, but we've shelved those differences to our mutual benefit. Vexen's ego will require a significant amount of placating, but he'll do anything to ensure his own survival, and right now, joining us is the best way for him to do that."
no subject
"And what do you think he will make of the Arrancar and myself?"
That was one of the tricky questions. Well, it was one of the easy questions, it was the answer that was tricky. Vexen was known to have had negative experiences with Arrancar. That said, the group were relatively sure that he had never encountered these two Arrancar in particular, which was a plus. As for what he'd make of him... he was, by and large, an unknown quantity.
The most they knew of him was that he'd shot and either killed or grievously injured a member of Akatsuki and that he was Marluxia's partner.
no subject
In truth their relationship was more complex. They were allies, but not quite friends, and yet Marluxia had been able to trust Lumi with something as delicate as pushing him in training with Graceful Dahlia. It was partly convenience, partly necessity, and, lately, partly trust that kept them together.
But Marluxia liked to keep the outward perception that Lumi was his, rather than their partnership being one of tentative, possibly equals. It meant people underestimated Lumi's intelligence, if not his power, and considered Marluxia too dangerous to mess with.
"Neliel is unlikely to spook him; she's a kind hearted woman with a will of iron, and her elemental affinity goes in her favour. Zexion's little friend, however," Marluxia frowned, trailing off while he considered how to explain it.
"Darkness clings to that one, even when he isn't fighting. He'll either intrigue Vexen, or frighten him. Possibly both."
no subject
It looked, at least, like it wouldn't be impossible to get Vexen to come back with them, even if it might come with its share of problems.
"Mmm," he said, adjusting his bag again. "There's a little time before the train is due. We should have time to get a cup of coffee before we have to meet up with them again."
no subject
On their way back, they would need to recuperate in Luxerion before tackling the Fossil Roo once more, if only because they were already tired and suffering. Nothing particularly difficult had bothered them, but it still wasn't a journey one wanted to undertake with aching muscles and on minimal sleep.
Especially not with Vexen in the party, as he would be, by then, should all go well.