Kaida wasn't entirely sure what she was expecting, but she could safely say she wasn't expecting a dark side, especially one this big. Kaida blinked and whistled as her voice cracked, "Oh boy." when the rain began to fall, Kaida smiled a bit and said, "We can do this. We've made it this far. We can definitely do this." and Kaida quickly launched Thunder Bell at it, quickly followed by another one. In the rain, the bell almost sounded more like thunder than an actual bell. Kaida used Thunder Bell (x2)
Take was thrown off by the bombardment of questions as they got out, specifically noticing the one who asked if he was a little young to be adventuring and he just glared at them. I mean come on, was it a height thing? There was at least one more person shorter than him there. And one person younger. He crossed his arms and didn't respond more until Boreas mentioned an out. He didn't exactly hear anything going on after that, he just kind of walked towards whoever had a glider, and heard something about Tinarah going with Boreas? He didn't know, so he evened it up by going towards Qamar and said, "Let's just all get out of here."
Takehiko heard Qamar suddenly run on over to check up on him, asking the same questions that Tinarah pretty much just asked so he repeated in his usual monotone,"I'm fine. Arm hurts a bit, I don't think I hurt it more. It just hurts. Thanks... for saving my life I suppose. And yes, Tinarah did heal me." he wasn't exactly sure why she seemed to be talking so much about saving his life. Perhaps Take didn't think it worthy of acknowledgment... then he remembered the last time he saved someone's life he was ostracized, and that made him pause to remember not everyone had to feel the way he did. Take pulled his mask down again and looked away and sighed, "You um... you can call me Take. It's fine."
When the fight was over, Take kept taking deep breaths to calm himself down, since running from being knocked out to going all out on an attack didn't necessarily feel amazing. He listened intently to the conversation but not feeling up to adding anything else, when Tinarah asked him how he was doing. The boy moved his mask from his face a bit so he could breathe and she could hear him better as he said, "I'm doing alright. I don't remember when I got knocked out, but I imagine it was Mr. Incredible..." Take went to move his other hand again and felt abit of pain and looked at his cast, "I don't think I hurt my hand again, but it's hurting a little... thanks for the heal." he smiled slightly and said, "I know it's been a while for you but I feel accomplished, like my suggestion paid off here..." he realized that was unclear and dropped his hand, "Y-ya know... cause... you were... well, nervous about us getting hurt so I suggested you practiced healing... for me mentioning that was a few days ago but I mean... I'll stop." he put his mask back over and massaged his hurt arm a bit.
3 in HP, 1 in AP gimme dat Wall
Spoiler: Episode Takehiko Part 4 Stuck With Me About a week after meeting Stamatis, Takehiko had missed a training session and hadn't left his room. It was an abnormality for sure, the boy seemed to run over to train even if he had a bit of a cold. But this time... he wasn't there at all. And while that on it's own may have just called for a day off... Take didn't show up day two either. That definitely indicated something was up, even if Take had never said anything. The boy sat on his bed, hugging his knees and staring down at the front of the bed where the boy had his keyblade laying. Take stared at the keyblade a long time before hiding his eyes and whispering to himself, "No..." and he nudged it further away with his foot. Atmos had waited for Take to show to the day's lesson but after the boy did not show up, she had simply taught it to Chrono before going to search for the boy. It was unusual for him to miss anything given he was always either on time or early to each lesson. Atmos knocked on Take's door, worried he had fallen ill or injured himself sparring with Chrono. "My I come in?" Atmos spoke up. Take heard Atmos knock on the door and ask to come in. The boy was silent for a little bit, processing whether or not he wanted to invite her in. But he gave it a bit of time and finally said, "Yeah, you can come in..." Take's room was pretty clean, everything was folded nicely and kept in an order of some sort. Even the bed Take was sitting on was still made up pretty nicely. Take never brought his shoes into the room, so he just had socks on and his sneakers were left just outside. The only item that was Take's, at least the one thing that resembled a lived in condition, was a small stone Take always left on the end table. When Atmos was in the room, Take looked up at her. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, and his eyes looked like... well... he had just been crying not all that long ago. The boy looked up at Atmos and managed out, "Hey..." he let his legs down so he sat cross-legged on the bed and his eyes darted down towards the keyblade still on the bed. Then his next words just sort of... slipped out before he could do anything about it, "Atmos... I can't do this anymore...." Atmos slowly pushed Take's door open and stepped inside. As always, Take's room was clean and hardly looked lived in. Her eyes briefly fell on the stone that belonged to him and a memory flashed into her mind. Thinking it to be a healthy joke she had once moved the stone to a different location. When the boy became distraught as he tore through his room, intending to do the same to the whole castle, she quickly returned the stone to him and apologized as she had not known such a simple stone was so important to him. Still, she was glad to have seen him so focused on something sentimental. "What do you mean you can't do this?" She looked down at the keyblade laying on the floor. "What happened, Take?" Take looked at Atmos for a moment and then looked out of the window in the room and he shook a little. He didn't know how to say it in a way that would make her understand. He didn't think there was a way, but he was going to have to try, "I'm... I'm becoming too much of an outsider..." he felt himself shaking more, he thought his words were coming out clear, but they were coming out with a shakiness to it, a shakiness that was anything but how Take would act, "A-A-At this rate... I-I don't know how I-I'd be able t-to go back to my home-homeworld. I'm starting to feel t-t-to distant. I-I don't want to become... become an outsider. I-I-I was just starting t-to fit in. E-everything was going perfectly before..." Take felt a tear stream down his face and he moved his hand to quickly wipe it away, but his keyblade flashed off the floor, and into his hand instead. Take glared at it and said, "Everything was fine until this keyblade decided to show up five years late!" Take threw the keyblade in his anger towards the window, but it didn't collide, it simply disappeared into light. The boy felt more tears pouring out as he looked at Atmos and he managed out, "I don't want the keyblade anymore. I just want to go home. Go back to the way things were. I'd rather go back to their mental torture than feel myself grow distant from my homeworld. I don't want Shoji to hate me." Take's voice broke as he managed out through tears, "I don't want Akio to look at me like I'm a stranger. I don't want my parents disappointed in me." he held his hands out and felt the keyblade materialize in his hand again, and he held it out to Atmos with a look of desperation in his eyes, "I don't want it anymore. Please. Just take it away or something. I don't know if you can. I don't know if it's right. I don't care. I don't want this anymore." "When I first learned that I was chosen my family distanced themselves from me." Atmos spoke after a moment of reflection, empathizing with Take's position. Though she had never worried to the extent that he did about what would become of her ties with her family, she at least knew of isolation. His mention of Akio reminded her of the cheery younger brother he had and she could not imagine him growing distant from his brother. "The bonds between family are stronger than you think, Take." She placed her hand on his keybade and made him lower it. "When the time comes, they will realize you are serving a greater purpose, that you are part of something much bigger than yourself. When you are ready you will be able to return home and help your people. It might take them time to get used to the new you but they will accept you." She assured him. "The keyblade chose you for a reason. Even those who receive the inheritance ceremony cannot wield the blade if they are not worthy. This is your duty and no one can take that from you." Take felt the keyblade being pushed back towards him and he looked back down at it. His hands shook even more as he asked, "What if they don't accept me? What if..." Takehiko felt the keyblade finally slip through his fingers and disappear into light. The boy kept holding his hands out and he let them fall, "My homeworld hates change.... they've never liked me... but I've always loved my family... my friends..." Take grabbed his wrist and stared at it, "I just... I feel like... for so long I've tried to become accepted... and this can't help that... when I was little they still talked about an old master from my world. The weird old man who didn't care about the well being of the people because he thought too much about other worlds... why would I want that kind of a life or legacy?" he looked back at Atmos and asked, trying to stop himself from crying, "If the keyblade chooses the wielder, is the wielder not given the choice to reject it?" "The kind of legacy that weird old man left must have changed many lives for the better. You may not understand it because you've only seen the troubles of your world but there are other worlds out there in need of help. One cannot simply abandon them just because of a fear of rejection." She spoke calmly. "The keyblade will not leave you unless you become unworthy to wield it. If you were to commit an act just to make yourself unworthy just to get rid of the keyblade, I am certain you would not be able to look anyone you care for in the eyes anymore. You have a choice in how you act right now, Take. You can either become a man who would make yourself proud or you can live your life never making a difference because you allowed fear to control you." Takehiko thought for a moment about it, so there was a way. But there was a part of him who knew that if he went down that kind of a path, he'd never forgive himself for it. Take rubbed his eyes and looked at Atmos, there was a small chuckle that came out of him before he looked at Atmos, and for the first time he was pretty sure in years, he smiled at someone, "I guess you're stuck with me then." it didn't take long for the smile to fade and the tears to come back as he said, "I'm not happy about it but... it doesn't have to deal with you I just... it hurts to process it... forgive me." When Take smiled there was something about him that she had not noticed before. She had been told the boy was different by those who had chosen her to be his master. There was a light about this boy that she had been trained to see but never witnessed for herself before. Perhaps the shell he had placed around himself had kept her from seeing it until now but at last she knew what he was. Even though it confused her greatly. She had thought them all to be women... Atmos smiled in return towards her student. "It's an honor to be stuck with you, Take. I've been very fortunate to have students such as yourself and Chrono." Take sniffled a bit and smiled again at her, he rubbed his eye and said, "Um... I know I've already missed yesterday but... you wouldn't mind if I held off for the rest of the day would you? I'll be ready tomorrow..." Take shifted and rubbed his other eye and said, "I'm really tired..." he sniffed slightly and rubbed his wrist as he added, "...and hungry, but I don't know if I should eat or sleep first..." he looked a little embarrassed, but he also looked like he was starting to return back into that shell again. Atmos nodded in response to Take and moved closer to give the boy an embrace now that the aura around him was beginning to fade. She wished it would stay. "Of course. I understand. I'd suggest a short rest before eating." She looked down and noticed that Take was rubbing his wrist but said nothing of it. It was a curious habit of his. "You being here to train is important. Not just for the sake of other worlds but for yourself as well. Being able to become more than you are and grow is every bit as important. Learning to be you is a lesson that takes time but I believe you're getting the hang of it." Teasingly she ruffled the boy's hair. "I'll keep this quiet from Chrono, don't worry. And Take? You do not need to feel ashamed of those feelings of yours. They'll always be a part of you." She said as she turned to leave the room. Take nodded in response, thinking about her words and feeling conflict about them. He wasn't sure if he could believe that he shouldn't be ashamed. He felt ashamed just for thinking about Atmos seeing him cry. The boy closed his eyes and rubbed his wrist again and the only thing he could say was, "Thank you." before Atmos was gone, and before Take decided to lay back for some much needed rest. Episode Takehiko: End Takehiko felt himself leaned up against the wall as he felt a wash of energy come over him, and that's when the boy realized he had been knocked out. He looked around to make sure no one else was down, but people were standing and that made him sigh in relief. The boy stood up and looked over at Tinarah and managed out, "Thanks." before the boy quickly charged in and threw all of his energy at Mezmerella, aiming for her face, and knowing a lot of the damage would probably be absorbed by Mr. Incredible. He didn't care that much. He even threw in Blitz+ for some luck. HP: 35/85 AP: 0/72 MP: 15/20
Kaida used Thunder Bell (x2) Kaida used Firaga (x2)
Feeling inspired by his teammates, but his writer not inspired to flavor this nicely. Takehiko went in and threw on a couple attacks, trying to aim for Mezmerella but knowing how unlikely it was, before he backed away and pointed at Mr Incredible and screamed,"Hey you! Muscle man! Stay away from the gunner and yellow and gray one. Aiight?! Fight me instead!" Take used provoke to protect Glyde and Chrono HP: 12/85 AP: 10/42 MP: 5/20
The writer could probably afford to be more creative with this post since Kaida got two turns but the voices in the writers head are just telling her to get it over with. Kaida used Splattercombo Kaida used Firaga (x2)
Well, so much for attempting conversation with AJ in the battle. Since he was more focused on the battle itself. She wasn't exactly sure what was different about this fight and the battles before it. But that didn't matter, when Ignis mentioned puns being the lowest form of comedy Kaida said, "I disagree with that. You know what I think is the lowest? Deadpan comedy. Or even anti-humor. Or a mixture." Kaida shivered and noticed the darkside charging up some sort of attack and she mumbled, "Well that looks like it's gonna end in hurt... alright then." Kaida felt like she needed to end the battle faster, and in that moment her body seemed to agree and in an instant, her speed aura was activated. Kaida swirled her keyblades and seeming to be even faster than she normally was, she dualcasted fireballs and they launched at the darkball with a much faster velocity. Kaida activated Speed Aura and used Firaga (x2)
Kaida giggled a bit when Stratos joined in on the puns, and was immediately shut down by Ignis over the puns. What? It wasn't like she was dancing or doing something that wasn't fighting. She just spoke, that was a free action she was pretty sure. When Luna seemed to be more hyper-focused on the boss she let it go, but then Aux made an accidental pun. Kaida grinned and said, "That counts that totally counts!" and then AJ joined in on the puns and Kaida said, "See? Even AJ know how to make a good pun and not complain that 'this isn't the time'. Don't get your bottoms in a bunch." The blonde twirled her keyblade and mumbled, "It's like no one has time for games anymore. All busy and 'not the time'. No Kaida, let's not throw some excitement in though some of us were singing earlier when surrounded by hordes. Gotta plan. All plans no games, like we're not just kids in soldier positions... grr..." then Kaida pointed at the darkside and shouted, "Firaga!" as dualcast activated, another fireball flew on our of her other keyblade and that threw off Kaida minute, though it really shouldn't have, and she backed up and looked at AJ, "I'm surprised you jumped in on the puns though. You don't seem like the kind of guy to jump in on a group gag." Kaida used Firaga (x2)
Takehiko was a bit surprised at being suddenly pulled away, he must have missed out on some sort of order since everyone seemed to be moving and he had not. That surprised him more than it should have. As he felt the hats come in at him, he braced himself for impact, but fortunately it didn't hurt nearly as much this time. He watched the hats completely ignore Frozone and bit his lip before shouting,"You better be right, I don't like the idea of feeling these hats attack me as I'm running off!" and Take bolted down the tunnel, without throwing an attack at any of the hats.
Kaida took a deep breath as she looked up at the darksides and whistled, "That escalated far too quickly." when the demon tides decided to swarm over, Kaida quickly jumped to the side, feeling her angle kind of twinge in a bit of pain. She fixed her hair and looked up towards the red darkside, now focused on them. She looked towards the rest of her team and stood up and resummoned keyblades, this time whittling promises settling into her left hand, while her right hand glowed with oathkeeper. She twirled them slightly and pulled back a little saying, "Hope you guys are ready for this to get... electrifying." and Kaida quickly heaved back as a thunderbell came crashing down on the red darkside. Her other keyblade glowed as she tossed another one and threw it at the demon. There were two different ringing tones as the bell hit and Kaida smirked a bit, a little amused. Kaida used Thunder Bell (x2)
Take was more focused on the battle at this point in the game but when Chrono finally responded, by just repeating what he said in a question, he looked over and asked, "Did I stutter?" he took the hit from the hats fairly okay, but Take was definitely starting to feel it. He took a deep breath in and started taking down a few more before saying, "Yes, another one. Do you have a good idea on who it could be?" he looked over at Boreas when he heard him scream something about a ripped cape and then looked around to see how the others were doing and saw Glyde holding up fairly well and he shouted, "You're doing great, Glyde!" He looked over to see how Tinarah was doing but he must have just missed what she did do, and was more focused on one had flying in that he didn't get. Take slash upwards and the hat broke into several pieces. He looked at Chrono and said, "If you get worried you're gonna go down, please stand behind me. I've got you." HP: 19/85 AP: 2/32 MP: 5/20 Enemies Defeated: 5 Helping Hats Enemies Remaining: 22 Helping Hats
I'm unequipping musketeer hat and wearing apprentice sash. Uh... new stats MP- 5(+4) Strength- 25 (+6) Speed- 46 Magic- 25(+11)
As the machine began, the form glitched. To the creature it felt like static, as if the hair it may have would stand on end. But it knew it wasn't the case, and it knew why it was doing that. The creature growled and managed out, "What? YOU FIXed iT? IMPOSSIBle!" The beast fully formed and stood closer, every step it took, the floor shook. It reached out as if to attempt to destroy the machine, but it was much slower in this state. It ended up swinging at Cerdic as a result, purely because he was closer, and he did ask for it. The battle has begun.
Watching Torrin and Adalric summon out their keyblade gliders, the boy crossed his arms and mumbled, "I wish I could do that...." but let it go as they walked to head towards the tunnels. Then hats showed up... well, he was pretty sure they were hats. But there was something off about them, and by off he totally meant that these things looked like cybernetic monstrosities with some 'take over the world' complex. He summoned out his keyblade and made a point to try and get some attacks in quickly at 3 of the hats, then the boy backed up towards Chrono and managed out, "I would have told you during the walk but everyone was a bit too quiet for my tastes." a fourth hat charged at him and he stabbed into it and slammed it into the ground as it broke and he looked at Chrono, "I uh... eavesdropped on Torrin and Thallasa's conversation yesterday and... they said there is a second heart of pure light in our party. Ya know, the people who we're supposed to be searching for an protecting? You don't happen to know anything about that do you?" 41 Helping Hats left AP: 8/32 left
Xehanort's darkness is stronger than the power of friendship.
So this morning just before it was light outside I decided to walk my dog for a little while. He has a collar with little keyblade designs around the edge and it's very adorable. But bless the poor thing's heart, he just can't be friendly with people. So I went early and there were friends that happened to be awake walking too. And this dog is a powerful dog and he kind of looks just like a heartless in color scheme and I underestimated by only holding lightly onto his leash and he just starts running right on out of there and i can't fight him so it just results in us having a far shorter walk than I expected.
Takehiko was still getting used to the costume while he listened to the plan of attack. He wasn't sure if it was a good idea to send less people after the big guns, but he supposed Torrin and Thallasa could make up the difference. It wasn't like Take was in their league or anything. When someone started mentioning a team leader he looked thrown off he was even mentioned and just waved his hands and shook his head no, but once Frozone was mentioned following their lead that made sense. But what if Frozone was down? He'd probably push for Boreas to take the lead in that instant anyway, and he didn't know if others would exactly argue against that. Take moved his mask out of his face so he could breathe a little better for a moment cause he was already sweating a little. He shuffled slightly towards Chrono and placed a hand on his shoulder and said for Chrono's ears only, "When we head, I need to talk with you about something. I wouldn't pull you away if I didn't think it was important."
