That's Our Job, But We're Not Mean; Invite

[vivio]

Vivi looked around and tried to gain his bearings. He's gotten separated from Zidane again in one of the worlds where they had been searching for Garnet. After wandering around that world for a long time, Vivi had happened upon a strange portal that resonated with dark waves of energy. Powerful curiosity caused Vivi to examine the portal. Unforgiving gravity had caused him to trip and fall inside. After wandering forward in the dark for a few hours... or maybe days, Vivi wasn't entirely sure, he'd found the portal's twin. Immediately thinking that the portal would take him back to Zidane, Vivi cautiously stepped through it, wary of another fall.

Unfortunately, the little mage found that this portal had been placed incorrectly, at least from where he wanted to be. Rather than returning to the side of his brave and strong friend, Vivi found himself not only very much alone, but in a cold and frightening area flanked by forbidding stone walls and lined with acres of old, dusty graves. Everything for as far as Vivi could see was gray and dead, dry and cold. Immediately the little mage turned to go back through the portal, willing to chance losing his way in the darkness forever rather than wander this scary world. He stopped short when he turned, looking left and right.

...Where had it gone?

Realizing that he was now stuck in this place, Vivi shivered and wrapped his arms around him, not because it was cold in temperature, but to disguise the shaking in the little mage's knees. The littlest mage had come to terms with his mortality, but he certainly did not relish the idea of coming face to face with it again. He realized immediately that there was no way for him to signal Zidane from here, and no way to return on his own...

He was trapped.

Vivi began to panic, his mind filled with the horrible things that could happen here. Being surrounded by the evidence of lives lost did not help the Mage's sensitive mind and imagination to cease but rather grew the possibilities by leaps and bounds. There were terrible sounds echoing through the night of howling and evil cackling; the snapping of twigs in the breeze and voices on the wind that were from too far away to make into proper words. Vivi's wide frightened eyes looked left and right. Seeing nothing but graves and walls that he knew he would be unable to climb, the frightened little one turned a full circle. Behind him, there was a sinister looking gate.

Vivi didn't want to chance it, rooted to the spot in his fear. He had not been to many worlds, but he knew he couldn't expect them to be any specific way. He was an outsider, and his ideals of what people were like didn't mean anything here, which didn't help his sense of security at all.

Vivi tried to steel his nerves with a deep breath, but nearly choked on the smell of the decay from all around him. The leaves, the trees and the very graves seem to give off the smell. Quickly looking around again to reassure himself at least of the fact he was alone, Vivi pulled out his trusted stave and held it to his chest as he decided to walk towards the gate.

Vivi decided it was better to be amongst the living than the dead.

[skycoston]

When the jester made his way into this world, he realized that his appearance had once again changed like it had in Timeless River. However, instead of a black and white exaggerated version of himself he found himself gazing upon a much darker and scarier version of himself as he looked at himself in the reflection of one of the town's many windows.

The most obvious change was to his eyes: his pupils were no longer the human-like circles they once were. Instead, he found himself looking into almost feline slits within his blue irises. Kefka grinned at this, revealing to himself daggerlike teeth. He jumped, clapping in delight before continuing to look himself over. His fingernails were now long claws, if not talons that could easily tear through the flesh of his victims. The once colorful outfit of a jester was now darker tones to match the surroundings of Halloween Town. Instead of bright reds he saw maroons, much more reminiscent of blood. The yellows seemed faded like malnourished teeth, the blues and purples darkened almost to black.

"Yes, YES!! I love love love love love love love love love love love love LOVE this new outfit!! It's absolutely positively stupendous!! WHOA-OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOOOO~!!!!"[/i][/color] Kefka's maniacal laughter echoed throughout the town, the jester spinning in a circle before be began to skip around the guillotine in the center of the town. He stopped at one of the gates, placing his hands on his hips before stomping his feet in anger.

"Oh come OOON!! Why are villains so hard to find these days?! I don't sense any darkness here worth my time!! Seriously, isn't this place supposed to be filled to the brim with nasties and beasties?! All I see are a bunch of wannabies and nobodies!! Bah!! I'll just have to find someone to toy with, make my trip here more interesting... And fun! Yes, a little fun will make this trip worth it, worth it indeed I say!" It was then Kefka realized that there was someone else that didn't belong to this world, and with a grin the mad mage made his way towards the graveyard.

It was here among the cold stones that he spotted another black mage, one quite small compared to any black mages the God of Magic had ever lay his eyes on. Whoever it was, it was terrified to be here all alone. With a sinister grin he decided to alleviate this problem and introduce himself, so the little one would realize that he wasn't alone. Sure, he was about to be destroyed, but he didn't have to know that!! Besides, Kefka was going to make sure the little tike was going to have a little fun before he passed.

"Why hello, my fellow tiny mage!! What a surprise to find you in a place like this! How are you this wonderful evening? Afraid you say? Well be afraid no more, you're not alone!! Big Papa Kefka is here, and he's going to make ALL of your troubles go away, hohohoho!!"

[vivio]

Vivi had been cautiously making his way out of the graveyard when the wildly frightening creature had come through the gates, seemingly looking for him. Poor Vivi was paniced by the creature's appearance and nearly ran the other direction when he began to speak.

Such a voice! Such a laugh! This creature was surely not friendly! The littlest mage tried to steel his nerves, taking a deep breath to regain his composure, not noticing his own change in look. After all, he had no mirror to check in. He had no way to tell that he was wrapped almost like a mummy all but his face and his tattered robes now had a dingy swamp water hue and more tattered than it ever had been before. His hat now had a very creepy smiling face on it, and a lone spider dangled from the tip. Vivi fidgeted with his gloves, patched and dark brown with stains on them. His striped pants were also different, more of a pinstripe than their usual broad streaks and in a pine color.

His glowing yellow orbs trailed over his new "friend" as he calmed himself slightly. This person said they were going to take care of him? But who was going to take care of this person? Vivi caught the name as the person spoke so quickly and self assuredly. Kefka? Vivi didn't recognize the name... but the man said he was a mage... Didn't that make them the same?

Vivi looked over the man cautiously again.

Well... ok ... maybe not the same... similar? Maybe he had good intentions? The Qu didn't look very nice either, but they were ok...

Regardless, the mage was correct in one thing. Vivi wasn't alone anymore. Vivi did rather appreciate that fact. But... Vivi couldn't release his bad feeling completely...

Realizing he was being rude, Vivi bowed his head in recognition. Maybe this guy knew how to get out of here?

"Thank you, K-kefka, sir. I am a little lost. I got here through a portal that was emitting darkness... but it's gone now." Vivi explained in his timid manner. He lifted his head back up.

"I-I'm Vivi. N-nice to meet you." He kept his little stave against his chest like a dear friend or pet that he was afraid to lose. Something about this didn't sit right with the little mage, but what proof did he have that the man was up to no good? Vivi had been on the recieving end of such bias, and he would feel guilty if he excercised it on someone who seemed to be willing to help him.

((OOC: ...yeah... Vivi's dead... LOL))

[skycoston]

Seeing his victims tremble in fear at his mere presence was something that never got old for Kefka, it filled him with a feeling of superiority and power. Kefka took note of Vivi’s appearance, finding it quite suiting for an area such as this. If he had but an ounce of darkness within him he’d be the perfect candidate for a minion of Kefka’s, perhaps he could lead the Cult of Kefka or even if he proved his worth would be able to join the Warriors of Chaos. Sadly however, Vivi lacked this darkness was Kefka was not going to waste his time putting a slave crown on something that appeared to be so weak and pathetic. No, instead he was going to kill the little mage, after having some fun with him of course.

In his arrogance, Kefka mistook Vivi’s looking him over as admiration. This brought the mage to stand a little straighter, moving his arms further outward with talons extended and shoulders back. He grinned darkly as Vivi began to speak. Vivi quickly proved to be a naïve little one, apparently already trusting the God of Magic with his safety. Oh what a mistake that was! But oh how much easier it made Kefka’s plan. His stance showed that he was still afraid however, a fear Kefka would have to alleviate in order to have the most fun. Win his trust, then stab him in the back! Hohohoho...

The mad mage skipped over to Vivi’s side, twirling around him before he kneeled and wrapped an arm around his small shoulders. “Relax my friend! You have no reason to fear me. EVERYONE here in Halloween Town looks as terrifying as me, even you! Why don’t you take a look!” Reaching into the chest of his outfit, Kefka pulled out the mirror he always carried with him so he could admire the ‘Most Handsome Devil In All The Worlds!’ He held it in front of Vivi so he could see himself and how he’d changed, much like Kefka has changed from his usual appearance.

“See? Nothing to fear! So why don’t you tell me why you’re here, or at least what got you lost! Perhaps I could help you find your way, it’d be FUN to see what happens, don’t you agree?”

[vivio]

Vivi watched the clown move behind him and pull out a mirror. Vivi gazed into the silver reflection and let out a yelp of fright.

He really DID look like a monster! How terrible! Vivi immediately felt badly for even thinking Kefka looked like a monster. In the name of all that was good... Vivi did not like at all what he was seeing in the mirror and was only too ready for Kefka to put it away. Vivi's new look put him even more in mind of those creepy Heartless things. The idea made his heart drop to his shoes. That was someting he hoped to never see again.

Taking another deep breath, nearly choking again on the damp smell of decay that saturated the graveyard, Vivi turned his glowing, brilliant eyes to Kefka's. He wondered for a moment what the clown normally looked like. Then he nodded in a decisive way.

"I'm looking for Zidane. He and I were traveling together. W-we were looking for our friends. T-then I fell... into a dark portal... and ended up here. But I don't know where here is... or how to get back."

The littlest mage spilled his guts quite totally. That was his story. As goofy and clutzy as it seemed, it was the truth. If this clown could tell him how to get back, he'd be grateful. Even more grateful to find that this visage was really only a mask...

But then a terrible thought occurred to Vivi... What if his real face was even worse?

He tried to stand taller, his stave pushed to one side, held in only one hand as he stood, trying to seem like he was no longer worried about his predicamint. This man surely must be like Zidane, Vivi reasoned. Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered with the mage who obviously had nothing of value. Vivi could think of no reason other than to help that this man would come and be friendly towards him.

Vivi heard a sound from the town nearby and found himself moving closer to the scary clown, fearing the other residents far more than he does his new acquaintance. The little mage could hear shrieks and howls of all kinds... and it did nothing for his poor nerves.

[Hadria]

"So many questions, so little time," the Heartless commented to herself as she appeared from a dark portal in Guillotine Square. She glanced around noticing a lack of people in what seemed to be the town center, a bit put off by this. Her purpose for coming to this town had been to gather information but with only a few children passing by, snickering as they talked about some prank they were going to pull, it seemed like she was out of luck. She had heard that a contest was being held, something about who was the scariest of them all or something and that many would be attending it. With that in mind, while she had no intention of entering the contest (she liked to keep a low profile), it was a slim but possible chance that the viewers would have some information she could use. Indeed, her plan had been to meld into the crowd, most likely not looking too odd from the townsfolk all things considered and put on a persona to converse without putting up any red flags.

As it would seem though, I'm either too late or too early for the event, she thought as she began to walk around the seemingly rather empty town before coming across her reflection on the blade of the Guilliotine. She peered at it curiously, noticing that her face had changed slightly, an odd but scary looking mask over her face that managed to make those dark red eyes of hers even more disturbing. As for her attire, the fur that was normally around her neck was now spikes instead, a fashion choice she wouldn't have made herself personally but supposed it did have it's advantages. The rest of her clothing was also a tad darker as there were several blood stains on it that the Heartless could swear weren't on it before arriving. It was quite a peculiar thing really as she examined herself in the impromptu mirror and after a moment of delibartion decided that perhaps exploring the town was a worthwhile investment of her time.

If my attire is able to change so drastically then surely there's something else of interest on this world that could perhaps give me the answers I seek... well one can always hope anyway, she thought briefly as her feet began to move her elsewhere.

X---Sometime Later---X

After what seemed like an eternity traversing the rather empty town, the Heartless had decided to visit the Graveyard, figuring she'd give it a look before leaving as there could be someone grieving over a loved one perhaps. Regardless, as she entered the already open gates, she immediately spotted both the tiniest looking mage, and the most peculiar looking... man. She wasn't sure to be honest, his outfit was rather strange and while she was sure it had been transformed much like her own, surely the original outfit had to be equally as strange. Whatever the case was, she began to overhear part of the conversation, hearing something about the man offering his assistance to the small mage who seemed rather eager to accept it. The Heartless sighed inwardly at this, amazed at how naive people could be and trusting of others. Considering the environment they were in, how anyone could even think to trust another was beyond comprehension of the Heartless but she dropped the thought soon after as she repressed the aura of darkness that normally filled up the atmosphere. She then approached the two, her steps taking on the quality of a traveler unaware of their surrondings before stopping nearby. Her fingers pressed against one another as she brought her hands up, her body language feigning that of a nervous passerby.

"I don't suppose while you're helping him out I could be assisted as well could I? I just lost a pack of these odd black creatures that chase me in large numbers. I'd normally try to fight back but they'd have easily overpowered me and I'd like to get out of here before they find me again," she explained, attempting to start a conversation that would now center on the Heartless but in a non-obvious way. Indeed, asking directly about Heartless often never got her the desired results and thus putting on a persona and attempting to get people to spill the beans themselves was often a much better method. She would take a stab at this but if it failed she was more than ready to use force to get her answers although she'd prefer not to.

If I rely on force though I'll be no better than those of the Light that I constantly belittle, she mused as a way to remind herself to avoid fighting if at all possible... and if the urge to do so didn't overtake her as it often did.

[skycoston]

(OOC: Kefka does NOT say destroy everything xD That's why I stroke it out. It's only in here for a little humor)

Kefka stifled a laugh at Vivi’s yelp of fright, putting the mirror back into his outfit as Vivi set his eyes into those of the demented jester. Though normally Kefka didn’t look intimidating at all, one should know not to judge a book by its cover. Quiet possibly he was the most powerful villain of them all, with only Sephiroth and Kadaj rivaling him in brute strength.

His eyes seemed to light up as Vivi mentioned Zidane, the foolish little monkey from the cycles of war between Chaos and Cosmos. Yes, Kefka remembered the little brat well. He was swift and powerful, though terribly annoying and stupid. He couldn’t even fall into a trap! So his intuition was correct, this little mage was aligned with the light. That only made Kefka want to destroy him even more, thoroughly sealing Vivi’s fate as far as Kefka was concerned.

“I see! I remember Zidane, I do! He was involved in the conflict between the deities of Harmony and Discord, was quite an honorable young lad! I’m sure he’s looking for you right now as we speak, we should set off for the forest with the doors to the other worlds! I’m sure from there we’ll find your way back to the monkey boy!” Kefka snickered, suddenly remembering his Kujie-coo. Perhaps running into Zidane would be helpful, after all the two of them were such great friends! If anyone knew where Kuja was, it would be Zidane. Besides, offering Vivi’s corpse as a gift would certainly give the Angel of Death reason to help him! Hohohoho...

Observing Vivi standing taller, Kefka turned to lead his victim out of the graveyard towards the forest that surrounded Halloween Town before he sensed the presence of a great darkness approaching them. Not nearly as great as his own of course, but possibly a candidate for his Warriors of Chaos perhaps? Oh, how useful this town was proving to be! Not only had he found a victim with no heroes in sight to save him, he now found another villain to do his bidding!! Yes, YES!! He knew there was something special about this town, despite it being held by the light.

Once the strongholds of light were dealt with, this was definitely on his list to be turned to darkness.

Waiting until she spoke, to act as if he hasn’t seen her coming, Kefka turned towards the source of the voice to gaze upon what appeared to be the frail, timid woman that was lost in this world. Sneaking around behind guises wasn’t quite Kefka’s style, but this seemed to be effective. Wait, Kefka was doing the same thing!! Hoho, great minds think alike he surmised before playing along with her act. Surely she wouldn’t see through him, and would think he was being genuine... Like Vivi did. Unless of course she knew who he was, then it would be that much easier to recruit her before this was done.

“But of course, my dear! Feel free to tag along if you’d like!” Kefka replies cheerfully, spreading his arms before letting them fall lax back to his sides. “Just see me as your Friendly Neighborhood Jester, at your service!! Together we’ll DESTROY EVERYTHING get you two back to your worlds safe and sound! Those little buggers are but mere play things to me, there's nothing I can't beat!” with that, Kefka spun on his heels and began to skip out of the graveyard. He knew not of Heartless and Nobodies, not yet anyway. He’d learn soon enough, but for now the thought wasn’t even on his mind. All he cared about was having fun destroying the little mage, and building his Warriors of Chaos into an unstoppable team.

[vivio]

Vivi was so happy when Kefka mentioned that he knew Zidane from the wars that Zidane had mentioned he'd taken part in with Tifa in Twilight Town. This was great! That meant that Kefka was indeed a friend! Even if he was a little odd...

The littlest mage looked up when the girl spoke. Hm... so Kefka had told the truth. Everyone here looked like a monster. It made Vivi feel a little more at ease to understand this and have evidence. The little black things... Vivi had seen them before. Those things that shared a strange resemblance to him. Vivi really didn't know much about them.

"They were chasing you?" He asked her quietly, very curious about the event. He didn't know much about the little creatures, but he knew they weren't friendly. They also seemed to be able to find people pretty easily with their antennae. The more he thought about them, the more he wasn't sure he wanted to know about them.

"I haven't had much experience with them... usually killing them doesn't do any good... They always come back." Vivi admitted quietly, reminded of when they appeared in Twilight Town.

Were they made from the Mist? Did they follow people for a reason? He didn't know. But maybe this girl did... or Kefka... maybe he knew...

Speaking of Kefka... the littlest mage turned to find that Kefka was quickly skipping away. Vivi rushed after him in a hurry. He definately didn't want to lose the jester, his only thread to Zidane in this crazy world. However, Vivi was not made for grace, and easily stumbled over graves as he went, trying not to complain or slow down the jester as he attempted to follow.

Doors? Maybe one of them led back to Zidane... there was a good chance, in Vivi's mind. A strange door HAD led him here... maybe another would lead him back. Vivi really had no other basis to go on.

[Hadria]

After approaching the two rather peculiar looking mages, the Heartless smiled lightly, attempting to further strengthen the guise she was establishing. Indeed, she didn't want her ruse to go to waste although after getting closer she soon begun to realize that her charade may have already gone noticed. While she did not exercise the sense often, the Heartless was able to pick up on the alignment in people's hearts and now that she was in such close proximity of the jester she could sense just how dark his heart was. Yes it was a tad alarming, the Heartless positive that whoever this man was he was not to be taken lightly although she was a tad grateful at the same time.

If he's this powerful than it's quite likely he knows more about the Heartless than he's letting on, she mused as the man didn't take the bait she had set. While he avoided the line of questioning though, the more diminutive of the two took it although as it would seem he was no expert on the creatures. She sighed inwardly at this, her journey to gather the knowledge she desired to have run into yet another snag. Indeed, if the taller of the two didn't tell her anything useful, she'd probably part ways after managing to ditch them somewhere. She was in no particular rush though, being a Heartless did make her seemingly ageless anyway so it's not like she'd be dying anytime soon. And then the jester moved, skipping along the path something the Heartless found increasingly odd but wouldn't comment since she was the one asking for help after all.

"Ah thank you for your help," she noted, her tone remaining soft and warm as she followed along. As she did so she noted the other mage stumbling as he moved forward, something she wanted to laugh at but since she was putting on the "nice girl" act anyway decided to do quite the opposite. Indeed, she quickly grabbed his hands, gripping it softly as she glanced over to him, a soft smile curving against her lips.

"Do be careful, wouldn't want you to get left behind now would we?" she commented, grinning lightly after the comment, the Heartless wearing more than just one mask, "By the way, I don't believe I caught either of your names... I'm Hadria, what's your name?" she asked as she walked along with the mage in hand, doing her best to appear nice. Indeed, she was trying incredibly hard in that regard but even now the Heartless was slowly beginning to feel the thirst for blood that cursed her existence since birth creep up upon her.

[skycoston]

Kefka took note of Vivi and Hadria’s discussion on Heartless, especially Vivi’s notion that they kept coming back no matter what happened. He wondered if it was the fact that Vivi was unable to defeat them properly, or due to their vast numbers they just seemed to be endless. Either way it didn’t matter, though if it was the former it meant that Vivi was not very powerful at all and would be an even easier target to destroy. Wouldn’t be as fun, but the quicker it ended the less likely those goody two-shoes of light would show up and ruin his playtime. He wondered about the heartless though, not knowing much about them though from the way people spoke of them they were definitely evil... Perhaps they could be used for his attack on the light as well.

And this woman, she called herself Hadria. She was thanking him for his helping them before she helped Vivi keep from stumbling. Was he already her intended victim as well? He hoped not, after all it would be him that would be putting an end to the tiny mage and not this fiery redheaded woman. When she asked him for his name he stopped, spinning on one foot several times before he stopped to look at her with a tilted head and crooked grin.

“Though my dear little friend Vivi there didn’t know who I am, I’m sure that you’ve heard of me my dear. I am Kefka, God of Magic itself! At your service, madame!” with that, Kefka waved his arm at his side before bringing it to his chest as he obnoxiously bowed towards her with a diabolical grin. After looking up at her for a moment he stood tall again. “Now then, be sure to keep up! We have to move quickly before more of those wretched heartless decide to come after you two!”

Though he didn’t know if it was true, he figured that his little white lie would make them follow him at the pace he normally skipped at. With that, he skipped towards the two, and around them before skipping back down the path once more. It wasn’t long before they reached the forest, and the demented jester made his way within.

“Don’t get lost, we’re almost there!” Kefka told them, spotting the doors ahead of them in the far distance. Yes, get Vivi within reach of hope... And rob him of his dreams. Perhaps this Hadria would prove herself to be of use, only time would tell.

[vivio]

Vivi was surprised with the girl helped him as he was tripping over the graves and nodded his thanks to her, but noticed that her smile seemed to lack a certain spark... But surely it was because of this place, like Kefka had said, that made everyone look like monsters.

"I'm V-vivi. Vivi Orunitia." The tiny black mage responded before he noticed Kefka returning in response to her question.

When Kefka told the girl that he was the God of Magic itself, Vivi's eyes widened. He hadn't realized... A God? And this god had offered to help him forward on his way... Vivi felt his natural humility bubble up and fill him again. A god... and here Vivi had thought he was just a ugly clown. Shame! He hoped he hadn't offended the god in some way!

However, Kefka had sought Vivi out, Vivi thought, feeling pretty good about having a God on his side. He was even helping out the girl, like Zidane would. Kefka had even known Zidane from the same place Zidane knew Tifa. So far, things seemed to be going well, even though Vivi was in a place he didn't recognize at all.

As Vivi rushed to keep up with Kefka's blistering pace, he noticed the clearing up ahead and could just see a few brightly colored drawings on the trunks. Upon closer inspection, Vivi realized they were doors. Very festive doors for such a dismal place...

Vivi cast his glowing yellow orbs about the circle of these doors. What were they for? How had they gotten here? Did these doors really lead to other worlds the way that the dark portals he'd ventured through did? So many questions inside such a small mind. Vivi walked up to the door that looked like a tree and put his hand on it and gently turned the doorknob.

((^_^- Have fun, dears. Enjoy the Halloween gift while you can. Fast and easy or slow and painful, its up to you. Just give me a chance to let him slip out with his life... hehehe... Oh and, remember... it's not as much fun if you don't rub it in verbally as well. ^_~ Give him some motivation for me... and show him what magic really looks like. I'd appreciate it.))

[Hadria]

As Hadria trotted along the path with the tiny mage in hand, he gestured his appreciation and gave his name, she smiled brightly or rather attempted to underneath the stifling mask.
 
“Vivi huh? That’s a cute name,” she commented, snickering afterwards as she brought her free hand to her face in an attempt to stifle her laughter, as fake as it was. As she continued this act, the jester turned back to answer her question in regards to his name, his answer causing the Heartless to narrow her eyes at him for but a second as her mind wandered. Indeed, by the way he answered it was quite possible that he was aware of the ruse, Hadria figuring that he wanted to see her reaction to his name. It was one that Hadria had heard in passing before, the description of the person that held that name always being that of a rather eccentric clown with a passion for destruction. If this man were truly the one described in said stories, the chances of him having the information she desired were rather slim.
 
If he’s the type to just destroy everything I doubt he takes much time to neither talk to people nor read anything of relevance to me. While his own little act may seem to suggest otherwise, he might just be having fun toying with this naïve, little… whatever it is. I should probably just leave but… I suppose I could see how this all plays out, I can always kill them both if need be or leave if this fool can actually do more than skip around and talk in that irritating voice, she spieled mentally as Kefka bowed to her in a ludicrous fashion. Since the Heartless’ decision to follow had been made though, she continued to play along as she blushed lightly as if embarrassed and bowed to Kefka as well.
 
“Oh I’m sorry to say this but I haven’t actually heard of you Mr. Kefka! My sincerest apologies for that and the crude behavior I’ve displayed thus far, I should surely be far more humble and polite in the company of a deity like you!” she explained, picking herself back up as she grinned brightly, her eyes closing briefly as she did so. Upon reopening them she merely nodded to Kefka’s next statement, giving a light squeeze to Vivi’s hand as she crouched to face him with another warm smile curved against her lips.
 
“He’s right we better get a move on,” she said in a sweet tone as the mage had quickly taken the initiative, actually leading the Heartless now. After a few more minutes of walking, the three would arrive in a forest full of dead trees, or at the very least ones without any leaves. It was at this point the Heartless would let go of Vivi’s hand, letting the adorable tyke run over the doors, his curiosity getting the better of him. At this the Heartless would smirk, walking over to one of the dead trees and leaning against it as she put one foot against it as well. She crossed her arms as she let out a deep breath, looking over the naïve mage in her company, the urge to drive her blade deep into his shoulder growing tremendously. She held it back though, biting down on the inside of her lower lip in an unnoticeable fashion thanks to the mask that had been put on her, a bit grateful it had been put on her face. Indeed, a mask was a convenient tool and would allow her to observe without worry of giving away any signs to the jester that was surely planning to strike the mage soon.
 
Just wait Hadria… she thought, gripping her right bicep with her left hand, digging her nails in to further suppress her primal instinct for bloodshed, It’s too soon to act right now… depending on how this plays out and if any unwanted visitors come… I need to remain neutral for just a moment longer… keep it together Hadria, she reassured herself, trying to remain level-headed throughout this ordeal… she would decide what to do AFTER this clown made his move.

[skycoston]

Vivi had fallen right into Kefka’s trap, executing EXACTLY what the mage wanted him to do, to a tee. Kefka glanced at Hadria, making sure she wasn’t going to interfere. She was leaning against a tree away from the littlest mage, obviously staying out of Kefka’s way. He couldn’t help but grin as he looked back at Vivi, interlacing his fingers as he stretched his arms toward to crack them. Then he pulled them apart, wiggling his fingers as flames began to form on his fingertips. Now with Vivi oblivious, and them in the perfect place far away from those pesky heroes, this was the perfect time to strike.

Throwing his arms forward Kefka cast Extra Crispy Firaga, purposely having the fireballs miss Vivi and collide into the tree directly in front of him. The power of the attack, mixed with the dryness of the dead trees caused it to erupt into flame the moment the fireballs converged upon it and explode. The flaming remnants of the tree quickly caught the dry, dead forest around them on fire with the flames quickly consuming the trees as it spread amongst the dead leaves.

“Come now, my red headed friend!! I know you thirst for his destruction as much as I do!!” Kefka invited the female as he spun around and threw his arms into the air. The bolts of lightning that were Zap Trap Thundaga caught the leaves around the exit on fire as they converged upon a tree, causing it too to explode like the one Vivi had reached for. Now they were surrounded by flames as the smock began to choke the air, the flames quickly expanding beyond them to consume the woods at an alarming rate. Kefka could only laugh, holding his belly while he floated and threw his head back. The fear in Vivi’s eyes would be priceless, if only he had a face to express how he felt!! Yes, this was the beginning of the end for the young mage. His death was upon him.

“WHOA-OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOOOOOO~!!!”

His voice carried throughout the forest and into town, echoing the sadistic and evil laughter for Vivi to hear again and again. The flames seemed to glow in Kefka's eyes, which were filled with insanity, evil intent, blood lust, eagerness to hear Vivi's cries in agony and fear. What was worse for Vivi was that Kefka hadn't even begun to unveil his true power, no that was to come next. He would make sure that Vivi knew true fear, and what it felt like to be truly helpless before he was destroyed.

Now, would Hadria join in the fun? Or be destroyed...

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Abilities Used:
Zap Trap Thundaga Two Post Cooldown
Extra Crispy Firaga Two Post Cooldown

[vivio]

Vivi was thrown back by the sheer force of the attack before he had the chance to even cry out. The tree was gone, soon followed by the others as the whole forest quickly burned. Vivi looked up in shock as Kefka called out to Hadria.

"W-what are you doing?!" The little mage cried out over the loud roaring of the out of control fire. He had heard the word destruction as well as Kefka's insane laughter... the look in his eyes... Vivi had never seen such eyes. This man... this man was absolutely out of his mind... And here was Vivi trapped in a ring of fire with him... Vivi didn't need any sort of scanning ability to know that this man was far stronger than him, just seeing the devastation from one spell was enough to know, and he had no chance with the air becoming so thin and the blaze burning so hot...

Vivi pulled the flaps of his jacket over his face to protect from the smoke that was accumulating and pulled out his staff before pointing it back the way they'd came.

"WATER!" He pointed his staff at the flames and tried to clear a path for getting out of here, not planning to spend any time playing with fire. It didn't help much. The area was dry, like it hadn't rained properly in months. But it did wet the ground, which made it harder to burn. Vivi darted forward, planning to make a swift exit when he noticed that Hadria hadn't made a move. He couldn't leave her here... she'd be toasted like a marshmallow...

He grabbed her wrist and tugged, knowing that if she wanted to resist she could. "Come on!" She had helped him when he'd fallen... now he had the chance to help her. Like Zidane says... You don't need a reason to help people; Vivi didn't have to know her to know she was in trouble.

Vivi reached forward with his staff again, an idea occurring. "BLIZZARA!" He pointed at the trees that lined the path back to the graveyard.

The trees were already on fire and the fire was hot. The ice quickly liquified... but that was what Vivi had wanted. More water meant it was harder to burn... and if it was harder to burn, he'd have more of a chance to get out of here. The ice that had turned to ice however started popping and exploding and sizzling being touched by the fire.

"..." Vivi tried not to look back. He didn't want Kefka to see the injured look on his face. Vivi already had a pretty good idea who was going to be destroyed here... the flaps of his robe over his face and his large floppy hat helped to hide the tears that threatened to overflow. Why? What was the point of this? What would this man gain from killing little Vivi? Nothing. There was no reason. And that made it all the more terrifying. Vivi's flight instinct was pushing him hard... he had to get out of here.
___
Water - Cooldown 1 post
Blizzara - Cooldown 1 post

[Hadria]

As suspected, the jester soon began to show his true colors to Hadria and Vivi, the Heartless showing very little interest in his actions. Indeed, while she did enjoy hurting people she preferred doing so in a physical way as opposed to magic. She enjoyed the feeling of her blade tearing the flesh of her victims, she enjoyed the blood curdling screams that followed, and more than anything she enjoyed the sight of crimson liquid pouring out of every orifice on their body. The only thing that slightly interested her about the clown was the power he seemed to command, willing to admit that she wouldn’t want to be caught with any of those spells herself, well barring she wasn’t near death or anything, otherwise she’d probably enjoy the pain of being burnt alive.
 
Indeed I have never experienced that sort of pain before, she mused as she continued watching the jester make his rather extravagant displays of power. While she did so her own mind began to ponder what to make of this situation, seeing that the little mage was understandably confused. Up to this point, she had kept up her ruse and while she hadn’t tricked the clown she had certainly fooled the diminutive mage known as Vivi. It wasn’t hard to tell that the boy was obviously not on the side of evil and in contrast it was incredibly apparent that Kefka was far from good. Thus the Heartless had two options to choose from, she could continue to play the role of the “Nice Girl” and escape with Vivi who would certainly want to flee from this predicament, or she could assist Kefka in his little game. The latter option was rather tempting right now, Hadria’s urge for bloodshed certainly becoming stronger with each passing moment but at the same time she knew that Vivi having a false impression of who she was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Indeed, if she continued her act she could potentially escape with the littl’est mage and have him introduce her to the warriors that fought for the Light. If this were to happen, she could repress her dark aura and possibly fool all of them into believing she was an ally who simply used the power of darkness. Vivi would certainly defend any accusations and bring up the kindness she showed to him this day and since it was impossible to tell she was a Heartless at first glance, they’d probably give her the benefit of the doubt. Once among their ranks surely she could find someone with knowledge concerning her origins and how she came to be, or at the very least it’d be a better use of her time than just aimlessly searching on random worlds.
 
On the other hand, she could help Kefka in his little pursuit of the munchkin, striking him down from behind and sealing his fate. If that were accomplished, surely the clown would look favorably upon her and communication would be easier to facilitate as she wouldn’t have to keep up the façade any longer. At that point she could attempt to fish information from him and assuming he had any allies of his own, perhaps she could question them as well. Considering that the people she’d be asking would be those on the side of Darkness, it seemed logical that there was a higher likelihood they knew more about Heartless than those that fought for the Light. On the other hand, because they were beings that fought for Darkness, misery, and all that good stuff, than it was highly likely they’d also lie. Indeed, Hadria was no stranger to lies and while she could often easily spot them, if any of the people she questioned were allies with the clown, surely they were veterans that honed their craft and could lie very well. This caused the Heartless to sigh inwardly, the decision being a hard one to make and she wish she had more time to think it over. Unfortunately she did not and suddenly Vivi would grab her wrist, tugging at it as she stumbled a little bit, surprised that the mage had even thought of saving anyone but himself. He implored her to hurry, the Heartless complying not because she had made a decision yet but simply because following him would still allow her more time to think things through. And thus she ran with the little mage, getting ahead of him as she naturally had a much longer stride and easily overtook him, holding his wrist tightly.
 
“I can’t believe this… I thought he was a good man,” the Heartless commented as she ran, still keeping up her ruse as she continued pondering. As the two undoubtedly jumped over roots of trees and ducked underneath branches (although that was probably only Hadria really) the Heartless not looking back as she was rather certain she had gained a considerable distance from the jester and didn’t need to confirm it. No, she needed to focus all her brain on making a decision, being indecisive here was not an option and while she was sure she could beat the jester if needed, she was in a tough spot with Vivi still here. Indeed, if she were to attack the jester and win, even if she saved Vivi surely the mage would be scared of the power that had been able to topple a man calling himself a god. Furthermore, once the battle began, Hadria would not be able to hold back her urges any longer and she’d probably start speaking in Latin and licking the blood of her blade.
 
Fairly certain that won’t help me convince this little brat that I’m good either, she mused as she shook her head inwardly. So was her only option to help the clown and just strike this kid down now? Surely it would be a pleasant feeling but if she ruined this chance to get into the Light, creating this scenario again would not be easy especially with someone as naïve as this kid. She wanted to bang her head off a wall right now, this day was becoming incredibly difficult and feeling a little pain herself didn’t sound too bad right now. Keeping up this two faces routine was so irritating and it…-
 
Wait… I don’t have to choose just one, the Heartless suddenly realized, an epiphany of sorts hitting her. A wicked smile curved against her lips as she pretended to trip, falling over and most likely bringing the mage down with her. It was at this point she turned back, her face quickly changing to that of her established persona thus far, a look of shock and horror on her face. She shifted her body as she curled up, putting a hand to the mask covering her face.
 
“We’re not going to make it…” she mumbled, gritting her teeth as she gripped her fists tightly, averting her eyes from Vivi for a moment, “But I can at least save you… although the method isn’t going to lead to a happy ending,” she continued, shakily standing up as she clenched both fists throwing her head to the side, both eyes closed. She then slowly let her right hand trail over to the hilt of the katana on her back, gripping it tightly as she bit on her bottom lip.
 
“I’ll save you no matter what, I’m not going to let some kid who’s barely lived his life die,” she noted as she opened her eyes, a melancholic gaze residing inside of them. She didn’t dare to look at Vivi, the thought of looking at him too much to bare as she readied herself to do what she had too… at least that’s what she wanted the kid to think anyway, gauging his reaction to her sudden declaration before she enacted the plan that had formed in her mind.