Fall from Grace

[Shaizen Latross]

Shaizen would place the blades back in their sheaths, making sure to not damage them anymore as he did so. He realized that, while it would have been common sense to check the market for the material, the man was right that there was very little chance for any to be there. He was fairly certain that there would be very few worlds with the metals. And if they did, how would he even get to them? He hardly even knew how he got here. 

He would glance up as he heard Mikhail offer him a temporary weapon, one of his own even. This man was warrior, a fighter. He would carry weapons of his own fashion, weapons he knew how to use. Not just that, but they would be strong. Shaizen was use to his own swords, using them for so long making other weapons seem... foreign. Despite this, he would like to get out and see more of this world, and possibly find his bag. 

"Alright then. I will fight with you. Before we go though, allow me to see if my clothes are fixed yet. Marmadue said he was going to work on them"

With those words, he would turn and walk back inside. Everyone still seemed to be asleep, except for a choice few who would wake when he walked in. He walks silently to the other side of the room, making sure not to wake anyone else. Once he gets to the stairs leading up, he takes them two at a time, knocking once he reaches the top and waiting for a response.

This man, Mikhail, had gotten Shaizen interested in these Heartless more. Knowing so little about them made him nervous now, as it seemed they have something to do with the destruction of worlds. He needed to know more about these creatures of Darkness, he needed to know why they were here. And he needed to find his bag. That was his main goal tonight. Find his bag, find a good forge, and repair his weapons. After that, he would feel better, safer even.

[Marmadue]

Marmadue didn't waste any time getting to work with the clothes he had taken from Shaizen. They were in such a sorry state, requiring plenty of care. Now, he obviously was no tailor himself, but… But he had done his fair share of work like this. Perhaps someone could fix the clothes better, but he did what he could. The seams wouldn't be completely hidden, the patches would be obvious if someone took a closer look. But at least the colors matched…

Once all was said and done and the Yuke was happy with the results, he neatly folded them into a pile on a chair and prepared to head off to sleep himself after a small meal in the shape of a small bread roll, a yawn escaping his mouth. He undressed, though once again by the time his hands got to his helmet, he decided to leave it on. One bad thing about sharing one's home with others was the lack of privacy. While it was rare for anyone to barge into his room, someone always could. It hardly was the first night he had slept with his helmet on. It wasn't exactly the most comfortable thing in the world, but he had quite gotten used to it.


It hadn't taken him long to fall asleep. How long he had been asleep, that was a more difficult question as his eyes pried open, staring at the dark ceiling. It always was dark outside. The repeated knock from the door made him understand the reason he had stirred from his sleep.
"A-Ah yes, just a moment," Marmadue called out, his voice slightly hoarse and unused to talking, but he managed to get the words out. He rolled over and slowly got up from the mattress and pile of blankets on the floor, quickly preening his feathers with his fingers as he walked to the door. It was probably important.

The Yuke opened the door, peeking outside in a white shirt.

[Shaizen Latross]

Shaizen would wait patiently as Marmadue answered the knock, bowing his head in greeting as the door opened. He felt bad for bothering him when he had obviously been asleep. Still, he knew he himself wouldn't be able to go back to sleep now that he was awake. Not just that, but he also wanted to see more of this place, see what else it has to offer. In a way, he needed to. He knew he wouldn't just be sitting around in the town. He was a fighter, he would be out fighting these Heartless who seemed to be more of a threat than he thought

"Hello Marmadue. Forgive me for bothering you, but are my clothes done? I have been offered a weapon so I can search elsewhere for my bag"

At first he felt like just saying he was going for a walk, but he felt that Marmadue deserved his trust. Plus he knew Mikhail was still waiting outside, and didn't want to spend more time than he needed. The Heartless wouldn't wait, that was for sure. From what he could tell from the information he had been given in just this day, they weren't just trying to survive, but were preying on people. This made Shaizen feel as though he needed to see them for himself, more than just the glimpses he has had in the past. 

He would wait for Marmadue's response, trying not to peer into his room and give him privacy. While he was curious about this man and what he was, he felt as though prying would be rude and dishonor the help he had received from the man. Even without this feeling though, Shaizen had always been rather proud of his manners towards other's privacy. Especially when around one who was a high rank within something. 

"If it is not yet finished that is fine. I can go in this"

[Marmadue]

"Ah. Mister Shaizen," Marmadue spoke as his gaze registered the man behind the door. He would have liked seeing him asleep at this time after everything he had been through, but who slept well on their first night? Or the second? Or… Well, it usually took a while. Eventually fatigue alone would force them to get a full night's rest. The man… Wanted his clothes. Well, perhaps they would be more comfortable than the ones he was wearing right now…

"Oh ah. Yes, I– Er. A weapon?" He blinked, trying to register what was being said. The clothes, they were fine, yes. But what did a weapon have to do with anything…? Shaizen wasn't planning on… Going now, was he?
"I did fix them," the Yuke hummed, turning around so he could walk to the chair beside a little writing desk where he had put them until he could give them back to their original owner. After picking them up, Marmadue made his way back to the man and offered the neatly folded pile.
"They of course ah, aren't going to be as good as they were before, but they should be in one piece. For now."

"You're… Not planning on going outside now, are you?"

[Shaizen Latross]

Shaizen would take his clothes looking them over and nodding in approval, a small smile forming as he did. Marmadue did a good job patching them up, the holes from before were hardly noticeable at first glance. They almost looked as though they were never damaged. Shaizen liked this. Especially for his jacket. The jacket was given to a promoted Guardsman, in honor of their advancement. He would hold the clothes under his arm, nodding in thanks to Marmadue

"Thank you. You did a good job on them. Almost can't tell they were in ruins"

He would stop to think about the best way to answer Marmadue's question. Perhaps he should have just said he was going for a walk after all. While he had only just met Marmadue, he felt as though this man was the kind that at least tried to look out for those he helped. Still, it would be rude to lie to him after everything he had done so far. As he answered, he held out his own swords to Marmadue, in a sign of trust

"Yes. I stepped outside for a bit of air when I met someone else. Named Mikhail. He offered me one of his own swords so that I might go out and look for the bag. He said he would help, and could use help himself"

He hoped Marmadue would understand, and wouldn't try to stop him or persuade him to stay. He felt as though he needed to look for the bag himself, not just have others around the town look. And even if he didn't find it, learning more about the town and the Heartless would help his chances of surviving on this new world. 

"I decided I would take him up on his offer. It could prove beneficial"

[Marmadue]

"Ah, I am glad that you are satisfied," Marmadue nodded after Shaizen inspected the offered clothes and found them to be up to his standards. It was the kind of praise he was happy to receive, knowing that he was on the right path when it came to skills he hadn't been able to hone as much as he would have liked to. If only that was the only thing to be considered here. What plans the man had for the clothes was the worrying part…

The Yuke rubbed the side of his neck, clearly not all that thrilled about Shaizen heading out. He had never heard of this Mikhail, so he didn't really know what kind of a person that was or if Shaizen was going to be safe – after all, he had just come to Twilight Town, injured! Had he even properly rested? But Marmadue did not immediately talk back. It took him a moment to actually figure out if he should be saying anything. The bag clearly was quite important to the man, so it was difficult to be against that.

"I… Am unsure if it would be ah, very safe. The Heartless, they, they tend to be more active where there are less people. Right now there ah, just are less people all around the town, so…"

[Shaizen Latross]

Shaizen would nod, showing he understood. And he knew that what Marmadue was most likely correct. While he was grateful for all he had done for him, Shaizen also had things he wanted to do. The Heartless were among those things. He wished to learn more about them, discover more of what they are. They were on his world, and now they are here. There was no coincidence there, that was for sure. They didn't just transfer over to this world like he did, they were already here. A world of ruins, covered in Heartless from what he could gather. 

"Yes, I figured it would be as much. They are creatures of Darkness, after all. It's just... I need to go out and search. Not just for my bag but for any possible survivors from my world. And I need to know more about the Heartless. I need to know why my world was destroyed, and what they had to do with it"

He hoped Marmadue would understand. He was unsure if Marmadue would actually realize why Shaizen needed this information. After all, he didn't know what Marmadue went through when he first came here. For all he knew, Marmadue didn't want to search for such answers or had lost any belongings. In fact, he didn't know anything at all about this man's past. Knowing this, Shaizen decided it would be best just to give Marmadue his word that he would return

"Do not worry, while not that much, I have fought Heartless before. I will be fine, and my back will be watched. I promise I will return. I just... can't sit here and do nothing. It's just not me to do such. I will return, but I just have to go for now"

Shaizen would turn and walk back downstairs after waiting for Marmadue's response, walking into the closet Marmadue got the clothes from and changing in there. Once he was done, he would neatly fold the clothes that were lent to him, placing them on the shelf before heading outside. He would nod to Mikhail, showing he was ready to go and waiting for him to lead the way

[Marmadue]

Marmadue frowned, glancing down. Of course he wasn't happy to hear what Shaizen was saying. Did he understand? Yes. The need to do something, to look for the things one had lost, information. Perhaps even revenge. But it wasn't very common for those he picked off the streets and helped to be the type who would rush back into the fight – in general, that kind of people must have been the minority. The Yuke wasn't used to it. Even if he understood, was it the right thing to even let the man do something like that? If he might have gotten himself killed…?

Rubbing his arm through the fabric of his shirt, it was quite obvious that Marmadue wasn't exactly on board with the idea, his gaze avoiding Shaizen's own. But if he was opposed, he did not voice that opinion. He didn't know if that would be right, either.
"Ah, but… …Do keep in mind that ah, you are most likely not at your peak performance. There is a limit to what your body can handle, magic or no magic. You should not ah… Strain yourself. Unnecessary risks are not a wise course of action," Marmadue glanced up at the man's face, giving his warnings. He was a healer, after all. It wasn't in his heart to send people out to get hurt.

"I do not know if it is something you should be doing in the first place," the Yuke looked back down, still uncertain, but he knew he couldn't stop Shaizen,
"…You know where to find me, if you need me. Or a place where to stay…"



((Guess that'll be it for Marmadue for now, unless you need him again! Let's thread again in the future.))

[Mikhail Rutherford]

[Marmadue is just too precious :B]

“Ready?” Mikhail asked, quickly taking in Shaizen’s appearance. Though he hardly expressed discomfort before, the light bearer probably felt more at ease now that he had his own clothes back. That small feeling of belonging and familiarity, even when it came from small things such as weapons or clothing, was strong enough to lift one’s spirits in their darkest hours. The pyromancer knew that too well.

Still, he wasn’t so sure if inviting his new acquaintance to tag along had been the best idea. Shaizen was probably drained from the ordeal. That itself made him a target; darkness was attracted to weakness, and the Heartless would jump at the chance of collecting yet another heart for their collection. Then again, Mikhail couldn’t go back on his word, and he felt empathic toward Shaizen’s apparent urge to just do something.

Frustration came easy to those accustomed to a fast-paced lifestyle.

“Alright, let’s go.” He unsheathed the silver backsword, Path to Mana, before offering its golden hilt to Shaizen. Perhaps this would also be a good exercise for Mikhail. He had grown used to wielding both blades to the point of perhaps relying a tad too much on his off-hand weapon. That was a dangerous habit on its own.

The former knight led the way into the depths of Twilight Town, once again abandoning the comfort and relative safety of Market Street.

[END THREAD]