Yankee

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World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

Word Count: 721 (+1 exp)
Level: 9 - Total EXP: 364/90
Location: the Frozen Highlands

As per usual with so many different skill sets and tactics, the encounter with the massive alligator quickly became chaotic. It wasn't the worst, all things considered. So far the Seekers managed to keep the monster from engulfing the coach and its draft pals, and from destroying the boardwalk in front of it. It seemed as though they had a handle on it, at least until two of their number were eaten up.

Initially Ace's heart had sank when he saw Blazermate and Geralt disappear into the monster's mouth, but it took only a few seconds for him to reason that they were still alive. Unless the gator's digestive juices were especially potent or there were some kinds of interior teeth or other organ designed to break prey down as soon as they hit its stomach, then there was no way the two Seekers wouldn't have survived being swallowed whole. Well, there was always a chance for the worst, but Ace chose to be optimistic.

Confirmation came from Sandalphon's voice echoing out from the connection she had with the other Seekers. He heard her heads up about her plan to freeze it as well and made himself ready by shooting towards the alligator as fast as he could so that by the time the ice locked Tom in place, Ace was already in position. The mini cannons on his rigging were already firing, and he swung the chain of his slinger out with the claws interlocked this time to pull him the rest of the way there when the anchor-like shape slammed into Tom and caught on the gator's jagged scales. Once really up close Ace focused on the softer under-scales wherever he could find them, slashing and slicing along Tom's side, his foreleg, and neckline. Quick, powerful cuts that would add up along with the damage dealt by everyone else once the alligator was able to feel it all at once.

And it worked. As soon as the ice broke apart Tom sagged where he floated. Ace had half a mind to rip open a slit in the leviathan's neck, make an easier out for the two that had been swallowed, but as Tom recovered the Seekers' newest addition called down a warning - one which the Cadet was quick to heed as he registered the growing flare around the girl. He could only guess at what she planned to do, but he knew for sure he didn't want to be nearby when she did it.

"All you!" he said, skating backwards and putting space between himself and the monster. It was a good thing he did, as though Mokou was on the opposite of Tom the fiery blast she created on impact might still have reached him. The smoking scales mixed with the dark plumes coming from the alligator's nostrils, and moments later the creature retched.

His new position gave Ace a full view of the wounded monster regurgitating a whole pile of busted up parts of exhibits with Geralt and Blazermate among the mess. He didn't know about Blazermate, but two dips into near freezing water probably wasn't going to be good for the Witcher - the Cadet changed course and skated over to where they'd ended up in the pool.

"I got you guys!" Ace called, stowing his sword for the moment so he could reach down and pull the two of them up and out of the water, one in each hand, at least until the medabot could take to the air once more. Once she had, the blade returned to the hunter's grasp. Tom had sunk beneath the water, but Ace wanted to be sure it was actually beaten. He remained where he was on top of the ripples the reptile created as it sank, waiting to see if it would resurface.

Thankfully it never did. It must have lost consciousness, or perhaps succumbed to its injuries while underwater, because it did not return to keep fighting for its meal. Though he couldn't see to the bottom of the flooded exhibit, with a pinched brow Ace's gaze kept searching the waters. Someone else hadn't returned either, after all.

"Anybody got eyes on Mokou? Did she fall in?" he questioned. He hadn't spotted her in the air either, only the scattered glow of the embers she'd left behind.

Im new! (original titles are overrated)

Welcome to RPG!

New here!

Welcome!

What Are You Listening To?

After Era Mythos

I'm guessing that you'll be busy for a bit, Yankee?

@ERode

About the same level of busy-ness, that is to say, remaining a slow poster. I'll keep up when I can though.

New member here, please proceed carefully and do not touch, feed or aggravate the specimen

@Folker welcome to RPG! If you have any questions just feel free to ask!

After Era Mythos

Kirara + Astraeus

---

in collaboration with @Crowvette

In hindsight it would be apparent that the two heroes were lucky to be able to chat as they were. It wasn’t a casual conversation, not exactly, and it certainly wasn’t candid with the way that Kirara’s agents hovered at her shoulder as she spoke. Not only was the idol on a time limit before she had to make an appearance before her fans once again, and the aspiring hero apparently had gotten backstage under near-false pretenses, but for two people that should realistically be rivals the others in the room let them speak without interruption.

Cas considered Kirara’s response. When she talked about idols having their own spins on their careers, his features fell a little. That was about what he expected - it was, after all, the norm. People becoming heroes to make money, sell a product, get famous. One could hardly blame the individuals when corporations incentivized such things.

She did mention helping people, though. Honestly he hadn’t even thought about the fact that her songs themselves could help. She was right too, there were tons of stories about people healing through art of all kinds, especially music. Cas blinked, touching a hand to his chin. ”Huh, I never thought about it like that before.”

Maybe he should get into art too, and then get others in on it. Maybe assist in starting a neighborhood art therapy program if there wasn’t one around already…

His thoughts were cut short by Kirara’s counter question. He blinked once more, a small smile returning to his face.

”Me? Well, because… I wanted to help people too,” he said. If he was at all embarrassed about the simple answer, it didn’t show on his face whatsoever. He was direct and earnest as he spoke. ”Be a real hero, not the kind behind a screen.”

Kirara put her hands together at Cas’s response. “Oh! I think that’s wonderful!!” Her eyes almost seemed to sparkle. “Such a pure motivation is perfect for a hero! It’s brilliant!!” She was visibly leaning forward with every exclamation, perhaps without realizing it. She took a moment to gather herself a bit. “Being honest and straightforward like that is what lets people really shine, don’t you think? I hope as a hero I can inspire people to be like that.”

She meekly rubbed the back of her head after a moment. “Though, I’m still a complete novice as a hero… If anything, you seem like you’re more fit for the job already.” While she was no stranger to pressure, Kirara did betray a little nervousness about being a hero - it was still new to her. She hadn’t really had such a chance to casually converse with another hero, and perhaps she was letting that nervousness show as a result.

It might not have helped her worry that her conversation partner appeared a little taken aback at her reaction. From her overly enthusiastic motions to the particular words she chose. Cas blinked as her face inched closer and closer, tipping his head back when it seemed like their noses might even bump together. His face flushed slightly, a mix of feeling flattered and patronized at once. Maybe he'd been spending too much time around agents and offices of Summit (he definitely had been), but... it was hard to tell if she was being genuine or not.

After a beat Cas chose to take her praise at face value, returning a smile. "Ah, thanks. That means a lot."

Though for Kirara's insecurities, there wasn't actually much that the red head could do for her. He laughed, lightly and a little awkwardly, before saying, "I've only seen you on stage so I can't really say, but if you're healing people through your music and inspiring them to be better, don't you think that's already enough?"

Kirara furrowed her brow on those words, thinking on it with her eyes closed. “Hmm… It may seem like ‘enough,’ but…” She opened her eyes and gave a confident look. “Doing more than ‘enough’ is what makes a hero! Or at least, the kind of hero I’d want to be…” Kirara put her finger to her chin in thought, seemingly only processing what she had said after it was already out of her mouth.

There was a moment of silence as her eyes wandered, before returning to fix her gaze on Cas. “...Were you perhaps leading me to that thought to reassure me?” She leaned in a little and flashed him a sly grin, as if she had caught him red-handed. Whether or not it was intentional, it seemed clear that she considered it to be true. “You’re good! I do feel a little more confident now that I’ve said it out loud!”

Of course that wasn't actually the case. The young man's question was certainly to test Kirara, but not to nudge her in one direction or the other. In fact, Cas had assumed her answer might be sugary lines pre-fed to the idol by her agent, or something like that. Instead he was faced with a passionate and sincere girl, and was overcome with a feeling of embarrassment. Definitely, definitely spending too much time with his own suits. How could he have questioned Kirara’s resolve? How could he have possibly thought that she was just another 'hero' chasing fame when she felt the exact same way he did? Going above and beyond was what pushed Caspian to get out of his comfort zone and learn all kinds of things to help all kinds of people, and it was the pursuit of getting to a place where he could do the most good that he even accepted the old man's offer in the first place.

Suddenly Cas slapped both of his palms to his face. If she was any less used to it, Gianna might have startled at the movement. Instead she sighed through her nose, half fond, and barely managed not to roll her eyes. When Cas pulled his hands away there were soft red marks on his cheeks, but he was beaming at Kirara.

"Nah, you got there all on your own!" he told her first. "You're right though, and that's what I think too! Always giving it the extra mile when you can." And even when you can't, though Cas left that part of his experience out. "Man, I'm glad I came to talk to you. You might even have a new fan."
Kirara thought she had said something wrong at first, with how Cas responded. She almost spoke up to apologize before she managed to grasp the situation from Gianna’s reaction. Kirara obviously couldn’t tell what exactly Cas was thinking, but she was glad that he took what she said well.

Kirara returned the same beaming smile back to Cas. “That’s amazing!” She grabbed his hands excitedly, nearly bouncing with energy. “I’ll definitely be a fan of you too!!” She was overjoyed that another hero was happy to talk to her, let alone saying they’d be a fan of hers. Some of the ones she had researched seemed rather scary to talk to, in her opinion.

Seeing her now, one could barely imagine that she had just walked off the stage of a live performance. Turning from Cas and towards her producer, she put up her fist in a pose of determination. “All right! I’m fired up all over again!! I feel like I could do another set entirely!”” Seemingly, she had forgotten that the next event was a handshake event and not more music.

World of Light: the Endless Now (The Ultimate Videogame Crossover)

Word Count: 946 (+2 exp)
Level: 8 - Total EXP: 281/80
Location: Esaka, Forbidden Kingdom

In the end, Xilgrev ended up giving them quite a bit of information. Some of it was what had already been assumed, now just confirmed more or less, and a lot of it was delivered dryly if not sardonically, but the Seekers had learned what they needed to about the Guardians of the Forbidden Kingdom. They also learned a little about Xilgrev, and the Organization itself. Emphasis on a little, but it was something - and it was this something that Pit's brain decided to latch onto as lunch was winding down and coming to a close.

The revelation that the world wasn't going to just spit everyone out and snap back to the way it should be, and that the Organization had this knowledge along with plans for what came next could have been a reassuring thought, but to Pit it implied that this was where the 'up to no good' part was going to come in. There was that, and then there was the seemingly throw away comments Xilgrev made to Sakura about not being able to feel sadness or joy. The remark to Zenkichi about having to give things up to join Organization XIII. And, of course, Roland's earliest comments to the robed man.

Was Xilgrev actually a Nobody, then? Roxas hadn't said that everyone, or even anyone in the Organization he was familiar with was one, but the information lined up. Pit was paying attention! And there was something else he was reminded of too, about the nature of Nobodies that Roxas told him about just last night: 'Us being ‘empty shells’ is what Organization XIII told us to keep us in line. Nobodies start out having no Hearts, but over time can… grow one as they forge bonds and experience things.'

If that was the case, then maybe not everyone in Organization XIII had suspicious ulterior motives. Maybe just their leader did, and the rest were following along because they didn't have another option. And maybe they could help those members grow their hearts before an inevitable confrontation between the two groups, since what Sakura said was a real possibility even if their leader wasn't the evil guy Roxas was convinced he was. If nothing else, Pit was good about trying to stay optimistic, so before the Organization member could disappear into the cafe's crowd Pit got up too.

"Xilgrev!" he called, still close enough that he didn't have to shout over the restaurant to be heard by the man. "Not being able to feel stuff, not having a Heart... that's not forever. If that's something you gave up, you can just grow a new one if you start trying to, you know. We could even help."

It sounded sort of sappy even to Pit's ears, but there was no uncertainty in his voice. He completely believed Roxas' words, so if Xilgrev actually was a Nobody, the even in this world they should still hold true. "So, uh, just remember that!"

At that, Xilgrev gave the angel a lingering look, seemingly at a loss. After a moment, though, he gave a dismissive grunt. "Hmph. Sounds like a real bother." As he left, though, he looked through Pao Pao's windows at a Japanese restaurant across the street. "Still..."

Pit stood where he was for a few moments, watching Xilgrev's retreating back. He had no idea if what he'd said had gotten through to the man, but he hoped so. For the Organization members' own sakes he hoped they could grow their own Hearts, even if it didn't end up helping the Seekers. It was as Sakura said earlier; just too sad to not be able to feel anything.

Afterward the angel returned to the table soon enough, and since everyone was finished up there were plans forming about what to do next. Pit wasn't going to lie, underground fight rings did sound kind of exciting to see. Sakura was probably going to be more than happy to join in too, and if more than one of them were going to fight then Pit could cheer them on. However... he knew what Band said made a lot of sense. Plus he did want to see more of the city itself, especially the Pools that Ms. Fortune mentioned. Plus once they had a base of operations, they could find Juri, Primrose, and Therion and let them know what they'd learned. And, Pit thought, he should probably get a phone if the linkpearl connection remained spotty if only just to keep Rika and Junior in the loop too.

His decision on what to do after lunch was sort of made, then. After tilting his head from side to side as a visible display of him thinking, Pit spoke up. "I'm gonna take more of a look around Esaka too! Once we find a good place to meet up then we'll all just get together again later. And we can do like a strategy meeting before tomorrow?"

Just on the off chance that the Kings did actually try something before the finals. Pit had honestly completely forgotten about trying to be sneaky in Esaka even if he did suggest disguises earlier in the day. The city had just been a lot to take in, on top of the whirlwind of learning about yokai, trying to sign up with dojos, and meeting up with Terry. Which really shouldn't have been as big of a shock as it was, but still. Oh, speaking of the muscular blonde-

"Thanks for lunch, Terry!" Pit told the man with a grin. Once the group got going and were out of the restaurant, Pit stretched his wings out. For now, more exploration!

Hey! Listen!

@qp hey there and welcome! I think the preference for this forum is OCs, but there are definitely a few group RPs where you can play a canon character! Not to mention 1x1s of course.

If you're new to forum RP and have any questions feel free to ask!