melodiesoflife | Event || Doppelgangers

[Terra has lost count of those who have lost their lives and with each soul gone she's lost a little more of her own emotions. She can't be sad anymore knowing that many more might die before this is all over. Humanity is so fleeting.

She feels the soft hum of energy through her limbs and claws as she moves down the hall. Her eyes catch sight of the strange man pausing only for a moment.

What does he stare at?

A grave.

Why do so many have to die?

The beast feels a growl rise in her throat but she pushes it down not wanting to alarm Dycedarg. The voice with her now is so naive.]

Are you expecting to share his fate? The end approaches now.

[Her voice is soft as she glances over her shoulder at the hero. She knew that he had been there when this particular tragedy had happen but she knew nothing of the details.]

Indeed we do. I'm just a bit concerned on what it might do about getting any work done. Can't really cancel plans due to inclement weather.

[Says the guy who barely lifts a finger to help half the time anyway.]

[Ban's smile turns more genuine. Seeing someone who seems a bit less tense about all this is a help.]

Isn't it? Maybe we'll save the world, and the clouds will blow away and it'll stay sunny for weeks. So when that happens? Beach trip.

Now that is ominous. You should try to think more positively. Like maybe all this rain is going to wash our problems away.

[Ban chuckled, but even he can't keep up his usual laid-back attitude about this, and it ends in a quiet sigh. He does notice Cloud wince, though, and Ban's head tilts in curiosity.]

You all right?

I'm sure that no one's quite well right now. [He states that as the unavoidable fact that it is, not out of any malice. Ban shrugs a bit as if to say "what can you do?"]

But, we all have a job to do. Focus is key.

Yes! Stay positive and focus. We need everyone in tip-top shape. [Ban punctuates this with a dignified nod of the head.]

Hm... I would agree with you. For the most part. I've gotten quite attached to the freedom I have here. Back in my own realm... Well, demons have a job to do, and it's very strict business. So I think I'd rather stay here, if I can help it.

[Of course, it hasn't been the same for Esteban since his wife died last year, and part of him feels indifferent about staying ever since. While Ban manages to keep his usual cool smile on his face, it disappears for a moment as he hears that voice again. "What happened to her? Why was she here?!"]

My Goddess Hylia..

[Every placing of his boots draws him one step closer to the golden Goddess for whom he worships and fights for, his eyes lowering from her gaze as he once again finds himself without the sum of worth needed to even lay but an accidental glance upon her beauty.]

This.. This is-?!

[The strange chatter echoing about his thoughts is discarded, the time needed to discern whether his anxiety and stress had come to jeopardize his conscience no longer existed. He'd been summoned to her side, called upon in order to give his life for the cause of Crystallis, the Goddess, and her people.]

Zelda?? Is that.. Is that.. Zelda? No..

[Dropping to one knee, the Knight had long prepared himself for this day, knowing that a time would come where the Heroes would need to answer a call far greater than anything books or wild speculation could imagine. With the gifted sword upon his back, the Hero extends a single hand out to Hylia, keeping his eyes away from her gaze.]

I am your sword to command. Whatever your desire, I shall fulfill it.

[It had been a trying task to keep up with him, given how much faster he'd become in the past few months. The incidents across the surface of the world had made for good conditioning, with the dichotomy of also keeping her and her friends in a constant state of fear. Many had fallen and turned to the fate which seemed to inevitable for what Heroes remained, but it hadn't kept her from believing that their cause would be triumphant, especially with Cloud at the front of their expedition.

Poking her head from behind a corner, she caught sight of him against the wall, her cheeks flushing into a hue of rose as she tries to keep her heart from beating out of her chest. An indirect clearing of her throat echoes to catch his attention, a young teenager stepping out from behind the veil of the building to make herself known.]

I thought I'd find you here.

Sir Dycedarg..

[It had been a serious blow to their ranks. The loss of of a just and honorable soldier having sent more than just ripples through their morale. There had been countless fights in which the three men had shared encounters, at times working alongside one another, while other times their heads had butted like rams due to their own selfish ambitions. But now, with the lament of a rival passed on to the ether, such arbitrary scuffles felt more like childhood memories than regarded battles.

The Knight of Hylia had not meant to disrupt the moment of thought for the nobleman of House Beoulve, despite wanting to have his attention as the invisible clock of fate was ticking ever closer to what might be their last few hours of life. Dressed in what would be considered his funeral attire, the Hero of Hyrule stands at the end of the hallway to see the other man looking into the abandoned room.]

I was not sure if I might find you here.. I.. I was hoping for a word before my Lady and the others give chase to our turncoats. Are you.. Are you well, old friend?

Rikku’s knuckles whitened as her grips tightened on the blades at the taunting. Same old Ahriman crazy mantra. It came as no surprise that Yunalesca betrayed them – Rikku hadn’t trusted the woman for hot Bikanel second.

As their former companion began revealing herself for the fiend she was, Rikku had to fight every fiber of her being not to just start screaming. It wasn’t fair, they’d defeated her already. Now she'd lost people she held dear, and their only hope was to get this nutcase to fight for them? Fate had a sick sense of humor. They’d be lucky to face her and live.

You have to try something, or you’ll never forgive yourself.

The thought rang of truth, as much as she thirsted to start fighting. Naïve hopeful Rikku had left the moment her companions fell, but perhaps the thief in her had a few tricks left. She stepped forwards slightly, taking a less aggressive stance – though her daggers were ready at her sides should they be needed.

She thought back to Yunalesca’s monologue in a time that felt far away. It had all sounded crazy, yes, but if she could find a pattern to the madness…maybe. It was a shot in the dark, but any shot was worth it.

“Yunalesca – you were the first Summoner that defeated Sin. When did you decide to start becoming it?"

She narrowed her eyes at the creature before her - no taking it back now, "Letting whole worlds get destroyed? You used to give people hope right? You did that with teaching, with granting the final Summoning. Now you want to turn whole worlds into crystal. If you let that happen, you’re no better. That’s not hope, that’s just giving up. Getting tired in your old age? You tired of helping people? Because there won't be anyone to help when everyone's gone - and I think that's probably your point. You just want a way out because you're a tired old hag. And what about him?”

She indicates Garland, “You know you can help him if you team up with us, that’s the only way you’ll be strong enough. Otherwise, you’re leaving him to suffer forever. Do that, and then you can still have your shot at us after. Or, are you too tired?”

Edited 2015-04-21 04:18 (UTC)

[Despite her age, the young country girl had seen much with her adolescent eyes. In the years spent in Aquares Tofs, she'd witnessed countless lives be spent like disposable change, tossed by the hand of war and the greed of men as if their cost meant little more than paper. Friends, even family, had passed beyond the coils of flesh and blood, long gone to the unknown world in which Tifa wished to know. There had been little to no foundation to keep her here, to keep the fires of will burning, save for the only person who had sought to keep her legs moving while the others remained in stride.

With the passing days it had become all too clear to her that there was little hope left for them. That is to say, she was not prepared to go without a fight, but there was a specific matter in which she needed to address before she could even consider donning a pair of gloves over her worn and brittle hands.

The young brunettes sits beneath a weather-worn statue in one of the main halls, knees pulled up into her chest as she thinks over the months and weeks which had been leading to this moment. The childish fancies of love and adoration seemed so trivial compared to the larger worries the other Heroes were facing. She didn't want to world to belittle what was important to her, despite how much she felt as if one of the others would slap her across the cheek for being so wound up over something such as this.

How did one tell the person they loved how they felt when death was so casually knocking upon their door? She had nothing to lose, yet why did it still feel so painful to reflect upon such feelings?]

.. Cloud.

Tell those we care about how we feel?

[She'd been overhearing the brief thoughts of the young Hero, poking her head from around a corner to make herself known with both hands above and behind her head. The young girl casually strolls up to the man of equal height, looking to the map as a heavy sigh does little to relieve the weight of her worries.]

Thirty days, you said? Is that the most recent evaluation?

[The slow drag of blessed steel hisses as the sword is drawn from its scabbard. The shining beacon of light hums with an otherworldly dissonance, the blade illuminating the features of the Knight which holds it at an extended length before the Goddess it protects. The Hero Link, eyebrows furrowed into a determined scowl, glares upon the height of the dastard that looms over the measure of those present in the room. The Knight's lips curl to bear what grit is given by his teeth, his jaws parting slowly to offer disdain at the unforgivable acts of treason and greed.]

Stand down! By order of her Goddess Hylia, we have come to put a stop to your ill intentions, least we remove you by force, or worse! It is not our nature to bully with violence, but with the lively hood of the world at stake, we will give no quarter to those who fight to plunge us further into despair!

That man.. That dark energy.. What is going on here? Why is Zelda.. No, Hylia. Why is Hylia doing this?

Gwen cries out and even reaches a hand out when Chelsea charges, but is too far away to stop the child. She gets batted away, only a single stroke, and Gwen breathes out a sigh of relief that she seems okay, not badly hurt.

Her blade does not rise. The tip remains hard in the floor, and she leans her weight on the length. She pauses, listens to Rikku's words, the other woman who comes from Yunalesca's same world. There's some sense to what she's saying. Keep them talking, build on it, but how?

Turn one on the other, then get out of the middle. Daleks and Cybermen. Remember? It's the best shot.

"He is the one consumed with despair the most," Gwen uses her free arm to point at Garland. "He's spreading it loose in the world. He can't just drown in his own despair, he has to force it on everyone else, drag all of us down with him, because one hope is enough to make him think all his pain isn't real. This world won't be freed from it while he is still standing."

"We won't fight against you." Louder, hoping that she can get her point of view through to the whole group. "Because you're still a hero, just like us. You're still trying, damn it. You're trying to stand between this world and destruction. But if your fight is to free this world, you have to start with him." She lets her arm drop. "We'll fight with you. You don't have to stand there alone."

The Onion Knight had to stifle a cry of frustration as Chelsea launched a rash attack at Yunalesca. He'd really been hoping negotiations wouldn't break down quite so fast. He's about to put his back up plan into motion. It's better than nothing.

But then Rikku and Gwen are trying a different tactic. It seems like a long shot, but he'll wait. If there's the slightest chance they'll succeed, he'll take it. For now, he keeps focused on his options. Thancred mentioned healing potions. The Onion Knight himself can cast Curaga....

As his mind flies through various possibilities, he keeps his eyes on their opposition.

[Faize hadn't come for anything as righteous as heroism. His reasons for fighting had been stripped of him over time, so long ago now, though he'd tried to find new ones here in Crystallis. He'd tried so hard, but those efforts seemed so far away now, months after his only friend from home had died.

(Is that.... Blair?)

The sight of the world outside the windows of this place, however, was enough to harden his resolve as he approached the group. Faize knew Eldar was gone... his brethren scattered and slain. But Edge had.... He'd had a reason to fight. The planet looked so like Earth... an Earth that Edge had dreamed of. A sight he'd never see, now.

(Eldar....? But that's--)

If this plan was so risky as to place that world in further danger than it already was, he'd fight. It was a weak reason, but it was all he needed to keep going for now. Faize's voice is as soft as ever, but there's a sharpness to it as he speaks.]

And how can you be so certain? This plan.... how can you be sure that it will work as you claim? As he claims?

Edited 2015-04-21 05:25 (UTC)

[It wasn't unusual for Sophia to be quiet these days. Bad things kept happening and she'd weathered through each of them, but the tragedy of months ago weighed more heavily on her mind than she'd like to admit. Even now, she can't help thinking sometimes that she could have done more, how she never got to tell him...

« Tell him? »

No, now wasn't the time for that. Now was far from the time for that, she had to focus and if vigorously shaking her head was what she had to do, then she is doing it. If she had been focusing a little better, she would have noticed something was off about Blair sooner. She could help with the preparations, and as a Sage it was her duty to make sure everyone was fit to go—]

Ah, are you sure you won't need just one more spell before we go? I think we're all a little nervous...

[ « I don't understand, what's happening...? » ]

Everyone, stop. [Though she came in last, Sophia's voice rings with force rarely heard from the girl. Her gaze lingers over each of the three rogues one at a time, before ultimately settling on Blair. Yes, this was the Librarian's plan, but if there was anyone she could reach, it had to be her.]

I know we've all been looking long and hard, I know we all want the same goal. Doing this would be too much. [At least, she hoped they did. Even Ganondorf had to want the same to some degree, right?]

Please, before we do anything... Can we just listen to each other?

[Faize had not been the most talkative of people for a long time now.... more and more recently, as of late, for obvious reasons. Few people he even wished to spend time around, not with fresh loss weighing heavily on him still.

(That's not Ameena...... Sophia?! What's she--)

Sophia however, was something of an exception. The girl was kind, but strong willed in her kindness. She reminded him just a little of Reimi in that way. He'd grown fond of her over time and for that, he offers her a small, wane smile, though there's no happiness behind it.

Deep inside, he really, truly just wanted for all of this to end.]

I believe I will be fine as I am. But thank you, Sophia.

[ « Soph— Fayt's friend? Is that what he called me? »

That smile does the exact opposite of reassuring her, her face falling into a worry she doesn't even bother to conceal. Of all the people affected by what had happened, Faize had been the one who concerned her the most, and to know there was so little she could do for him...]

You say that now, but if anything, and I mean anything happens... [She takes a deep breath and steels herself, the look in her eyes now one of absolute determination, completely in contrast to his own demeanour.]

I want you to come straight to me. Don't make me go out looking for you.

Yugi felt like he should have expected this, but for the moment his job as a Gambler was going to take a back seat as he pulled out his sword, slashing at a near by crystalline figure, watching as it fell to the floor. He could see who it looked like and that caused him a little pain in his heart. He wouldn't normally hurt his friends, but he knew they weren't. His eyes darted over towards the one holding the crystal. Why was he not overly surprised that someone would want a power like that? He was just like that darker Bakura.

Slashing down another, anger clear in his eyes as he held the sword up, ready to go for the other should he need to. "You've let the power of darkness take control of your mind! I promise you, you won't get away with it!"

He changed his stance slightly, holding his sword in both hands, he was ready to attack him, himself if he had to. His friends came first after all.

[That was a hope he to felt, but deep down his mind knew that it might not always be the case. He closed his eyes for a moment as he thought about it. He would do his best to protect people if he had too.]

I'm sure others believe that same type of hope. I know I do, even if I have to protect everyone, I will try and keep them alive.

[Even if something might happen to him.]

Other me...

[(I don't understand, why is she here? And who is this guy?)

Of course, he knew it wouldn't fool her. But he couldn't really muster up anything genuine, not right now. But he truly didn't want her to worry about him when she had so much more to be concerned with at the moment.]

......Very well. I will report to you straight away. Ah... have you seen to yourself already?

Please do. [But for his own question, well... She may have been asking others what more she could do for them this whole time, but she couldn't really think of anything else for herself. Were the situation less dire, she might have stranded to look a bit sheepish.]

I'm trying to look after myself, because a lot of people might need my abilities. [Even if for all her magic, they still had to protect her...]

And because I don't want to lose anyone else.

[Her last comment, trailing off as it was, hit home. That, too, was another thing that linked them both..... Edge and Fayt had both been taken down in the same battle, months ago by the crystalline beings now infesting Crystallis. They had both handled their grief differently, but he knew it must have affected her just as badly as it had him.

(.....I'm dead....?!?!)

He hadn't been able to cope, and Sophia.....]

Yes. We must fight on..... for their sake, too.

Event || Doppelgangers

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Re: The Goddess Hylia - [Open]

Re: Cloud Strife (post Advent Children) - [OPEN]

Hope this assumed CR is ok. If not, just let me know!

no subject

Young Tifa - [OPEN]

Re: The Onion Knight | OPEN

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Sophia Esteed | ota.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject