It all seems to fall at your defense.
Jan. 21st, 2015 01:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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spira_rpIenzo 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
Date: 2015-01-30 11:02 pm (UTC)Marluxia's words went a long way to softening his resolve to argue and kick up a fuss about the unfair and difficult position they were putting him in. Zexion's compounded the point. He had, of course, known from the moment he felt them outside his door that he had no choice in the matter of his joining, but his cooperation seemed to offer him a better deal than him acting typically obstinate would.
He signed harshly, looking away. "Well, I don't exactly have any choice!" He spat.
no subject
Date: 2015-01-30 11:55 pm (UTC)It was going to be a long journey back.
"Not really," Marluxia admitted, "but by agreeing to come instead of being forced, you're placing yourself in a position of privilege from the beginning. I'm sure Zexion will be able to explain what you'd have access to as a scientist better than I could. All I can promise is that you'll be safe from Xigbar, and anyone that might have interest in you as a 'Ryoka'."
Although there were enough of that latter type in Khamja itself, they hadn't bothered him, or Lumi, or at least, most of them hadn't, and certainly no more than they'd bothered anyone else on the same basis. Explaining Szayel and why his interest wasn't to be taken as a personal affront because he does that to everyone would probably just put Vexen off, however.
He sighed, and glanced around at the room. It was sparse on seating; Daguerreo wasn't outfitted for hosting in the guest rooms, and he resorted to making himself comfortable by perching against the nightstand. If he sat on the bed, he expected Vexen would shout at him for the presumption.
"There are, however, some things you should know, if you come with us, for your safety, and ours."
no subject
Date: 2015-01-31 01:15 am (UTC)He'd be more than willing to go through what Vexen could expect from a voluntary application to the Clan. A laboratory, if he could find a suitable empty room (he suspected there were a lot of empty places in unexplored areas of the palace), a room of his own and a library he was free to use. If that didn't calm his temper, he didn't know what would.
He didn't sit. Up until then, he had been stood with his back to the door, one hand to his mouth, the other supporting that elbow. When Marluxia initiated that part of the conversation he took a half step back and covered the keyhole with his hand, just in case.
"This is the part where you stop shouting," he said, lowering his voice. "Right now, Khamja doesn't know a lot about us. They aren't really aware that we're not all of the same origin and they don't know the full range of our abilities, including mine and Marluxia's. They think that weapon generation is unique to Saix."
no subject
Date: 2015-01-31 01:46 am (UTC)The scowl on his face fell away, replaced by a look of narrow-eyed curiosity at Zexion's words.
"Go on," he said, not raising his voice.
For once.
no subject
Date: 2015-01-31 02:54 am (UTC)He turned to fix his attention on Vexen again. "The small grey one on the other side of that door has the ability to replay anything he's seen and felt for later study. That's how we know about Axel." It had been eerie to see someone pluck out their own eye and crush it, to allow the vision and sensations of a fight with Axel be shared with a room full of people.
"We haven't told anyone that Axel wasn't with the rest of us before we arrived, meaning he's come through separately," he said, quietly. That fact worried Marluxia, because there were potential implications, but they certainly didn't want anyone else picking up on those implications. "They also don't know about abilities we used to have, and no longer do, such as the portals."
He folded his arms, looking thoughtful as he finished, "Mostly, they know we're unusually good with our elements, and that's as much as I've been willing to let them find out."
no subject
Date: 2015-01-31 03:08 am (UTC)"They know I'm an Alchemist," Ienzo said, pressing his hand more tightly over the keyhole almost without realising. "They don't know about my ... weapon of choice, nor are they aware of my abilities, non-Elemental as they are."
None of them knew about his proficiency with illusions. Should they find out, he planned to tell them that he had been reading up on Genjutsu, but he would prefer they didn't know at all. Genjutsu was difficult to learn and harder to master and he had a feeling that they would treat him like a threat should they find out about it.
"Two of them out there are the subordinates of Khamja member," he told him. "Don't mention any of this to them. They aren't bad people, not really, but they answer to someone else. Don't trust them with any sensitive information about our abilities."
no subject
Date: 2015-01-31 04:46 am (UTC)"Why, it sounds like Castle Oblivion all over again," he said derisively, allowing himself a smirk. "How nostalgic."
He gave a short laugh. It amused him almost as much as it frightened him. The prospect of putting himself into an environment where he had to be careful of what he said and did wasn't particularly appealing, but having allies from the off did make it sound slightly less disagreeable.
He wiped the smirk off his face and looked at the two of them again. "And what excuse do you propose to use should they ever witness one of the Order conjuring a weapon? For all we know, Axel has been brought up to date with the abilities we managed to regain," he fixed his gaze pointedly on Marluxia. "You clearly have been." Vexen had missed neither the 'us' nor the 'we' in his statement about secrecy. "If he's with Saix, it will be a mere matter of time before he ends up in another fight. What if he is seen?"
The chances were remote, Vexen thought, given the size of Spira, but the possibility was there.
no subject
Date: 2015-01-31 09:30 pm (UTC)He smiled wider, and without humour, "What we don't want is for some of Khamja to get it into their heads to try it for themselves; so letting them think it's something unique to us is the preferred course of action." He dropped the smile again, looking more serious as he added, "The rest of us have a wider repertoire to fall back on for combat than Saix has been seen to employ, so it's simple enough to explain why he uses it so readily, and we saw Axel get his weapons broken, so if he is seen using the technique," Marluxia waved a hand, idly, "there is a ready made excuse for why he might. Anyone else using it would have been caught off their guard and unarmed. Or so we claim."
no subject
Date: 2015-02-01 12:15 am (UTC)"The reason I haven't used it in front of them will be obvious enough," he said, waving dismissively. "My Lexicon is hardly an offensive weapon compared to Saix's claymore, or Marluxia's scythe. They know that I rely on Alchemy during battle, if I am forced to fight at all. That I can use it unconventionally only gives me less reason to rely on a book."
no subject
Date: 2015-02-01 01:15 am (UTC)"Fine, fine," he said irritably. "We don't even know if it's possible for us to teach someone who wasn't with the Organization how to use that technique." Unless...
He looked at Marluxia, quite sharply.
"I take it the third person behind that door is that ..." he groped in the air with a hand for the word he wanted, "companion of yours." He said, narrowing his eyes. "I don't suppose..?"
Well, you can't expect to keep a scientist down, can you?
no subject
Date: 2015-02-01 02:02 am (UTC)He'd have wondered at the pause as Vexen decided on the word 'companion', but didn't bother to bring it up. If nothing else, letting even Vexen, and potentially Zexion view his relationship with Lumi in a grey area was beneficial. It meant they didn't know exactly where things stood, which was good, because Marluxia viewed them as being in a state of gentle flux right now.
"The truth is, I haven't fully mastered the technique yet." He frowned, and managed not to cast a pointed glance at Zexion, who had successfully kept quiet on the matter until Ulquiorra's replay of his fight with Axel. "So you have that as another advantage over me right now. Despite how many times Saix has clashed with Grimmjow," Marluxia's eyes flicked to Vexen as he added, "that's the blue haired idiot on Khamja's side of the equation, he's neglected to mention that Saix has been pulling a weapon from the aether. It was only Ulquiorra's replay of events that brought the ability to light, and it wasn't exactly the focus of their interests at the time."
Axel had been, and the girl. They'd theorised the girl had been a Ryoka, too, but she definitely wasn't one of theirs, if she was, and Marluxia had heard no more on the matter.
no subject
Date: 2015-02-02 12:15 am (UTC)They had suspected as much when one man, pink haired and bespectacled, if Larxene's description was to be believed, had appeared in battle on two different occasions. Once with Marluxia, his associate and a known member of Khamja and the other when she gained the upper hand by electrocuting a short, grey skinned Mis--
Ah.
He smirked.
Still, that just raised as many questions as it answered. Did the blue-haired man's involvement with Khamja mean that his encounters with Saix were pre-planned? Were they being watched that closely? Coincidences of that nature weren't impossible, to be sure, but was it likely? If he hadn't reported such an ability, he obviously didn't consider it very interesting or important, but that could just as easily mean that he wasn't particularly curious in that regard. He waved the thought away. Interesting as it was, it wasn't pertinent information for the moment. He would undoubtedly have plenty of opportunities to get to the bottom of that later.
That Marluxia had openly admitted a weakness to him was far more relevant.
"So," he said, looking at them both. "Is there anything else I should be informed of?"
no subject
Date: 2015-02-02 12:29 am (UTC)Vexen seemed to have settled on the notion of joining them willingly; Marluxia didn't want to put him off, if he could help it.
"Nothing else of great importance for you to know right now," he decided, after a moment. "Most of the rest we can discuss on the way; it's not as sensitive. Just be sure to guard your words and actions in front of Ulquiorra and Nel. Lumi is less of a concern." Lumi wasn't going to go running to Captain Aizen with anything he heard or saw that might be tactically useful.
"Speaking of," he said, looking over at Zexion, since he was by the door, "they'll be getting antsy." Ulquiorra in particular had seemed unwilling to let Zexion out of his sight, and Marluxia was sure he was monitoring the reiatsu in this room very, very closely. "We should probably hurry up."
Before Ulquiorra bored of patiently monitoring reiatsu and broke the door down to drag Vexen back, whether he consented to go or not.
no subject
Date: 2015-02-02 01:11 am (UTC)Marluxia had done a good job of convincing him, which was heartening. He had expected drafting Vexen to be rather more difficult than it was, but presenting the options to him from the outset had worked well. He had a strong feeling that he would have been able to snare him without Marluxia's help, but Marluxia doing the majority of the work meant that their alliance was assured from the beginning and that the old Number Eleven wasn't going to be an unpleasant surprise and source of antagonism further down the line.
"He's right," he said, dropping his hand from the keyhole, leaning off the door and spreading his weight evenly on both feet. "If we delay longer than we already have, they will grow suspicious that we're plotting something. The Arrancar are useful allies to have, but they do answer to someone else and will relay information back to their superior."
The last word almost sounded like it had a capital letter, somehow.
no subject
Date: 2015-02-02 01:20 am (UTC)"Very well," he said, straightening up a bit.
He would undoubtedly learn who could and couldn't be trusted back at Clan Khamja's base,wherever that was, but he didn't expect there to be many in the former category. The prospect of joining a group made up of various mutually opposed groups wasn't an inviting one, but it was better than the immediate alternatives.
"I trust you will afford me time to pack," he said shortly.
no subject
Date: 2015-02-02 01:38 am (UTC)"We'll be stopping in Luxerion if you need to refresh any supplies for the journey, and if there's anything you want retrieved," he smiled, thinly, wondering how much of Vexen's life he'd left behind, and how much he might want to recover, given the opportunity, "arrangements can be made."
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Date: 2015-02-02 02:27 am (UTC)"I will ... take that into consideration," he said, his eyes dropping for just a second too long. He gritted his teeth behind his lips, stood up sharply and waved a hand vaguely. "Now get out so I can pack without you two loitering."
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Date: 2015-02-02 02:42 am (UTC)He was surprised at the relative warmth of the corridor after enduring the effects of Vexen's reiatsu in that room and shivered. He looked at the Arrancar, Ulquiorra first, and nodded.
"He's in," he said.
no subject
Date: 2015-02-02 02:58 pm (UTC)He met Zexion's eyes when he opened the door and stepped through, and responded to his statement with nothing more than a nod, a blink, and a murmur of understanding.
Zexion's reiatsu had stayed steady, and Marluxia's had wavered, dipping lower than normal at points, as if he'd been trying to seem less threatening, or keep something concealed. In the end, Ulquiorra had little interest in how exactly they had convinced their target to join of his own free will, simply that they had.
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Date: 2015-02-02 03:04 pm (UTC)Ulquiorra had been watching the room. Nel had watched their backs, because getting here first didn't mean that someone else couldn't be right behind them. She'd feel better when they got out of here, now, especially with Vexen having agreed to join. If word got back to The Order, they might mobilise, if they hadn't already.
"Nicely done," she said, with a gentle smile. "What's he doing now?"
no subject
Date: 2015-02-02 03:15 pm (UTC)It lasted only a second, however, because this was still Vexen.
He caught Lumi's eye after that statement, and the corner of his mouth twitched, subtly, in reminiscence of a smile, and it was matched by the very faintest of nods. It had gone exceptionally smoothly, and they had a new ally. One who was, perhaps, not trusted, but who nonetheless, had potential to be useful to them.
It had been quite successful, in all.