Chapter 3: A Story Long Forgotten

[Hadrian D'arcell]

Hadrian stayed at the back of his teammates, fiddling with his scanning device. It was like the size of an average cellphone with boolean function keys. He stared intently at the screen, there's a rotating virtual figure of the girl's griffin. Just a little more... he thought for a second, feeling himself smirk. Once the stats were shown, this creature's weakspot would be revealed. He wasn't trained for this kind of combat, but he knew a better way to compromise.

He could hear the voices of the girls in front--Stardust, Jun, Polaris and now Blaze. These Balamb girls could be really scary at times.

[Polaris Lyn]

"How can we trust that you're not going to attack once all our defenes are down!" One of the girls, a dark-eyed fighter with a pixie cut, pointed to Blaze, who was snarling for death and destruction behind Polaris.

"Okay," Polaris said, her voice much mellower. Obsidian vanished into the metaphysical plane and Polaris held up her axe, then knelt down and casually slid it across the floor between the SeeDs and the strangers, far out of her reach. She'd have to run to get to it. "There," she said, eyeing the three opponents. "Besides, I asked you all nicely, anyways." She held out her bloody, empty hands. "See? I'm unarmed. The law of battle states that it's dishonorable to attack an unarmed person."

"Like anybody here actually pays attention to those stupid laws of battle," Sho muttered from a few feet to her left. Polaris shot him a dirty look and he shrugged, but lowered his fists and stood down, anyway.

"You have something that belongs to my teammate," Polaris reasoned, her gaze shifting to the sword the dark-haired man carried. "So can we just be reasonable adults here?" Her mind registered on Blaze. "Or, can we at least pretend to be reasonable adults?"

[ST]

At some point, the two groups decided to compromise and engage in a decent conversation. The SeeDs learned that the mysterious group called themselves Opposition of Oppression or Opps. It was another faction that opposed the reign of Sorceress Adel and her minions. Apparently, they were caught and blackmailed by Governor Arland--who was under Sorceress Adel--into getting the Ruby in exchange for the lives of their other teammates.

Jun's sword, Tien Nu, was indeed found by one of their teammates from a burnt down restaurant. However, the Opps didn't seem to want to give it back just yet. They wanted to negotiate.

"How about you let us get the ruby for now, then, once we saved our friends, we'll promise to give it back to you," Vanesse proposed, looking at each of them.

[miyavi]

"No way," Sho immediately said after Pixie Cut's proposition. "It's not fair that you get to keep not only the Ruby, but also something of our teammate's." He frowned at the Opps. "We understand wanting to save your friends and crap, but the sword has nothing to do with it. It's belongs to the person you stole it from." And he tilted his head towards Jun. "It's only the right thing to do, you know."

He crossed his arms. "PLUS, we have no guarantee you'll return either the Ruby or Jun's sword. We have no proof that you don't work for Adel or that the friends you want to save even exist. At this point I don't even know why the hell we're even bothering with you since you guys attacked us first, and we didn't even threaten you before you---" a pointed look at Vanesse, "---decided to try and take us out with your giant boomerang. So I have no idea why you're trying to negotiate with something that rightfully belongs to a SeeD. You guys may not be treasure hunters, but right now, by not returning that sword when the owner's standing right in front of you, you sure as hell are dirty thieves."

Sho's words were blunt, but not sarcastic. His eyes were level with Vanesse, his expression neutral.

[Diego Stanton]

Deo and the girls still stood a safe distance away from the seeDs should anyone choose to attack. For a moment he thought of threatening to blow the samurai sword to little pieces if the seeDs didn't hand over the ruby, but he knew that if he got onto the their bad side things wouldn't be pretty.

The freaky blue haired guy said stuff that made a whole lot of of sense and Deo really couldn't figure out a way to get past his accusations. So he decided to do the next best thing. Lie.

"Like I said before," Deo's eyes darted towards Sho, "I didn't know it was her sword, ok? You think I can read minds or something?"

He calmly tossed the sword to its owner. "Here. Take it," he said to her, "it's not like I even know how to use it. And I'm sorry about throwing it; I didn't even know I had it."

Blaze cut in, "Fine, Jun has her sword back. So get out of here before we change our minds about sparing your lives. I don't even know why we have to listen to your sob story. You're trying to save three people? We're trying to save millions!"

"I don't think so," Deo said, his mind racing at a million miles a minute, "I saw you guys come in here without a clue about what to do with these doors. We know how to get the ruby, you need us."

"You don't know shit!" Blaze accused.

"We were able to get in here before any of you, and without the shumi ritual. I think we know what we're doing," Deo said lazily although his heart was pounding madly. They were in serious trouble if the seeDs didn't buy it.

[vanesse]

Vanesse gave Deo a resolute look, eventhough she knew he was making things up. He was actually sounding believable. This could probably be their only ticket out since her plan A failed.

Vanesse saw the pinkhead SeeD chuck Deo a disapproving look. "You just snuck before us while we weren't looking!" she told him.

"It's up to you whether you believe us or not, but you have our word." Vanesse stated firmly, all of her anxiousness were tucked inside. They were going to pull this off. They just had to. "You can try to figure it out if you want, I doubt you're going to solve the mystery behind this room." She crossed her arms. "You see...there is more to this room that meets your eyes. We can help you get the ruby, if you promise to help us get our friends back. "

She waited for their answer. Come on...

[Bun]

"We can help you get the ruby, if you promise to help us get our friends back."

Polaris eyed them. She was sure they were lying---it was a feeling in the back of her head, a sort of instinct---besides, lying was one of her specialties, after all. Not to mention these guys had contradictions in their statements.

But a way to the Ruby was a way to the Ruby.

Polaris quirked an eyebrow at the Opps. "Only a blind retard would be unable to figure out the importance of the doors." Her voice held a touch of annoyance---the brunette was trying too hard to sound like she knew something. "It was also stupid of you to wait for us and then try to negotiate. Had you three gone and taken the Ruby before confronting us, then you might've had the upper hand. If you really knew where to go, you wouldn't have waited for us, would you?" Polaris did not waver in her statements, and continued to point our the inconsistencies of their statements. "Maybe this is all part of your master plan, maybe it's not. But not getting the Ruby before engaging us in battle is probably the most idiotic thing you could have done. We still have no reason to believe you, like my teammate said, nor to actually work with you."

Polaris's eyes narrowed, and a predatory smile curled her lips. Blaze had happily named it the know-it-all bitch smile.

"But just for fun, I guess I'll say that I believe you." She cast the three an admiring look. "Just because you guys have guts for trying to negotiate with ABSOLUTELY NO collateral. You're outnumbered and very likely to get killed, and you're all willing to risk it. I'm sure your friends---if they're still alive---would be proud of you."

She suddenly felt a nudge at her side and turned her head. Sho was holding out a travel-sized container of baby wipes. Leaning close to her, he muttered, "You're looking like you want to poke out their eyes while you're reasoning with them. Best to look non-threatening, yah?"

She blinked, then remembered the blood on her hands. Taking the pack of baby wipes from Sho, she took a wipe and began cleaning the blood off from her hands and face. It took approximately half the pack. When she was finished cleaning up, she shot the Opps a bright smile.

"So share your wisdom guys. Enlighten us with the way to the Ruby."

[waterlily43]

As soon as Jun got her hands on Tien Nu, the serenity that had been absent for so long settled over her. She could think more clearly now. And realised that if not for Polaris' foot down-putting, they might have gotten into unnecessary battles and come out less primed for their challenge ahead. Yes, challenge. Xu had said that the Ruby would be stringently guarded and Jun did not doubt it one bit. Of course Xu's judgement was not always spot on, and sometimes downright muddled but there was no room for question here.

"As my team-mate has so kindly conceded to your offer, consider yourselves as our temporary allies. As long as you deliver your part of the deal, we will deliver ours." Jun said with a look at the other SeeDs that warned them from saying otherwise, her voice a little hoarse as she subconsciously inspected Tien Nu for signs of "imperfections". "But..." She paused, aiming a glance sharp enough to rival her blade. "...We'll be watching you closely, so don't try anything funny. Cross us and it'll be the last move you would ever make."

[ani]

Vanesse's lips pursed, taking in the words of Jun and Polaris. She had to remind herself why they had to degrade themselves to this level. Atleast they got their favor. Her eyes darted towards the three statues. What in the world were they going to do? They really were in for it now.

/Don't ask me./ Paridge calmly stated. Once again, he had proven himself useless.

"Thank you," Vanesse answered with a nod. "We won't let you down." She paused for a while. Her emotions might be impervious a minute ago, but now, as she stood here with her team with no clue what to do next, her nervousness was starting to seep through. She stiffened.

Stardust placed a hand on her waist and tilted her head on one side. This silence... "Well?" she said, annoyed.

"My name is Vanesse Yanagi," Vanesse suddenly beamed at them and nodded. "Pleasure to meet you all."

/Stalling time or being friendly?/ Paridge sounded like he was going to laugh.

Both? Vanesse replied.

She glanced at her other two teammates. "Behind me are Diego Stanton and Jaime Lewis," she said before turning back to the SeeDs. "Since we're going to work together, we should know each other, right?" Her smile didn't falter. "We didn't get your names yet."

Hadrian's brows lifted. It was...odd..to find a friendly smile during this time of war. He wished she would just open those doors already. Blah, what the hell, he thought.

"Hadrian D'arcell," he announced from the back, lifting his hand for a second.

Hearing that, Vanesse's smile brightened. "Hi Hadrian! Nice to meetcha."

Stardust glanced back at Hadrian from the back then to Vanesse. Her forehead wrinkled. Is this "really" necessary?

[Bun]

<This girl knows as much about this room as I do,> Polaris thought wryly. <What a hideously obvious attempt to stall.>

A gentle brush of thought grazed her mind. <Play along.> It was Obsidian, his voice soothing away her annoyance. Which was odd, since he was usually the source of her annoyance. <Like you haven't gotten yourself in a pickle before. Family feud, anyone?>

Ah yes. What was that again about Obsidian soothing away her annoyance? Nevermind.

Polaris eyed the three. Vanesse, Jaime and Deo. She studied their faces, tried to committ them to memory. Vanesse was bright-eyed and petite and just about one of the worst liars she'd ever met. Diego, dark-haired and green-eyed...for some reason, he reminded her of Blaze, unassuming but probably dangerous, especially with the bombs. And Jaime? Jaime was stunning, blonde and fair and positively glowing with good looks. She'd remember them...just in case.

"Hi Hadrian! Nice to meetcha." Vanesse positively beamed at the hacker and Polaris found her smile infectious. The girl might be a tough opponent, but she acted like a little girl.

"I'm...my name is Polaris," Polaris offered, quiet and soft, her smile gentle. It would be better if she didn't automatically assume bossy bitch mode, as a certain Guardian Force was fond of calling her businesslike expression.

She probably should've stated her full name, but why bother? This was a temporary alliance.

"Sho Miyavi." Sho's lilting, accented voice sounded from behind Polaris. He easily towered over everyone else, his bright blue hair ensuring that none would forget him. The battlelust was gone from his face, leaving an easy, friendly grin. He winked in the direction of the Opps. "And I remember you, Pixie. Weren't you that girl I almost stepped on in the elevator?"

[Blaze Sanaku]

Blaze was actually happy that Polaris had prevented everyone from killing the Opps. Now she could just sit back and watch while the Opps did all the work. If they were lying about knowing how to get the ruby, well, Blaze decided that she'd just kill them. It was a win-win situation.

"uh-- just call me Deo," the bomber said in reply to Vanesse's introductions. Blaze thought he looked the stupidest out of the three.

might as well get these introductions over with.

"Blaze." Blaze stated her name with the enthusiasm of a dead bird. Like Polaris, she didn't bother to say her last name. She figured none of them would even care.

From Vanesse's attitude, Blaze believed that the three weren't dotNA. dotNA wouldn't negotiate like Vanesse and Deo did, unless they were putting up an act. But they couldn't be putting up an act because they already knew how to get the ruby. Blaze sighed. She just wanted to get the mission done once and for all.

[Diego Stanton]

Deo smiled at Vanesse's attempt to stall for time. She was a hell of a lot better at it than he was. Now was the time to panick though, because there were only a few more introductions left.

There was still a shimmer of hope for him, because for some reason Deo had been extremely lucky today. First with blowing up the labyrinth and then opening the wall with the statue's eye. Of course, there was that whole getting beaten up by a little girl and being blackmailed thing but for the most part Deo had been pretty lucky.

He listened as everyone said their names. The demeanor of the seeDs had completely changed and now they were smiling and being friendly. Well all except the pinkhead one who wouldn't say anything, and Blaze.

Blaze... My sister's name used to be Blaze.

Deo was surprised that this girl also had the same name. He didn't think that name was too common, especially since it was he who had named his sister when she was born. He almost laughed, thinking back to the strange look his parents gave him when he named her.

The blue-haired guy, apparently named Sho, started talking to Vanesse.

yeah, that's right... buy us more time! Deo silently thanked him.

[Polaris Lyn]

Polaris crossed her arms in her typical manner and blew her streaked bangs out of her face, heaving a heavy inward sigh. Introductions were taking way too long. Especially when there were about a dozen people doing it all to each other. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes at the blatant stalling that Vanesse was doing, Polaris shifted her gaze to Blaze, who looked as excited about their new alliance as a low-level Funguar was excited to meet a T-Rexaur in the forest.

Polaris didn't trust these people---it was hard to suddenly be friendly to people who attack one without warning---and the gentle smile that tugged at the corner of her lips was a reflex; when one was a born and raised aristocrat, flashing million-watt smiles was something one learned to do. Even though she had been a SeeD for three years already, Polaris could never be quite free of the etiquette lessons she learned as a child.

It caused a sort of split personality in her, her upbringing and her profession---one moment she was Polaris Lyn, battle-hardened SeeD soldier and stealth operative, a thief and killer who specialized in Support Mag battle skills and had a sarcastic streak a mile wide; the other moment, she would Polaris Lyn, a regular modern-day princess, who owned diamonds and silk dresses, shy and reserved and smiling softly at everyone.

Polaris blinked, pushing her musings to one side. Hyne, what the hell was she doing, analyzing her psyche at a time like this? <That's how fucking boring it's gotten,> she thought dryly, beginning to dislike the girl named Vanesse. Regarding this building and the Ruby, Vanesse was a grade-A idiot who knew abolutely nothing, and yet, she had the gall to pretend she knew something, and then stall about with some idiotic game of let's-get-to-know-everyone that made Polaris feel ill.

<This abso-fucking-lutely fantastic,> she growled inwardly. <While Adel is gathering power and an army, this little bint is trying to get everyone's names. What next, are we gonna hold hands and sing "Kumbaya"?>

<Do I hear the sound of claws coming out?> Obsidian asked, a dark wraith in her mind. <Rowrr, kitty!>

The corners of Polaris's aristocratic mouth drooped slightly into a half-pout, half-frown, and she let out a slow, even breath. She shot a frustrated gaze to Blaze. Although her best friend was no mind reader, Polaris's face voiced her thoughts clearly enough.

Seriously, Blaze, I'm starting to get pissed; let's just kill these three and get done with it.

[vanesse]

"And I remember you, Pixie. Weren't you that girl I almost stepped on in the elevator?" Vanesse wanted to laugh at what the guy named, Sho Miyavi, had called her. For some reason, she liked his name. It must be because they had sorta similar last names--Asian last names that is. She remembered him too. Who wouldn't miss that blue hair. "Yeah, thank you for not squashing my foot, mister," she replied smiling. "Nice name."

"Blaze," the girl who was threatening to kill them a while back said her name as well. Vanesse turned to her and repeated her previous greetings. She was kinda glad that she even gave them her name. Blaze was kind of scary...So now, their names were Hadrian, Polaris, Sho, and Blaze. Vanesse caught the sly glance Polaris gave Blaze and the word superficial dashed in her mind. She shrugged the thought off. That was probably her cue to really come up with something to open those doors. Her gaze rested on the other three SeeDs that hadn't introduced themselves--the tall blonde dude, the high-blood lady who yelled at Deo, and another not-so-nice pink-haired lady. If she thought about it, these SeeDs weren't as ruthless as she thought they were afterall. The mix of them altogether was amusing in a way. Peculiar that the guys were nicer than the girls though, she thought it would be the other way around.

"I'm really sorry for what happened earlier," she said to them. "It was kind of like a reflex, we were cornered before we get to open the door." That was true. She bit her lip. "Atleast noone got hurt, right?"

Idea!

/What is it?/

Not telling. She had just thought of a plan to uncover this room. She saw it work. It sure was worth a try.


_____________________
Haha Queen of Procrastination XD But we're trying to move not too fast with the plot too cuz Mama G's work is getting a little busy >.o But just post for your charrie if you wanna XD LOL

[miyavi]

Sho felt old. Being called "mister" wasn't his thing, but if it lessened the tension between him and the Pixie, he'd tolerate it.

Speaking of tension...

Stardust, Blaze, and strangely even Polaris radiated a coldness that almost made Sho shiver, even though he was dressed in a warm windbreaker. These girls were deadly and quite unfriendly, and Sho was slightly wary of them even without weapons. They practically oozed hostility towards the Opps from every pore of their bodies. And in fact---Sho peered at the Bubblegum Airhead---Stardust seemed to be trying to kill them with just her stare. Creepy. Curly Fries was downright chilling, her back straight as a steel rod and her arms crossed. Sho snuck a peek at her face and saw that she looked blank, but her eyes were filled with a heavy annoyance. <She's crazy pissed.> At least Blaze was somewhat calm...well, actually, Sho thought she looked a little bit like a Ruby Dragon wearing a human skin, but at least she was docile for now. Gardens didn't train monsters, but that Blaze sure was a crazy kid..

<Yeah, and I'm just a happy-go-lucky guy who fights in self-defense.> Sho laughed inwardly at the thought of someone viewing him as non-violent.

Meanwhile, the only normal woman in the SeeD group, Jun, was looking over her sword with a practiced eye. Even from a distance Sho saw that the blade was maginificent, polished steel that gleamed silver in bright arcs of light. Jun checked it over, her face calm, serene...as opposed to Stardust, aka Pink Psycho Ranger.

<You really should stop coming up with unflattering nicknames for your team members.> Zephyr was a tranquil presence in Sho's mind, with a baritone voice that washed over Sho's soul like a warm summer wind.

<It works.> Zephyr did not reply, and Sho continued his observations.

Rayden was being unusually quiet, but Sho didn't get much personality from him in the first place, and occupied no space in the martial artist's mind. Gone was the same. Geeker Dude, the hacker with the fake-red hair, was amiable enough, if not completely and utterly useless in any sort of battle. Sho smirked, <oh well, more carnage for Blaze and me.>

Sho turned back to face the Opps. Pixie was engaging, sweet and cute, like cotton candy, but cotton candy with razorblades---he'd seen the way she handled her boomerang. The bomber...Diego? Day-ohh? whatever, looked lazy, but Sho saw a nervous flicker in the jade eyes that he didn't like one bit. Jaime was a looker, elegant and blonde, a total model-type. Sho hadn't really seen her in battle yet, but well...she felt dangerous enough.

Sho considered their alliance in his mind. <We're a regular Brady Bunch of warriors, that's for sure.>

---

*cries* Van and Pol are "grrr!" at each other! Ani, I think our characters are destined to dislike each other. Pretty soon Van and Sho are going to battle it out in a hate war!! XP