A Darker Outlook (Lea/PM to join)

[xthelonelypuppetx]

What is madness but a sickness of the mind? Doesn't this mean that one can recover from insanity, like one can recover from a cold or a cough? Braig's contemplations seemed to come to no end. It was a vexing thought, the concept of insanity; to lose grasp of thought processes, to see or feel or hear something that isn't there, was something that Braig thought about when there was virtually nothing else worth his thoughts. These times came far too often for the Demented Shot's liking. Though it did depress him, the idea of madness was far more than intriguing. He often wondered what it was like to be mad among madness such as the tension between Dark XII and Organization XIII... What kind of thoughts would one have towards the events unfolding before their eyes? Would they ignore it, or would they go against the odds and try to stop it? Then again, to be mad among madness would imply that the person isn't really mad...

And once again, he found himself staring up at that blasted moon.

The darkness was steep around the Castle of the Abyss. If one didn't know any better, one would think that all Heartless originated from here. How wrong they'd be, then... Yes, there were many, many Heartless around these parts, but they did not simply appear here. Who would think such a thing, anyway? Someone who'd soon have their heart taken from them, Braig thought with a lighthearted smirk. As always, a Shadow crawled over and curled up next to him. Why they did, Braig still had to figure out.

The Demented Shot always found himself at incredible heights without remembering how he got there. Today, of course, was no different. His thoughts often had an odd tendency of commanding all of his attention, and in his musings he found himself in odd places. The locale of the day was actually on top of the roof. In the distance, he could see the lights of the city and admired them silently. It was too bad he had to share this with the neighbors, including his other half, Xigbar...

His stomach growled rather audibly. "When was the last time I snacked, anyway? It must have been a couple of days ago..." A snack usually referred to a couple of handfuls of better-than-average hearts on a good day. Braig couldn't deny that he was hungry, and if he didn't get on the ball soon, he'd end up grumpy....

Odd, though... Those Nobodies next door and us Heartless pretty much want the same thing...

That was a puzzling thought, indeed.

[Ellie who has 0%]

{A}rlene - The Sadistic Fey

"Oooh you power unfortunate sooouls," Arlene sang to herself, while striking down another dusk. "Well you do have souls, but it's a pity you had into nothing with the darkness; no one would miss you."

With a crackle of yellow, another block of streelights snapped off as sparks of yellow jumped on the cityscape's roofs followed by blurs of white. She rolled her eyes, You would think they would have better securities.

Turning around she tackled one thrusting her knives into it, "Seems a downright shame....seems an aweful...waste."

She twisted the knives before sending thundaga through its lithe white frame, "What a nice plump frame, what his name have...has...had."

It was called back to darkness with its cease of existence. Seeing more white, before a flare of white illuminatied a small portion of the city causing a black out. Out of the dark, a black silhouette blurred as it darted from hear to there like a mouse leaving the flickering city behind. With a click of heels, Arlene landed heavily to the floor. Standing up she dusted her short skirt and train, "They aren't any fun. Perhaps I should make a visit to their pretty little castle...perhaps give them a blackout."

Seriously after Port Royal everything's been a drag; when will we get another big fish to fry. Perhaps I can torture that little wolf boy and his slutty whirlwind. Tormenting and mocking those unfortunate souls would mean another trip to Twlight Town, which was just as dull as Traverse Town despite the golden sunlight. Arlene needed a spark, and one would think she had enough on her own. When bored she can be destructive, since being loud is the only way to get the attention wanted.

Her annoyed featured rippled in realization as she approached the base of the Castle of Abyss. Her eyes rolled up as she inhaled with a chuckle, "Well what big boy finally made his way home."

The world's fabric of reality ripped as the realm of darkness leaked momentarily as the fey lepted in; she rippled back higher than she had expected, but where her senses led her. "Well look what the cat drag in."

She teleported again via dark realm and appeared right behind Braig to rest her chin on his shoulders, "sooo sweet cheeks where the hell have you been?"

[lunardevian]

A roar broke out from inside the castle as two Lionblaze Heartless came running outside chasing two frisbees overhead.

"Hey! Get back here!

Lea came running out of the castle panting, he had been chasing his little "pets" for what seemed like a lifetime. He finally made his frisbrees disappear in flames leaving the two Heartless looking around the area for them. "Get outta here!" The Red-Hot Flare yelled out with a small smile on his face, it was a little dull lately at the castle, everyone was off to do whatever it was that the do. He watched the two lions run off and disappear into the darkness around the castle.

It seemed like the only companions he had as of late were the Heartless, it wasn't so bad, but when the only living things you can interact with most of the time are mindless creatures the thrill of it dies down fast. Just as he was about to go back inside he noticed someone up on the roof. He had to squint to see clearly who it was but soon he figured it out, Braig. Who was shortly joined by Arlene.

"Hey Braig, Arlene!" The Red-Hot Flare called out to the Demented Shot and Sadistic Fey waving his arm trying to get his attention to the ground before he entered a portal of darkness and appeared behind him. "So what are you two been up to?"

[xthelonelypuppetx]

A devillish grin curled its way into Braig's lips as the Sadistic Fey entered the scene. Truth be told, Braig was only interested at poking fun at Arlene. Yes, she was destructive. But he had a sort of seniority factor that came into play. If she ever wanted to try to take him on, what would Braig's answer be? Bring it on, girly. I can take you. The Demented Shot began to toy with the idea, absent-mindedly stroking the Shadow as he did. Arlene approached via teleportation, overshooting at first, and exclaimed, "Well, look what the cat dragged in!" She tried again and appeared behind Braig. Her chin found the space inbetween his neck and shoulderblade shortly afterward. "Soo, sweet cheeks, where the hell have you been?" Arlene questioned, seemingly with false sweetness. Yellow eyes peered up at her.

"I've been around. I'm not the kind to bring attention to myself when I'm out and about," Braig replied lightheartedly. Hah, what a funny way to put that. Again, Braig's stomach rumbled. Speaking of hearts, he was going to need a meal soon...

That hunger irks me so much. It's taking every chance it gets to get me to pay attention to it...

"How 'bout yourself, Miss Arlene? Do anything particularly destructive lately?" The Demented Shot furthered his efforts to prod at Arlene. Seriousness? It took a toll on men. He preferred to take everything a little more lightly than most... After all, he wasn't ready to get those gray hairs yet.

Below, Lea burst forth from the entrance of the Castle of the Abyss. The red-head's eyes caught the other two members after a while, and with the wave of his arms and quick greeting, he swiftly appeared on the roof nearby. Braig greeted him with a slight wave of his hand and a soft, "Hey, kiddo." The Shadow in his lap stirred and peered around Braig to get a good look at the young man behind him. Braig craned his neck to see the boy. Still, that devillish grin was present on his lips. He, like Braig, hadn't lost his youth in the change over from being a human to being a Heartless. As for the Nobodies? Well, time hadn't taken too kindly to a lot of them. Braig had seen their neighbors more than once, wandering around the city. Of course, that meant he could have taken them out then and there, but hey--that's no challenge to him.

"So what have you two been up to?" Lea asked lightly. To be truthful, Braig admired the kid. Perhaps it was the fact that he was a lot like himself.

"I'm just... hanging out, I suppose. Miss Arlene just got here, so I can't say much for her. How 'bout you, Lea? I hope you're not overworked, kid." His yellow eyes weren't mocking nor were they harsh. For once, the Demented Shot was trying to be sincere... Haha, as if.

[Ellie who has 0%]

Lips pursed as Arlene looked up mindfully as if she was contemplating the comment; with a giggle, she shook her head and knocked on Braig's head," You know I highly doubt that Braigy poo especially with that noggin of -"

Her face wrinkled hearing the growl in disgust. Seriously one would think such appetite would've been tended to; she snorted hearing the question, "Trust me if you were around like I was wouldn't be sooo hungry..."

Her clawed like fingers tapped on his stomach as if to tickle, but the blades weren't made for child's play. Yet her spare right hand commence to comb through the Demented Shot's hair, "Besides Port Royal, I haven't done much, but there are some nosey pests at Twilight Town. Seriously a girl can stroll about without a dog sniffing up my ass with interrogation; mmm the youth lacks respect I'll say. Mmm if I was to snatch them, hardly anyone would miss them, buuut I doubt Big Daddy A would appreciate company...unless they're hear-"

Hearing a roar, Arlene had to do a double take, "What the hell?"

She removed herself from Braig's shoulder and leaned over the edge to see a pair of lion. Her nose wrinkled at them as they followed a familiar pair of frisbees. That fit the puzzle pieces together before a bundle of red hair came to view. Hearing the greeting, she fiddled a wave with her fingers. Arlene waited for him to come up to them. Her hands rested on her hips carelessly. She answered him with one word,"boredom."

She nearly laughed at Braig's question, "Overworked? Please you knew the answer before you asked. Psssh he couldn't even keep up at Port Royal; collecting hearts at night meant beach party for Flammin Hots."

[lunardevian]

Okay so Braig was just hanging, with a little Shadow, and Arlene was bored. So it looked like they both were having a bit of a slow day. "Well I've just been messing around with our little friends," He gave a small smirk at the Shadow in Braig's lap,"Mostly cause I was bored." Lea heard Arlene's little joke about him not overworking.

"Hey I wasn't slow, I just thought I'd take a break, and forget what I was doing. He turned his head away from her and walked over to Braig and take a seat next to him and started petting the little Heartless. "So... anything happen to any of ya in the past few days?" It was a simple question for a simple reason, Lea so needed something to do or talk about.

[xthelonelypuppetx]

Arlene's poking and prodding was little more than amusing at the time. Braig liked the kid. He had guts, a sort of moxie that Braig once possessed. Lea had the spirit that the Demented Shot had secretly been lacking. Becoming a Heartless had its perks, but it also had its flaws as well. Perhaps one of them was to start losing interest. Well, at least, Braig felt that way. He wondered if Lea had ever felt as down as he was...

Wait. Maybe that's because I'm... well... close to starvation. But who's counting, anyway?

The Shadow in Braig's lap stirred to Lea's touch. For some reason, the little one was slowly inching away from Arlene as if her touch was poisonous. The Demented Shot smirked at the thought. Moments before, those blades on her fingers had been dangerously close. One slip up, one little twang of anger, and Braig would have been dead before he could draw his weapon. Hell, he would have been dead before he even THOUGHT to draw his weapon. Either way, he could understand the Shadow's uneasiness. Perhaps that was why the Shadows always seemed to like Braig... But what would I do with Shadows? I can... umm... well... Shadows weren't very useful, and Braig knew it. Maybe they were better off as creatures similar to a lapdog.

"So... anything happen to any of ya in the past few days?" The kid asked lightly. Braig chose to ignore Arlene for the time being and shrugged impassively. Dark XII had recently gone to take the heart of that... pirate world. Of course, the Demented Shot did not attend. He was off doing better things. A slight laugh escaped Braig, one he was almost positive did not reach Arlene and Lea. He was a bit more careful than that, mind you.

He wasn't careful enough, though. His stomach roared in defiance. Damn...

"Well, yeah, I haven't been up to much except starving to death... I probably need to go find a snack or three." The idea was highly appealing. A nice, strong heart, one that could satisfy his own requirements. That'd be just... delicious. If he could, Braig wouldn't mind taking the hearts of worlds single-handedly. In fact, the idea was even more mouth-watering. The Demented Shot wasn't usually the one to obsess over the idea of consuming hearts. In fact, he tried to shun the concept altogether until it was absolutely necessary. But he was starving, oh so starving...

[Ellie who has 0%]

Arlene had kept herself busy, but she was curious why Braig wasn't present in Port Royal; a brow arched wondering why someone with a loose screw and on top of that numero dos would pass up such oppurtunity. No she doesn't find Braig the lazy type, which made it all the more questionable. Her nose wrinkled hearing the growl of his stomach, and her eyes narrowed, "Braig babe that's a lame excuse to starve yourself. If you were at Port Royal that would hardly be a problem."

A yellow brow arched silently challenging and questioning him. Arlene always found it proposterous for one to resist what was natural; it only brought up the concern if they were 100% in or trying to scurry away, but she kept her tone light of her suspicion. Still to anyone (a heartless) of course, it wouldn't make sense to not feed, especially when hearts were easily accessible; even the lesser heartless fulfill that with ease.

I am totally working with spineless bitches who can't take the heat. It seems with the lack of an efficient heart, others may try to grow one latching to humanity, which wasn't a quality of the Heartless making their overall purpose questionable and perhaps harmful to the whole. Fingers rubbed the blades together releasing a shrieking sound as the rubbed together.

"Anywho may sure you stick around; Big Daddy A can get quite testy if one's avialably unavailable or people taking breaks at important gatherings. It's hard enough to be organized. You know what an happen to deeaad weeiiight."

She sang the last part before leaning against a collumn of the Castle of Abyss. No she personally didn't know what become of those who are useless, but indeed it's a waste of heart someone else can use and consume. One may see it as canniballism, but it's merely cutting unneccessary ties.

[lunardevian]

"Starving yourself old man? You know they say that that's a long and painful death." Lea was surprised that Braig was even still here at the castle than going somewhere to fill his hunger. Still, Braig will be Braig and it's a bit hard to figure out this nut.

Lea leaned backwards until he was lying down on the ground on his back. "Ya know old man, if you want we could go find you a snack by hopping around a few places." He wouldn't mind hanging out with the Demented Shot. The two of them seemed to have a lot in common than the rest of the Dark XII with anybody else in the XII.

Lea listened to Arlene's little talk about dead weight and how their boss wouldn't really enjoy that. "She's right ya know, Boss Man dosen't like anything weighing us down, you should keep yourself in tip top shape if you don't want something happening to ya."

[xthelonelypuppetx]

You guys really need to stop talking about dead weight... I imagine none of you have really seen me at full capacity. Braig couldn't help but smirk at the thought. If anyone thought he was a formidable opponent now, they should just wait and see what happens when he's had a pleasant feast... He'd be going for weeks at best. He understood Lea's concern and smiled politely at the kid's request for a friendly hunt together. Arlene's concern was more like an attempt at such an emotion. The Demented Shot was aware that she probably hated him for starving himself, but he honestly could care less about that. Some people just had an idea that since they were Heartless, they should act like mindless drones, consuming heart after heart. As if. I may be a Heartless, but who's to say that I can't retain a bit of humanity?

"I'd enjoy a little hunt for hearts as long as I can find something that'll challenge me. Easy prey bores me," Braig noted lightheartedly. He wanted a bit of a challenge... He wanted that human to put up a fight before he had to cut his or her life short. The Heartless might even be courteous enough to let that person have a headstart before he pursued them. That was such an entertaining thought that Braig realized that he might even do so.

"How 'bout you, Miss? Would you like to come with us on this hunting trip?" Hah! That's a VERY pleasant thought...

[Ellie who has 0%]

"Well you can be 'in shape' gramps if you stay on your toes and stick around. No need for AWOL members, comprende pappi," Arlene replied in a warning tone with a bedazzle of playfulness as her knuckles rested on her hips before cocking to the side hearing Braig's proposal, "Oh babe, I thought you'll never asked. So where to?"

"Twilight Town is quite a drag personally, so that's definately a no no, bro."

[lunardevian]

Lea thought about where the trio could go to for some snacking. "Hm...Since Twilight Town is a bust, guess we could go...um...Yeah I got nothing." Lea let out a sigh at his failure to come up with anything. Guess it wasn't his cup of tea to think of any place to do stuff. Oh well, maybe Braig or Arlene will come up with something.

(Meh bleh post is blah.)

[xthelonelypuppetx]

"How about we pay a visit to little ol' Radiant Garden? Pick up some women, have a drink or two, create havoc, y'know. 'Course, if not, I'm up for Traverse Town as well." Braig had fun imagining the thought of going out on the town, much like humans would, and participate in human-like activities. Of course, that wasn't exactly what he meant... They'd feed, loose predators in a land teeming with tasty prey. "Haven't been around in a while, as you guys know, so if anything's been happenin' I wouldn't know about it. Fill me in, if you would."

((lame post but i'm laaazyyyy))