Event || Strategy

[melodiesmods]

Characters: All the Heroes of Light and some NPCs.
Where: Aqures Ixen, Castle.
When: January 25th, Afternoon
Summary: All the Heroes of Light were formally invited to a meeting in the Castle of Aqures Ixen, in the conference room. They will be able to discuss strategy with their peers and the allies amongst the NPCs. This is the final preparation before endgame.
Warning: N/A.

Mingle Thread
The Meeting

Comments

Mingle Threads

[melodiesmods]

[ The conference room is very vast, but all tables were removed to make room for the large amount of people. The room is bare of any decorations, except for a painting of the Queen in the far north and a map of Crystallis on the eastern wall. There are a few manservants serving drinks to the guests.

And there are a lot of people in this room—The characters might recognize some NPCs they have encountered previously. There is Cid, Biggs, Wedge, Prajapati, Kurma, Giibbs, O’aka, Merlose, Moglin and Varaha. Mograma is there as well but he’s kept under close watch. There is also a Tarutaru with a monocle, a Human with a fishing rod and a Hypello wearing a top hat—Most likely from Trano, Balicea and Flence. And of course, there are all the Heroes of Light. … Somehow for completely unexplained reasons, the Monster Arena old man is there as well. What is he even doing here? The world might never know.

Please reply to this thread for mingles amongst the Heroes of Light. Please don’t contact the NPCs directly here as there will not be mod replies. If you want to speak to the NPCs, please use the meeting thread or NPC contact. ]

Parasraya Purana

[hiddentruth]

[ Right now, things were going delightfully well. The leaders of every nation were there and so were her peers, her fellow Heroes of Light. Regardless of how disastrous the situation looked, she had no doubts together they would find the right course of action to take.

Unless they wanted to see the world end, they had to after all… If they didn’t start doing something within the next few months, it would be too late and all of their homeworlds would be destroyed. Of course, they didn’t have multiple options ahead of them.

In their ranks no one really knew how to defeat the Calamity and fools like the Sage remained silent on what they knew. But Garland would have to be defeated first. So long as Garland drew breath, he would oppose their every step toward defeating the Calamity or finding an alternative. They all knew that much by now. For if they didn’t go to confront Garland, he would go and confront them. And once both Palitutu and Garland would finally be out of the game…

No... That is a story best kept a secret till the end of all things, isn’t it?

So, Parasraya opted not to participate in the discussions. She had nothing to contribute that the other Heroes wouldn’t already. She just watched the discussions on the side, quietly. Could things get any better? ]

Re: Parasraya Purana

[not_most_days]

[There's that woman again. Mary can't be sure, but she swears she hasn't seen her since their last engagement with Palitutu. It's true that they've been busy with their own matters, but the fact that it's been nearly six months without another sighting makes her wonder. One would have at least expected to see her during the Starlight Celebration.

Calmly and plainly Mary approaches Parasraya, making no effort to hide her presence. She's been roaming the crowd anyway so she just makes the approach part of the circling of the room she's been doing anyway. When she finally comes up within a friendly distance of the woman she turns and looks at the rest of the gathering with her arms crossed.]

So, what do you make of all of this? Wish we had a better idea of whether or not we've done all we can before time runs out.

[hiddentruth]

Does it truly matter?

[ Parasraya smiled and shrugged, looking at the people gathered. ]

The past belongs to the past, regardless of what we have achieved this cannot be changed. As for my opinion...

[ She tilted her head down and marked a pause before looking at Mary. ]

I will give it to you in time. I hope you will be able to contain your urge to drive a blade through my neck then, but I doubt it.

[not_most_days]

[Mary raises her eyebrow at the other woman. Her words danced around the subject with expert ease, and she wasn't sure she believed a lick of it.]

The past may belong there, aye, but it always seems to have a way of cropping up. We live our lives so focused on the present we sometimes forget about the things we'll leave behind when our time is up.

[Her right hand shifts, tugging at her left sleeve thoughtfully.]

And it's not about urges. The blade is meant for those who would do harm to a great many others should they remain in this world. It's a tool to remove rot, not a weapon of revenge or murder. Those who have used it that way rarely sullied the Creed much longer after.

[hiddentruth]

Even the most beautiful of paintings make abundant use of dark colors.

[ She idled for a moment, looking at the other Heroes of Light. She opted not to reply to Mary's first sentence either. ]

Only the artist can judge what the balance should be. Immoral as it is to us, some things might be necessary.

Re: Parasraya Purana

[shinrasfinest]

[There was a face that, honestly, Sephiroth were starting to consider that he might not see again before all of this came to a head. He barely recalls their last series of letter exchanges -given how many other things then quickly came up to vy for all of his available time- yet with a memory as sharp as ever, eventually after a few long moments of trying not to stare too hard in her direction Sephiroth approaches her.

He's not in military fatigues, nor any uniform denoting the same, on this occasion at least so it's all black leather boots, pants and a long sleeved stretch-top which at some time in the past hadn't been so tight around the top parts of his arms. Long silver cape of hair flowing freely as he near enough glides into conversation distance.]

It's been a while-

[Nope, still no good at small talk, there is obviously another question there that he hasn't quite managed to frame words around just yet.]

[hiddentruth]

[ The woman tilted her head to the side to look at Sephiroth when he approached her, smiling. Of course she did remember him as well.

Albeit, not for the same reasons. ]

Indeed, Colonel. I hope all has been well.

[ She was hardly better, but a little was better than nothing. ]

[shinrasfinest]

[A nod gets cast at the use of his title, but that's all, he's trying not to be present here in his capacity as an official in the military. Even though if previous meetings were any precedent, it would likely result in him applying some such force in that regard, one way or the other.]

Ever at the grindstone, likewise I'm sure.

[Not that he knows hers, but his work is no secret at all so perhaps he might gain some insight by way of leverage with that as a tool.]

I imagine you're often pressed for time, being that there are so many displaced individuals with the reckoning seemingly around the corner?

[hiddentruth]

Indeed.

[ She paused, looking away for a moment. ]

All I have seen share similar predicaments... They are afraid to die, of course. And yet, that very fear has made life itself a torture. Ironical, isn't it? Neither happy with life nor death.

Re: Parasraya Purana

[worstintheworld]

[Like Parasraya, Natalia is also on the sidelines for this meeting. She's only been here for a short time, and what little she knows is just the summarized version gleaned from her Moogle and Jade's curiously illustrated report.]

[She sits next to the woman, listening and watching with her hands folded primly in her lap. She didn't believe she had anything to contribute, but she could hardly miss out on a strategy meeting that might give her a better idea of what she needed to be doing. Staving off the monsters of the Calamity to keep Trano Golsaucia and other areas safe might help in the short term, but she can't keep it up forever.]

Hello. I don't believe we've met. I'm Natalia.

[The princess inclines her head politely.]

How long have you been summoned here?

Cloud Strife

[neverfirstclass]

[Cloud's face was near a frown, but not quite. After all they'd been through this gathering still managed to not be outweighed by all the previous ones. They were running out of time and decisions had to be made. He still didn't like how in the dark he felt about things, but he was absolutely sure he and the other Heroes would be able to handle it. He didn't know if they would win, but he believed in their ability to at least try.

And so with a not quite frown but still a serious look on his face he roams about, sipping his drink while trying to catch snippets of what's being discussed. Trying to get a hint of what's to come before they begin.]

[ranoutofbugs]

Would you like a refill?

[Lailah approached Cloud with a pitcher of his drink. This was a solemn event, but she still felt that everyone should do their best to get to know each other before it was all over.]

[neverfirstclass]

[The sudden appearance of Lailah threw Cloud off of his train of thought. It took him a moment to recognize her as another Hero, having not been fantastic at getting to meet all of the new arrivals in this past year as he had when things first started.

Nodding dumbly he holds out his glass.]

Uh, sure. Thanks.

[ranoutofbugs]

[Lailah refills his drink.]

I think I've seen you around town.

My name is Lailah. What's yours?

[smilesmile]

Sephiroth

[shinrasfinest]

[There is still a tiny light somewhere in Sephiroth's expectations of the 'Heroes of Light' that clings onto the hope that there will be so much more than just popular theories put forward here. Unproven, untested methods with regards how to legitimately re-purpose the Soul Divider into maybe-handling the vast entity of Narayana and thus solving this and all other universes' problem; at Ales' meeting there has been much speculation but the hard reality is - there is no time for trials and errors.

Crystallis needs an answer, but Sephiroth is almost totally swayed towards the notion that it isn't going to be possible to satisfy everyone in this room. It's appreciated that sacrifices will have to be made, one way or the other, but the silver haired man hasn't yet set in his mind which side he fell on; to save a single world that should have died millennia ago, or to set the balance right for all other worlds in the great multi-dimensional web of other universes. Or that out-of-the-box theory that wasn't ever spoken of.

There didn't seem to be a win-win; but if anything Sephiroth's still willing to listen and consider to almost anything logical, provided that the other might not mind some uncomfortable critique. The often-military styled man was not such for this meeting, clad more casually in leather bottoms, boots and a plain long-sleeved vest; as if in some discreet way signaling that he knew well that he'd have to leave that Colonel-life of his behind if he was to be of any use in the upcoming struggles that was coming.]

[ninjainviolet]

[ Sheena had spotted her friend the moment she had entered, but hadn't approached him immediately--despite not having seen him for a while. Instead, she had roamed the room, listening to snippets of conversation, trying to piece things together.

Finally, she comes up to him, her voice quiet when she greets him. ]

Hello. Am I intruding?

[shinrasfinest]

[Given the circumstances, anyone could be forgiven the long face even if it had been a near-permanent expression for Sephiroth for a prolonged period of time. He'd probably worn the exact same, concerned, overly thoughtful face the last time Sheena had seen him, as well.

Either that, or she'd seen him as most others did; the dutiful soldier who always seemed to be patrolling or performing some other duty of import that left the door firmly closed in terms of being able to catch him for a casual chat. Ever.

Sheena is greeted with a simple flash of a smile, yet it's much more than the atmosphere he's reading is worth and that's a fact. A short nod and he turns his head down and towards her.]

Not at all, Sheena.

[A beat later, when he's decided it's perfectly fine to continue-]

-I'm not sure what I expected here, but so far I'm not sure that it's filling that expectation.

Chiaki Nanami

[line_piece]

[Chiaki has shown up to this meeting carrying a rather impressive looking sword. It's made of blue mythril surrounded by transparent crystal, and appears to be glowing softly. She's just sort of holding it.]

So... does anybody want this? It's the sword Bartz stole from the Ultima WEAPON when we fought Palitutu. It was left behind when he fell into crystal stasis.

[There's a short pause.]

...Along with his chocobo, Boko Jr. He's pretty sad and lonely, so if someone wants to take him in too, that would be nice.

[bag_has_snapped]

A sword...?

[Tsubomi couldn't help but blink, looking it over. Weapons weren't her forte, but seeing as it came from ULTIMA Weapon...]

Can I see it? I don't know if I can use it for anything, but maybe I can hold it until someone else can?

[line_piece]

Yup. It's the Ultima Weapon. It gets stronger the more jobs you have mastered and the lower your health is. In the hands of a master Onion Knight on the brink of death, it's probably among the most powerful swords in existence.

[Assuming that knowledge is free game since it was provided to us by the mods in official parentheses and whatnot. Plus, Chiaki's a gaming nerd, so she can probably guess well enough.]

[bag_has_snapped]

Oh...

[Tsubomi's going to reach out to gently take the sword. She wasn't as gung-ho as, say, Jack, but seeing as she has a few jobs that could use this weapon...]

Would it be okay if I took it?

[unyieldingspirit]

[the sword situation seems taken care of but there is a sad bird, and K'pandolu straightens.]

I can help look after him.

[line_piece]

Thanks, K'pandolu. I'm sure he'll appreciate it.

[unyieldingspirit]

[she nods.]

Treat the birds with kindness, and they'll do the same for you.

[her ears flick back for a moment, and her expression drops for a moment.]

I'm sorry to hear Bartz is in stasis, though. Were you close to him?