[ Plot! ] The Next Course of Action

[Oswald]

With Xion and Mikhail making small speeches and Whimsy floating about it didn't seem like much was going on, that was until Avari burst into the room and fainted. "Another huge heartless in town! Where is it? Avari ya gotta wake up!" Oswald said while bursting out of his chair knocking it over. “Marmadue will she be fine, you’re really the only Doctor here.”

Just then, another teen walked through the doors to the infirmary and talked about taking care of the infirmary for a few weeks now, which seemed weird as the infirmary just happened to be Marmadue’s home, but whatever, if she can help that’s fine by Os. “Oh right! My cat thing can heal!” Oswald said while fumbling through his pockets to grab the crystal to focus on, and with a quick flash the six legged cat was in the room. “Hey you, cat, go help Avari! Oswald said while pointing at the girl. “There, now we got two people and a cat to help everything should turn out alright.”

[Lorena]

Lorena's sights set on a red-haired man who stepped into the clearing in front of the infirmary, calling out to her in greeting. He asked her for directions to the infirmary, and she raised her bow. "State your name and your business. We've caught wind of a dangerous heartless nearby, so forgive the caution." He may not have appeared to be a heartless, but the allies of the darkness seemed to come in all shapes and sizes, and if he was a threat, Lorena couldn't just let him waltz on through the front door without a fight.

Though she asked the man to forgive her, she couldn't let her guard down simply because he appeared to be human and whole like the rest of them. With a quiet hum, a beam of light stretched from her hand, forming a translucent white arrow on her bow. As she trained her magic on him, she noticed the flyer as he waved in his hand, and it did give her slight pause. He could have simply been another refugee, simply running late to the meeting. Even still, once she heard his introduction she would decide whether or not to let him through.

[Axel]

(( OOC: The scene between Axel and Lorena has been moved here, as not to interfere with the main story too much. ))

[Aqua]

The silence that hung in the air after Avari’s announcement hung in the air like a dense fog. People were panicked – she was panicked. Her heart was pounding against her chest as her senses reached out desperately in every direction – eyes darting to and fro and ears straining to pick up on the slightest trace of a Heartless.

But calm was more important now than ever. If there was another large Heartless attacking Twilight Town, the risk of the world falling to Darkness was present yet again. There was no telling how many attacks it would take until the Heart of the world was discovered and devoured. Silently, she prayed that this wouldn’t be the straw to break the camel’s back.

Avari seemed to be in good hands between Marmadue and Oswald. She doubted there was much more she could do – especially without any sort of healing magic. Barriers had always been more her area of expertise. Proactivity was key, according to the Master. Healing required someone be hurt, and prevention was better than reaction on the battlefield.

The Master’s Defender slowly faded from her grasp. Her sense were either failing her, or there was no strong source of Darkness in their vicinity. That was good; it gave them time to prepare.

“It seems like we’re fighting a battle on two fronts, then,” she stated with a long, slow breath. “Staying behind isn’t just for the faint of heart; it never was. Twilight Town’s defense is just as important as the other worlds, which means we’ll need to split our efforts evenly between the two.”

But there was no way that the handful of people assembled in this room amounted to the whole population of refugees. There were fighters that weren’t present – at least one sprang to mind immediately.

“I’ll leave you wall with the choice. Stay or go. But please, tell anyone you can about what’s happened here tonight. The worlds need as many Warriors of Light as they can muster, and that means each person has a contribution they can make.”

At those words, Aqua eyed Era and gave a slight smile.

“And that’s regardless of whether or not other people believe it’s their place to.”

Aqua turned to face Riku, taking in the sternness of his eyes at the prospect of the dragon that had attacked Avari. Her thoughts drifted to Xion, who hadn’t seemed to have the time to react in all the chaos. There was one more that he’d mentioned – a man named Lea. They were four in total now, and she knew they would be stronger with five. But did she trust Xion or this new wielder she’d never met more than she trusted Riku?

No, she decided. No, she didn’t.

In the back of her mind, she remembered how Ven and Terra had recoiled from her when she’d tried to stop them from chasing their ambitions. She hadn’t been as gentle as she could have been back then, she realized. It was a mistake that she hoped she could correct now.

“Riku,” she said, tone hushed as she approached him and placed a single hand on his shoulder. “The people here will need someone who can use the keyblade to destroy the Heartless when I go. I need someone here that I can count on to do that. I know you want to go look for Sora, but Twilight Town has to take priority. When Ven is back with us, you have my word that finding Sora will be the very next thing on our list. Can I trust you to hold down the fort?”

She furrowed her brow, still not happy with the way she’d asked. Softer, she thought, was the key.

“Please?”

[Whimsy]

Oh dear. What’s this?

Suddenly there was a girl bursting in with an injury, another coming out of one of the rooms down the hall, and everyone up in a panic! This was bad. His tiny moogle head tossed from one person to another in a tiny bit of panic! Whimsy just wanted to regain order. Ohhhh… he was really no good for this stuff.

It looked like the gang was able to mostly sort out the issue on their own. Which was good. Since he really didn’t know what to say here, he decided to let things sort themselves out. There was a thankful look he tossed Aqua as she became a quiet tide that brought order to the room.

After Aqua was finished speaking, it seemed that the room began to gain order again. Although it went just as quiet, likely with people figuring out what they wanted to do — or what they should.

The little moogle cleared his throat with a tiny cough. Strangely enough, it was enough to bring attention back to the little peaceable creature. “Um. So. With the situation as it is, perhaps it would be a good time to tell you all, kupo.” His bobble twitched as he floated a bit higher, making sure he could see everyone and that everyone could see him. “Just after the Nightfall, we moogles gathered to discuss the worlds. We have reason to believe that they haven’t been fully destroyed, kupo. Rather… that they’re tucked away somewhere.” Whimsy scratched his head. This all seemed so simple when his brothers were discussing it. Now it seemed really complicated to explain!

After a moment of scratching his head in irritation, he twirled in the air to relieve some stress and, delightfully refocussed, he continued. “You see, we have reason to believe that each of us has a sliver of our home world’s heart that resides inside of us, an imprint if you will. It’s woven into a part of us, and always had a connection to the home world. Most of the time, it is dormant within us, but it can be accessed: even awakened.”

His bobble wiggled again. “We moogles happen to call it a ‘Piece of World Heart’. We theorize that if enough of these fragments can be released, they’ll act like a compass and help guide us to where that world’s heart is. Kupo, ku! To get to it is the tricky part though.” His attention turned from one Denizen of Light to the next. “You see, we think the only way to release a Piece of World Heart is by exposing a Heart with a Keyblade, kupo.” And that was where things might get sticky. Ooh. This felt way too serious for his taste! Why did Whimsy have to be the one to brief them? He shook his head. “It’s a sticky situation, but we moogles fashioned something that might help. Or should I say… we thought of it, kupo. Dueler X actually made them out of artifact fragments and diamond dust.”

He raised his tiny hand and a small trinket magically appeared in it. “This is a special charm. It will help us to connect the Pieces of World Heart already exposed, and will help us to triangulate on the positions of individual World Hearts, so that they can be found and restored.”

His attention bounced from Alice to Aqua, to Riku, to Era. “Aqua is right. Staying or going: both are important. Wherever you are, whatever else you’re doing, this is how we will find and restore our homes, kupo.” He made another charm appear, then another. “We have a limited supply, but there should be enough for all of you."

[Fahe Reingard]

Fahe was flying around trying to find out where the heck this meeting was supposed to be when he spotted a bunch of people filing into a room. Starting to descend towards it he saw Avari run in as well, so it must be the place! Finally arriving down on the ground near the building he started heading to the door when he heard talk of a battle on two fronts and 'piece of world heart,' whatever that could mean. Reaching the door and opening it there was a lot to take in. From a black rabbit thing to Avari on the ground, it was certainly a really weird scene for someone to just walk into.

"So uh, what's uh, what's this poster around town about?" Fahe said while holding up one of the various poster he had taken off of a wall. "Also what's going on with Avari, is she alright? And what are that," Fahe pointed to the Necho Cat, "that," Fahe said while pointing at Oswald, "and that?" Fahe said while pointing at Whimsy.

[Avari]

Avari
Squire

Her vision was starting to blur as her adrenaline began settling down and the blood loss started to take its toll, but she recognized Max as he rushed forward to help her. He reassured her that they would take care of her before he laid her down on her back and asked her what happened. Marmadue's helmet came in view next, along with the familiar green aura of his healing magic; her gaze drifted to him through half closed eyes. Then there was a curly blonde haired woman she didn't recognize, but who quickly introduced herself as Alice as she lifted Avari's head onto a pillow, promising Avari would be okay.

“You cannot stop what will come, little one,” The dragon's voice echoed in Avari's head, and in fear she shakily grabbed Max by the forearm.

"The dragon... it appeared out of nowhere, and it could breath fire, and control the other heartless. And," her grip on Max's arm weakened as she had used up the last of her strength, "It spoke to me."

Though Marmadue's and Oswald's efforts were certainly helping, Avari was still incredibly weak and in need of rest and recuperation. It would take some time before she healed completely. Her hand fell from Max's arm and her eyes closed as she passed out.

[Marmadue]

Marmadue focused on the task at hand, though the world around him hadn't disappeared completely. There was tension in the air, everyone reacting in a way most natural to them. Some were prepared to fight, others were more worried about Avari and wanted to come to her aid, like how Alice was quick to offer up a pillow for the girl. And some… Well, some perhaps did not exactly know what to do, or what else they could do someone else wasn't already doing. Perhaps it was a good thing that the Yuke had gotten some opportunities to prepare for such grave injuries, giving him at least enough confidence to think that he could handle the situation… Or he would have been very worried indeed. For now, he just worked his magic, his gaze glancing towards Oswald as he was talking to him. The rabbit certainly was high-strung and he couldn't be blamed.
"A-Ah, I am not exactly a doctor, per se," he had to clear Oswald's terminology however, as he could not boast having such knowledge and skill. He just had magic on his side.

But as for the question itself… It was something he couldn't answer yet. Perhaps Marmadue could pretend to just concentrate on healing the girl instead of answering such a simple question, but the truth was that he had to actually see how her injuries were reacting. He did appreciate the extra healing help from Oswald's strange cat-like creature – and noticed that he could start breathing normally again when he saw the wounds to start knitting themselves back together, even after such trauma… Good. That was… Good. The flow of blood was starting to staunch itself. Some more time and Avari should be stable…

She was still conscious, talking about what she had seen. Her mentioning how the Heartless spoke caused the Yuke to glance in Maxwell's direction – perhaps because he was the closest, or perhaps because the man had used to know so much about the Heartless in the past, so he was used to looking at him for help. Did he still remember such details? Marmadue couldn't help but feel uneasy, never having heard one of those monsters actually form words – but what did he know. He didn't have much experience when it came to those creatures! Was it normal, what Avari was telling them?

It was no surprise that Avari didn't manage to stay awake for much longer, however. Her wounds were doing good and based on that, at least she wasn't going to bleed out. And she was still breathing. The worst was over. Probably. Hopefully. The Yuke could ease up his tensed muscles, but he did not stop his magic. The more he healed her, the easier it would be for her body to handle the rest.
"She… Will be fine, I would say," he finally could answer Oswald, before looking over at Alice and Era, who had rushed in earlier. Both seemed to be eager to help, Era especially wishing to somehow make Marmadue's task easier! No one had stepped forth with a suggestion as to how they might do that, but it wasn't even needed. Luckily.

"Ah. It seems that such won't be necessary, Miss Era," he looked in the girl's direction with a nod. It was a gesture that was appreciated. As the Yuke's hands continued to glow with his magic, he also turned to look at Alice.
"…This is not ah, a critical situation requiring haste, but of course, if you wish to try your hand at curative magics, I will not turn you down. What she needs now is rest. A more comfortable bed is something we must offer to her once we have done what we can muster," Marmadue spoke, giving what little direction he could to those who had turned to him for help. Not a position he was used to, in situations like these…


Healing was still his main concern, but he was able to focus more on everything else. The worst was over and their group was able to return to talking about what they had come here to talk in the first place. The woman with the keyblade, Aqua, left them with a mission of spreading the word and giving them the choice of leaving or going – neither of which sounded like the safest option, considering Twilight Town was once again being attacked by a merciless monster, and… Well, Marmadue did not know what dangers other worlds posed. A little cough pierced the air after her, the Moogle once again taking a turn to speak. What he spoke of was quite difficult to wrap one's head around, the Yuke tilting his head slightly as he listened. Hearts of the worlds and the pieces of them that resided in their inhabitants… There had been quite the emphasis on hearts and even that strange concept of a Heart of a World lately, but that was something he still didn't quite understand completely, yet. Maxwell had been the first one to ever really mention such a thing to him. But if this all was going to lead to the restoration of the worlds, Marmadue was all for it. He did not stand up to go get a charm the Moogle was providing, for he was still quite preoccupied with the whole healing thing. There was one thing he had to voice, however.
"…Pardon me if this is ah, a question with an obvious answer, for I am quite uneducated in such matters. But, ah… How does one leave?"

He had not yet heard a way. Many had come to Twilight Town, none had left. Yet here, it sounded like it was such a simple thing to do…


And he hadn't even noticed the winged boy come in before he spoke up, causing the Yuke to flinch and turn his head towards the door. Fahe… Certainly had a certain way he made entrances, it seemed. Late, oblivious. Most of the questions were something better answered at a later date when they weren't worrying about monsters. Luckily the boy was unharmed by the Heartless dragon!
"…Oh dear. A warning should be issued to urge everyone to seek shelter, if that creature is still lurking out there. Fahe, you did not happen to see any large Heartless around, did you?"

[Era]

Era politely nodded to Marmadue, offering him a gentle smile. It was good to know that her thoughts were acknowledged, but not needed. Maybe if things were handled here she should focus her helping hands elsewhere.

She would accept one of the trinkets offered by Whimsy. Eventually she would make it fasten around her wrist. For now it would be tucked away in her pocket. Marmadue brought up a good point. How were they to come and go from this world? She had done it in the past, but that was before the Nightfall. That was to say: before the worlds had all been swallowed up. What, pray tell, would enable them to hop off to a new world now?

She would tuck herself away, gather her thoughts and listen for an answer.

[Whimsy]

The panic in the room was tangible. And it should have been, considering a dragon had just been spotted. It had simmered a bit now that Avari was being healed, but the pressure was still there. And Whimsy was sensitive to it. Somehow a dreaded beast had made it into the sanctuary city and damaged at least one of the survivors too! What unfortunate timing.

Focus Whimsy, focus! Okay. What next? His little head snapped to and fro, trying to come to a conclusion. Ah, yes! He'd start by answering Marmadue's question! His bobble twitched as he made up his mind on a direction. "Kupo! My cohort Stiltzkin should be finished getting the Teleport Crystal online that will be able to transport our bold explorers." It was stated just so plainly. Moogles were rather matter-of-fact critters and for being so simplistic, they were rather extraordinary in terms of utility. 

"Now, sounding the alarm! Yes, yes kupo! That should be next! Those who desire to leave Twilight Town should follow me to Central Station! Those who wish to stay, please go find Lorena. Team up and ward off the dragon. We depend on you. No pressure, kupo!" With those bits out of the way he began to flutter away in a hurry.

That would have to do for the town hall meeting! They didn't have time for much else. "Meeting adjourned, kupo-ku!" It was the last thing Whimsy stated before whizzing out of the infirmary.