The Academy Opens. Warriors Unite? (Open)

[hope]

After the beginning that took the young Academy Directer Hope Estheim from his home world Pulse and threw him into the vastness of the universe, the young scientist wound up at an in between world known as Traverse Town. A small world where souls who've lost their worlds wind up if not consumed by darkness. There he had learned a bit about the other worlds that existed and the perils that faced them. However, he still knew too little, and with no way to move from world to world, the young researcher found himself helpless....At least until he got thrown to Radiant Garden. There he learned about a computer that archived all sorts of data that could help him. However, he ran into resistance upon trying to access that archive. The Restoration Committee of the world stopped him, questioning him on suspicion of trying to steal delicate data. He met with several people that helped explain everything to him, after which, he was able to get what he needed in order to have a grasp on what he should do......

Some time after, Hope began construction on a new Academy Headquarters since the one on Pulse was being destroyed by chaos. He planned on creating an Academy that would seek to help the many different worlds from the turmoil that threatened them. Upon completion of the Academy, people began coming in, joining the cause to protect the worlds. It was a slow start, but the Academy is slowly rising in terms of numbers and presence. Today, they hold 4 main divisions in their halls, having an organized system of defense and information to aid all supporting members of the Academy. Let us see what happens today inside the hallowed halls.

Inside the Academy the young leader of the organization, Hope Estheim, sits in his office going over data and files. With so much to keep track of since the Academy is still new, he had been working hard and late to get everything up to spec. The combat department was running, Research and Intelligence keeping the servers updated, and a medical squad to aid the injured that came in. He needed a Head of Security, which he had not found yet. With a sigh, Hope would stand and head down to the main lobby to see what was happening today. People were coming in and out, getting information and checking out the building. It was very slow in the lobby though because there was no inter-world connection that the Academy could use. So the people in here were either citizens of Radiant Garden or people that happened to make their way to this world. the Research Department was working on a Gate system that could be used for members to get from world to world, but that was not at completion yet. Keeping world data without effective means of transportation was also very difficult.

Hope would sigh and walk around. Some of his members were around the halls, others were out gathering intelligence or fighting the enemy forces. He could not readily just leave to join them, as the Academy needed overseeing from someone that could think on a dime and make the best decision for the organization as a whole. He would head outside and stretch, taking in the fresh air and gently breeze that was blowing. Today was sunny, and there was a welcoming warmth with the coolness of the wind. What would happen today at the Academy? Would today bring new members, or put the Academy's strength to the test? Only time would tell, and Hope was ready for anything.

[beast]

“I DEMAND YOU LET ME GO!"

The quite literal roar no doubt echoed throughout the academy in question, the vocal chords from which the sound perpetrated from having quite the set of lungs behind them and quite the set of power. For you see, the powerful roar of words that sounded so animalistic literally shook the walls of the very Academy, just as the roar could shake the stones that built the castle this particular beast came from. Why, it's quite possible the roar might have shaken some of the stones that built the castle of this world as well, a castle all to familiar to the creature that owned the lungs. It's white stones, it's brass pipes, and it's emblem upon the side. It was far too familiar, and struck a deep chord within the heart of the very beast that was now being escorted through the building with some sort of odd technological device around his neck, wrists, and feet to keep him from fighting back. The Beast in question wasn't quite sure what about this collar and cuffs kept his strength down, but it did not stop his lungs or quell his rage.

And why was this beast which appeared much like a conglomeration of various animals so enraged by being here? Because this world brought back every memory. He had landed here unexpectedly while enraged, tearing the very fabric of space with his claws somehow and ending up in this world as he once had all those years ago. As much as the Darkness tried to eat at the heart of Beast, he had somehow managed to keep the light pure and protected, hunting down the answers and ending up deep within the world of Radiant Garden, a world Beast still referred to as Hollow Bastion now. When he had found himself standing on one of the broken pieces of walkway looking at the grand castle faҫade, seeing the emblem of the heartless and the mechanical pipes and smoke. All of those emotions had stirred, and Beast had run headlong, believing he had finally found his answers as to what dangers were out there and what threatened the safety of his world, his servants, his castle, and his Belle. Yet he hadn't gotten very far when he had been attacked and somehow knocked out, only to wake collared and bound.

“RELEASE ME NOW! Or I swear by all that is good you will die by my paws!”[/b] The anger and rage filled his words and his eyes were bloodshot and darting about in the weird mechanical halls. It hadn't even begun to sink in to Beast's mind that the world had changed, much of it built up to appear amost respectable, with a small town. This very building itself was new and different, not appearing as it had years upon years ago when Beast first stepped onto the cracked walkways of Hollow Bastion, seeking out Belle. But that could not quell Beast. Nothing would until he was released and had murdered ever last pawn of Maleficent that had spawned here.

[Deleted]

A Corridor of Darkness opened not far off from the newly built Academy. Deshi had come to the new world searching for a job since Traverse and Twilight Town were currently out of things for him to do. So following the trend of large towns being the best spots to look for said work, Deshi had wandered through the dark pathways peeking into this world or that until he finally stumbled upon this particular world. When he had peeked into this world, he had seen the buildings, people, and roads there. Saw that it looked like a recovering town from sort of attack and in turn a place that could probably use some help. So finding a quiet area, he had opened the Corridor into the world and stepped out into his current location.

He had not meant to appear directly by a building, but he suppose he shouldn’t complain. At least he wouldn’t have far to walk to get to people….or at least he hoped not. As it was now, no one seemed to be around the area and so thankfully had not seen him arrive or his portal close. He looked around the area with a casual and unhurried gaze. Unlike Twilight or Traverse Town, this world’s sky was normal and seemed to be able to shift from day to night with ease. Well, that was good. It would be nice not to have to guess the time anymore. In any case, he continued looking around the patchwork of a town before his eyes landed on the Academy, a building so new and clean that it stuck out like a sore thumb. Perhaps this strange building would be a good place to begin instead of going deeper into the town.

Hmmm…time to find out. Turning to the building, Deshi began to head towards the building taking note of the buildings sleek lines and more high tech design. It almost didn’t fit in with this world at all. In fact, it would’ve blended in easier back home where flying ships and technology was a bit more common now days than in the past. Still somehow despite how out of place the building was here, there was just something about its presence in the town that said this was the right place for it be. It made Deshi wonder if perhaps this building belonged to the ones trying to fix the town or another Organization. Another question to be asked should he find someone to ask his questions too.

In any case, Deshi had just made it half way to the buildings door, when he paused as a male dressed in white and yellow stepped out. Like the building, he was out of place making Deshi wonder if perhaps this was the one who built the building in the first place. As he observed the young man, he didn’t get any particular threatening vibe from him. He didn’t think he was the aggressive type and yet there was something about him that warned the calm warrior not to underestimate him. Perhaps there was some fight under that calm appearance, then? Interesting, but not something Deshi wanted to find out at the moment.

All he wanted was information on the odd place and perhaps a job or two to keep him busy until he could figure out the Void and himself and in turn come to his own purpose in this life. He had been wandering far too long without a purpose ever since he left the arena. It was frustrating trying to find his way in life and the Void did not make anything easier. Thus he was thankful for every opportunity that he got to do jobs for others. At least with a simple command or request, he could have a purpose for a fleeting moment and did not have to be alone with his own thoughts or the madness of the Void.

Anyway back to the present, Deshi paused to give the white haired boy a brief observation before going over to him to see what information he could find out. He wondered how much the man knew of this world and he was curious to know more about the new building. His plan to play the curious and lost traveler to perhaps win trust and to keep the young man from becoming suspicious of him. He didn't want just anyone knowing what he was. On the other hand he was assuming this guy actually knew something useful. He could be walking into someone as clueless as he was at the moment, but it never hurt to ask right? At best he would gain information and at worse he'd run into a dead in. No problem. Things could be worked out.

As Deshi approached and came to a stop a safe distance away from the man, he opened his mouth to begin his introduction and somewhat form planned of gathering information when an animalistic roar and shouting could be heard from within. The sound caused the calm warrior to forget his plan for the moment as he looked behind the man to where the sound was coming from. He couldn’t see much standing outside.

“Did I perhaps come here at a bad time?” he asked the young man as he locked his dark eyes on him. A slight smile was on his face, but it did not reach his serious eyes.

[hope]

Well today certainly did get lively quick. As Hope remained outside for a while, a young man would come walking up towards the Academy. Another person coming over, that was good news. Were they a citizen, a lost other-worlder, or maybe something that would join the Academy. As the man neared Hope, he would smile and put a hand out. "Welcome to the Academy. I'm Hope Estheim, leader of this organization and Director of Research. What can we do for you today?" At that moment, there was a loud roar coming from inside the building. Were they being attacked? Did something get loose inside? Hope's face turned serious as he quickly turned to head inside. "Sorry, but I have to see what's going on." Today just went from completely boring to who knows what's happening.

As Hope entered the building, he saw a large beast being restrained with officers nearby and scared civilians. Hope ordered the officers that were around the beast to move the civilians to safety before Hope went in front of the beast to get an idea of what was happening. Neck, arms, and legs restrained with no probably reasoning. The beast was able to speak, and seemed to be rather intelligent. Whoever did this to him must have saw him as a threat, and didn't even think to wait until he was deemed a threat. Hope knelt down and began tinkering with the restraints to remove them. "Calm down, I'll get you out of these. I don't know what happened, but you don't seem like you should be restrained like this. If one of my men did this, I'll make sure they are severely punished for it..." Hope had a kind heart, which is why he wanted to help the beast.

After getting the restraints off, Hope would stand and step back, giving the beast some room. "Sorry about that. Not the way we are supposed to welcome guests to the Academy. I'm Hope Estheim, leader of the Academy and Director of Research." Hope would wait till the beast was up on his feet. "We handle all sorts of world matters here. We record and analyze world data, have a defense force meant to protect the worlds from threats, and keep track of important subjects that we and enemies are interested in. Forgive me, where are my manners? Can I get you anything Mr......" Hope did not get the beast's name, if it had a name. All he knew that it was trapped and could speak in human tongue in an angry, but intelligent manner. He figured that the beast was still angry, but did not want to have soldiers attack it unless it became a serious threat to the Academy. If it needed restraints like that, it was probably very strong. Hope wondered if maybe he could recruit it into the Academy. They could use strong people like this in combat, or even security for that matter.

(Assuming Deshitana follows in the building)

Hope would look over to see the boy from before. Hope had nearly forgotten about him since he had to take care of the beast issue. "Sorry about that, we had a slight problem inside, but it's being resolved. So how can I help you today? I don't think I got your name by the way." Two people in the Academy that Hope wanted to know more about. Today was definitely going to be interesting. "I told this...person here about what we do already. We strive to protect the worlds and ensure a brighter future for them. We handle research, world data collection and analysis, combat affairs to protect the world from threats, and keeping track of subject we and our enemies are interested in. Right now we have a few members, but we are looking to grow in order to better help the many different worlds out there."

[beast]

Beast had been inches away from letting out an even more powerful roar—were that even possible—and take a chomp out one of the guards that lead him through the halls, unaware or uncaring of the civilians now frightened around him, when a man in a white and yellow jacket and blue pants came up before him, suddenly ordering the guards to care for the civilians as he called them. Civilians? They were simply the slaves of Maleficent who needed freeing! Maleficent was an oppressor, and he would not stand by and watch her pawns do harm. Beast watched the man, barring teeth and lips curled back. A low growl escaped his throat, clearly in anger and directed at the man in question. To the beast, he did not seem like a man of physical stature. One swift bat of his paw and the beast could no doubt throw this man agaisnt the wall and break or crack multiple ribs in the process. How a weakling of no warrior strength could do command an entire operation though, Beast had no idea. He must be a masterful magician of some kind, the Beast thought, knowing some of Maleficent's tricks well. Observing the man's eyes gave further indication. There was a world-weariness in his eyes, showing he had seen much for his age, and knew well of battle and war.

But what angered the creature which towered above all others was the insulting words the man spoke. Welcome guests to the Academy? Was this then some place where they brainwashed people into fighting for Maleficent and her battles? The rest of his talk gave the monster a headache, and the Beast raised his head high, showing an air of superiority to him that he had never been able to break from his days as a human prince. His eyes stayed narrow and locked on the man, but his ears were attuned to the sound of any movement from around. If anyone tried to come up upon the Beast, they would find themselves quite the less for wear. He had ripped lesser men in half for transgressions of simply trespassing, and he was not above doing it again. In fact, it took an incredible amount of strength to keep himself from attacking the very man before him. Every inch of the animal within wanted to lunge and put all three hundred pounds of muscle and rage behind a blow that would break bones, but the man within, still alive and with reason, kept him from doing so. That voice had gone quieter lately, and he feared the worst now.

When the man had trailed off, hoping for the Beast to reveal his name, it only snorted instead, giving no verbal response or any pleasure of knowing this man or his intentions. Instead, he tensed as he spoke the next few words. “Where is Maleficent?”[/b] He said, his voice, while not a roar, still powerful and commanding, unable to break the animalistic growl when in such anger. He would know where the woman who claimed this world as her own hid, find her, and dismember her limb from limb. She clearly was the worst threat presented right now if this world still stood. “Does she hide within the castle itself? Taking shelter within the castle of Hollow Bastion while you all live beneath her black shadow?!”[/b] His next words were of course emotion filled, and not rational by any means. If this frail director before him had gained any knowledge on the world, then he might understand what the Beast meant. But if he didn't, then he would have a hard time calming him.

[Deleted]

As Deshi approached the young man in front of the strange building, the guy introduced himself as Hope Estheim, the leader of the place and Director of Research. Quite a title, but one that intrigued Deshi and made him wonder what the man knew. As he held out his hand, Deshi took the hand and shook it as he was asked a question. How could this organization help him indeed. He wanted to tell Hope his name and tell him why he had come as he released the young man's hand, but of course right after the young man had spoke, the roar came from inside and Deshi’s focus was moved to the potential threat inside.

While he had asked a question, the young man before him was quick on his feet and took notice of the problem at hand. Apologizing, he turned to head inside. Out of curiosity and on instinct to back up another if necessary, Deshi trailed behind the Director. As soon as they went in, Deshi felt the tension and could almost taste the fear in the air. Civilians were scattering while guards did their best to keep their prisoner in check and what a catch they had.

The being was huge mass of fur, muscles, claws, fangs, and rage held down by binding around its neck, wrists, and feet. How such small devices held such a creature down was beyond Deshi; however, it would seem this bundle of power was reduce to yelling since he could not strike his captors that the white haired warrior was sure would be crushed instantly if he were to get loose.

So what happened next came as a mild shock to the calm warrior causing him to raise his eyebrows slightly. Hope ordered the guards to get the civilians out of the area which they gladly complied with before he stepped in front of the creature, told it to calm down, and then proceed to let the rage filled creature go as he promised whoever put him in bondage would be punished. On top of this, Hope apologized to the creature and called it a guest and even explained the place to the creature before turning to him and doing the same. The lack of fear for this beast was...impressive, but he wondered if the young man had made the right choice. The creature was still consumed and blinded by his rage. Only time would tell.

Anyway, the young man didn’t need to repeat himself. He had heard him well enough the first time around and while all he said was fascinating to the white haired warrior, he was more worried about the creature who was not taking well to anything being said. It’s rage was so great that it didn’t hear what the young man said and instead the creature went on a rant about someone named Maleficent, a castle, and everyone else living under a dark shadow. Deshi was having a lot thrown at him, his mind scrambling to keep up with it all. He was quiet for a moment before opening his mouth to respond accordingly to what had been said.

“A pleasure to meet you, Hope. I am Deshitana, a traveling mercenary looking for work,” he said gently to the young man, giving him a slight smile before becoming serious and moving so the creature could see him too.

“I don’t know where you may be from or who this Maleficent is, but I can tell you now that we are not under anyone’s shadow. As Hope has explained this is an Academy that deals with research and helping the world. Not harming them. As for the castle, if you are referring to the structure across the valley, I’d have to say it is far away indeed. This place is a recovering town, so I think they’d appreciate it if you didn’t add onto to whatever misery they have already suffered.”

The words were calm and non-hostile as Deshi kept his eyes locked on the raging eyes of the creature. His features remained relaxed, but his eyes were sharp and alert. He wasn’t afraid of the creature and if need be he would strike him down, but for now he needed him to believe what he said. Sure, he didn’t know this town, but his brief observation of it before he came over to the Academy had given him the information he had given the creature. He wasn’t lying to him and truly did not want to hurt him. All he wanted was for him to calm down and be reasonable. He just hope his Hope’s words could pierce the anger and reach any reason left inside the beast.

[hope]

The creature seemed to still be in intense rage. It was to be expected since He had bee captured and restrained without anyone saying anything to him. Hope would have to find a way to calm down the beast before he went on a rampage and put people in danger. "You're looking for a person named Maleficent? That person does not reside on this world any more. Hollow Bastion...the old name for this world, is free from her terror of darkness and is now in a state of recovery. We do know that she is still out there somewhere, and our field agents are keeping an eye out for her." Hope had gained quite a bit of information on the happenings of the world from being in Radiant Garden. Maleficent had once used the darkness to take control of the world, hoping to open the world's keyhole using the Seven Hearts of Pure Light.

Maleficent was out of the picture on this world thanks to the efforts of Sora, who was currently working with the Academy. However, it did not seem that the beast knew that as of yet. "Right Deshi. We seek to help the worlds by protecting them from darkness, not subjecting them to it. We have several members out there right now working on that, including the keyblader Sora, who rid this world of Maleficent several years past." Hope would then look to Deshi who had mentioned that he was a mercenary. "Well the Academy has not had much dealings with Mercenaries. Most of our members have joined willingly in order to protect the worlds. However, if you are looking for work, I'm sure we can come to some agreement. Right now, the more people we have on our side, the better off we'll be."

Hope would look back at the beast. "Listen, I'm terribly sorry for what happened to you, and I take full responsibility. If there's anything we can do to make it up to you, let me know." He felt bad for what happened to the beast, and wanted to help him in any way possible. Hope also wanted to try and recruit the creature that seemed quite intelligent into the Academy, though that might be a bit dangerous given the rage that the creature was showing. But if it was possible, Hope would definitely recruit him. They could use someone like him to protect the Academy since there were innocent civilians that were usually around here. From the short sentence the beast said, Hope could figure that he cared a bit about the people that were vulnerable to the darkness.

[beast]

[Sorry for how long this took ]

The creature stood tall, chest puffed out and lower fangs protruding upwards from it's lips. It's blue eyes, human eyes, darted between the two as they spoke, first the effeminate man, then the frail leader. The inhuman monster kept his head high, drunk with superiority he had had since childhood, the deep blue eyes of his looking down over his cheeks to see the men below. There was still unbridled anger, unrequited rage within those eyes, but deep inside there was also deep sadness and sorrow. These men were just pawns on the way to his destination, on the way to his target. He would not stop until he had managed to tear that evil fairy limb from limb.

Which was why Hope's words caused one of the creature's eyebrows to slowly rise, the anger to turn to confusion. “The... old name?” the Beast asked, his words faltering and becoming less of a deep growl. This world was not the name he had come to know it as so long ago? “If this world is not Hollow Bastion as it once was, then what do you call it now? Some other name to show it's lack of--”[/b]

The creature's words were cut out when the man who seemed a frail leader mentioned the name Sora. The creature's eyes widened and his head lowered, the stance of being superior failing at the mention of the name of the savior of his own and many other worlds, Sora. “What did you say...?” the creature asked, his voice once more lessening from a growl but still seeming animalistic. “You mean... Sora helps?” The beast said, his final words coming out not as a growl but in a voice. The hints of the animal clearly were still there, but suppressed, as if the human within the beast was coming forth.

[Deleted]

This conversation was becoming more interesting by the second. While Deshi had made his attempts to calm the beast, Hope had stepped in and answered the creature’s questions far better than he had only solidifying his earlier statement that this Maleficent had no power over this place. In fact, whoever the woman was she was long gone according to Hope. On top of this, he seemed to know more about this place than Deshi did. This world used to be called Hollow Bastion? Did the name stem from that odd castle or perhaps it had gained its name from something else? While this place was becoming more and more interesting, the exchange let Deshi know that while this Academy was new it had been settled for a while now. Either that or this young man had gathered information thanks to a longer stay. Anyway, Hope had people looking out for Maleficent making Deshi wonder just how dangerous she was and what exactly she had done to this world. Had she signal handedly caused the destruction of this place? Or was there more going on here? More questions that he’d have to dig into.

At the moment, he didn’t have time to think on it much for after a brief pause Hope was addressing him. He nodded as the young man not only reconfirmed that his statement about the Academy was correct, but also gave him some information that he found surprising. He was here too? he thought before focusing on Hope as he spoke of mercenaries and the Academy. So he was the first mercenary they had dealt with since most of the people there were already members. While Deshi was sure the young man was more interested in the creature than himself, he was still happy to know that there was at least some work to be done around here. Indeed, an agreement could be reached.

“Yes. I believe we can work something out. What do you help with the most?” he asked and then gave the young man a moment to answer before turning his attention to the creature. He had not forgotten about him and was still ready to strike the creature down if necessary; however, what the creature did next was quite the curve ball. While Hope apologized once more and tried to win favor with the creature, Deshi remained silent as he took in the creature’s actions.

It was standing tall and proud with its chest puffed up lowered teeth bared as he looked down on them with those strange blue eyes full of rage and yet….there was some shred of humanity there. The contradiction of actions and appearances caused Deshi to lower his guard slightly as he became curious as to just what this thing was to begin with. Was it truly a creature or was it perhaps a man that had become a beast? Strange.

As interesting as this was, the creature was slowly calming down as Hope’s words sunk in. He wanted to know what this world was called. A valid question. The name of this world would be nice to know and while the creature seemed to have another question, it stopped acting superior and seemed to come back to its sense at the mention of a single name. Sora. The change was unexpected making the calm warrior further confused and curious. A slight frown appeared on his calm face as he studied the creature for a while longer, listening as the creature’s tone went from animal to more human. He was silent for a moment longer and then he made his next statement focusing more on the creature than Hope, although what he said was for whoever could answer him.

“This is the second time I've heard the word keyblader and the third time I’ve run across the name Sora. If he is not mentioned somewhere, then others are hunting him down. What is a keyblader and who is Sora? And Maleficent?” The questions were calm and to the point, but things that had to be answered. While he did not show it, the traveling mercenary was becoming quite agitated with all these holes that were appearing in his life, making his already complicated task of finding a solution to his issue with the Void more complicated thanks to mines he had to watch out from all these varying outside forces. He wanted to be in the loop to better assist those who needed the help, but also to help himself not fall into whatever traps this all encompassing Light and Dark battle had waiting for him.

[aya]

A blonde woman could be seen wandering about Radiant Gardens, a dejected look on her face as she slipped her hands into the pockets of her jeans. Yet again the search for her daughter had lead her to a dead end, a lead that had ended up taking her halfway across the universe for nothing but some other random blonde girl. Not only had it been all for naught but finding her way across the universe was never a cheap endeavor for someone without a steady job. It seemed like only yesterday she had her job with the Deling City Police Department (DCPD for short) where she was fighting crime and catching bad guys left and right. Back then while her pay wasn't great, it certainly allowed her to be a bit frivolous from time to time but now she was stuck counting every penny. And according to her last count, all the money she had saved up since she got the job for a rainy day had been used up in the month she had now spent looking for her daughter. It was quite depressing to say the least hence the dejected look on her face and at the moment she had no one to help her out of this sticky situation out of the people she had met in her travels.

Indeed, she hadn't seen Tseng for quite some time, the rough around the edges Turk not having answered her calls nor calling her back in the longest time. This worried the blonde vixen but she didn't get too hung up on it as she knew he was a resourceful fellow if nothing else and probably wasn't in any big danger. If anything, a stiff like him was probably just so wrapped up in his work that he didn't have time to answer the phone or perhaps he had gotten a new number. Not only that but every time she called the number she felt a little worse about wanting to ask for help with her financial woes even if she was in a rather bad situation. After all, she couldn't exactly hold a steady job whilst searching for her daughter and she didn't want to turn to crime to fund her efforts.

If I did and Eve found out about it she would probably kill me,[/i] she mused although deep down she almost felt it was justifiable if it meant finding her. Shaking the thought out of her head before it got any further though, she then mused on the other strange fellow she had met that went by the name of Mordred... and then she remembered how unreliable he was. Indeed, she had met that guy in the middle of Deling City and aside from his black hood, inability to show emotion, lack of tact, insane super powers, and mysterious nature he was a great guy. He had claimed that he wished to help the blonde find her daughter although in return for her being a "scout" of sorts for him that would report any strange findings to him. Not only that, but he had been rather interested in her as well although certainly not for her looks but simply the power she possessed. Yes, the power that made her different, that made her a monster that could never truly meld with society again even after all this was over.

Jeez maybe I should get some anti-depressants or something...[/i] she started, rolling her eyes at her own mental comment, Although that would require money which I'm out of,[/i] she followed mentally before turning a corner. Upon turning the corner her eyes widened as she noticed a rather peculiar sight, a large beast being shackled and escorted to what seemed like a headquarters of some sort. The beast looked as if it was struggling but despite how frail the shackles looked its efforts were futile much to its chagrin as it took to resisting by letting out massive roars. Stopping for a moment, the former police officer put a hand to her chin in thought trying to piece together what was going on here as she had never seen this building in Radiant Gardens before.

I doubt it's the Restoration Committee as they always seemed rather low-key and if anything preferred being a small organization. I doubt it's the Turks as well as I'm sure if Tseng was in charge of anything the fools escorting that beast would be dressed in black suits. No, it has to be some other type of organization and considering they took base in Radiant Gardens I imagine their intentions are good if not misguided. While that furball they were escorting looked dangerous it had some semblance of clothing on which would suggest it could think for itself. If anything it might be like any number of creatures I've met on other planets that looked weird but were otherwise okay. Although it's temper seems to leave little to be desired... to be fair though it is shackled up against it's will,[/i] she spieled mentally as she looked around for any civilians to get some more information regarding this recent addition to Radiant Gardens.

Within a moment she found someone and after questioning him found out that this was the headquarters of a certain organization called "The Academy". The name left a bit to be desired but it would seem that they were indeed the good guys and actually seemed to have amassed a rather powerful force despite only being recently founded. She couldn't get many more details aside from that from the civilians and decided that she would investigate personally, attempting to follow after where the creature had been taken. While it had gotten rather far ahead of her, it didn't take long to locate what with all the roaring and turning the corner she would notice a few characters mid-conversation. Actually, she caught it right near the end when Deshitana asked a few questions, two of them being ones Aya could answer if she wished. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she would proceed toward the group giving them all a once over out of habit.

The first one her eyes fell upon was the frailer looking of the gents here, a kid that didn't seem much older than 15 considering his complete lack of facial hair. His fashion sense also seemed to leave much to be desired, looking as if he had just taken any random clothes in the morning and threw them on. He didn't look very professional to say the least and thus Aya wasn't able to discern if he was someone that was important or not. Moving on, her eyes traveled over to the more feminine looking of the bunch who's outfit seemed a bit... outdated. Indeed, the man was wearing sandles and while normally that would not be something out of the ordinary, he was wearing them with socks. Sure, the strings that kept the footwear on his feet securely was tied in a way that made wearing socks comfortable but... it still seemed odd along with rest of his outfit. Whatever the case, her eyes then fell upon the creature who she noticed now lacked the shackles that binded him only moments ago. While she didn't expect it to go on a rampage, she couldn't help but put her guard up a little, making sure to keep a close eye on the beast (although she wouldn't make obvious).

"The keybearers are warriors of Light meant to fight all Darkness and keep it at bay from my understanding," the former officer started deciding to answer the earlier questions, That is what they are meant for although not all of them are good, there have been a couple of bad eggs. As for this Sora character, I haven't heard as much about him but from what I know he's a rather powerful keybearer that makes it a point to fight against any injustice he knows of. If you need an apt comparison, just think of him as a super-hero from a comic book or something similar. I know nothing of Maleficent so perhaps one of these two can better answer that question for you although you may also be wondering now who I am," she spieled, stepping closer to the group and took to leaning against a nearby wall. While it was risky to do so with the beast not in shackles, the former detective had a feeling that there was more to the beast than met the eye based not only on her earlier assumption regarding him but also a gut feeling honed from her experience in the force.

"My name is Aya Brea, former police officer of the Deling City Police Department," she started, glancing at all of them before continuing, "That aside I was wondering what exactly is this "Academy" doing in Radiant Gardens? Last time I was on this world I had not seen this place so I am a bit curious," she added, crossing her arms across her chest as she closed her eyes and focused on whatever dialogue came next.

Best to listen up and find out what I can about this "Academy",[/i] she mused, rotating her neck to get out a kink, If I'm lucky they might be able to provide me a lead to Eve and perhaps even a place to crash depending on their conditions and what I have to do for them,[/i]

[hope]

The crowd in the Academy would slowly be growing. Right now, the beast seemed a bit surprised. It seems that the last time he was here was before the reconstruction had begun. When darkness first ravaged the world. He would need a bit of a briefing, but Hope would have to give the shortened version for right now. The beast also appeared to know who Sora was, which was a plus to Hope. If the beast knew and was on good terms with people at the Academy, then maybe he could recruit the beast to help the cause in one of the different department. For right now though, he would need to do a bit more convincing to the beast if Hope had any chance of recruiting him. The beast had gone through rough times during both times Hope figured he was here.

"Let's start with your unfinished question. Hollow Bastion is no more. It's part of the history of the world now. From what I've gathered, the world has regained its original name, Radiant Garden. A world of Light that is rebuilding itself bit by bit. As for your second question, Sora has join the Academy and is helping us help the worlds. Right now, Sora is a part of our combat department, moving from world to world in order to fight back the darkness and threats. Thanks to him, we've made great progress, but we are still in need of help in our different departments in order to reach our goals for protecting the different worlds."

Hope would then turn to Deshitana. It seemed that he would be willing to join the Academy after all. Perfect; the more recruits the better. Where could Hope place Deshitana was the question. Combat since he was a mercenary of sorts. The medic department was more a specialized field, which Hope didn't think Deshitana fit into. Hope really did need security in the building though. Besides the Defense Systems, there was mostly medics in the building with the bulk of the fighting force protecting the worlds. Keybladers are people who wield a unique weapon that has the power to unlock the power of hearts, vanquish darkness, and is a great source of power. Analyzing it and finding someone with all the answers to the keyblade is rather difficult.

Sora is a keyblader whose faced many challenges. A very strong keyblader and a good friend. He seems to be connected to a lot of people, in a very strange way. Unexplainable at the moment. Maleficent was a witch who used the darkness to gain control of Radiant Garden, filling it with darkness and heartless. She tried to open the keyhole...Door to the World's Heart. She was thwarted by Sora. And as for working together, I'm sure we could find a place that we could use your talents in. If you're a mercenary, then you have combat experience, correct? How about joining the combat division then? We can always use more able fighters to keep our enemies from destroying the worlds. What do you say?"

Just then, a young woman walked in, seeming a bit curious about what was going on. Hope was about to great her when she spoke. Her description was decent to say the least. What got Hope's attention was that she was once a police officer on a different planet. He could use her for building security. "A pleasure to meet you Miss Aya. I am Hope Estheim, leader of the Academy." He would pause for a moment and think of a short version to explain everything. It wouldn't help much to give lengthy descriptions all day long. "The Academy is a large organization that seeks to help defend the worlds from the darkness and those that seek to threaten them. We have different departments with many different people working towards this goal. We are relatively new, which is why you haven't seen us until now." He would take a breath. "So what brings a police woman from a different world into the Academy today? Looking for information, lost from your worlds, looking to join? We try to help all who walk through our doors."

[jecht]

Jecht was in a new world once again. He had figured out how he was slipping between worlds it was the pyreflies. Not that they were sending him to other worlds it was that he was become pyreflies and flew between worlds then reappearing as a solid body. Jecht decided to travel around the worlds to see what he could discover about the different worlds and maybe get some answers as to what he was. Jecht knew he wasn’t normal like the people in Spira. Jecht had just left Spira again after getting back from meeting Xion in the Pride Lands after being a lion for a bit he wondered if he would change forms in other worlds so he tried to force himself to enter a new world and thats how he ended up in Hollow Bastion.

Wandering around Hollow Bastion Jecht noticed that it was really quite and looked old. Most of the town looked like it hadn’t be maintained for many years and left to crumble all, but one building it looked brand new and it didn’t fit at all with the town. It didn’t really matter to Jecht, he really didn’t care much about the affairs of this world or what was going on in it. Jecht just wanted to explore this new world what ever came his way is what he would deal with. Thats when Jecht heard a loud roar coming from the new looking building it sounded familiar he had heard that roar before when he played blitzball with his son in Spira. It was Beast’s roar, Beast wasn’t someone he soon wouldn’t forget about anytime soon because of two things his strength and his appearance. While Beast was strong his appearance was something else he looked just like an overgrown ronso with brown hair and two horns.

Jecht ran as fast as he could to see what was wrong even though he didn’t know the beast very long he still was a teammate and that was more than enough of a reason for him to help the Beast. The thing was Jecht was almost out of the town when he heard the roar so he couldn’t get there right away. A few moments had passed as Jecht finally got to the front door of the brand new building. Jecht rushed inside and took a wrong turn. He looked around to see if he could spot his old teammate. Again he heard the beast say something this time it wasn’t a roar like before he was calm and somewhat respectful. Jecht turned around and followed the sound of his voice. He couldn’t make out what he was saying, but he could at least hear his voice that meant he was alive. By the time he arrived to where Beast was he saw that there were other people with him beast had chains underneath him and the other people who were around him had just finished talking. Jecht let out a deep breath and smiled Beast seemed to be fine and unhurt.

Jecht looked at the other people in the room the one closest to Beast looked like he was in charge or at least important even if he looked just a little older than his own son. The other two people in the room was a blond girl and another white haired boy. Jecht walked passed all of them and smiled at Beast and stood next to him patting the beast on his back and saying “Hey buddy how have you been?” Jecht then looked at hope dropping his smile and asked “so whats this place all about and why was my friend over here screaming” Jecht wanted to know why Beast was here and why it seemed that the chains under the beast looked like they would fit him.

[beast]

Sora. Sora had been helping this academy? Was he a true member, or did this academy just use Sora as a spokesperson due to him working as for what the crew here wished? There were so many possible answers & questions, but the Beast didn’t think much more into it, focusing no one the more important situation of what was going on right now. As it stood, if he thought too much on the possibilities and future, he would just get a large headache. He was a doer, not a thinker. This frail leader of the Academy seemed to know more though, and freely spoke to the Beast of what these were. He began with the answering of his first question he had not managed to finish getting out, and explained that the world had been changed from it’s former empty fortress to a former name it once had, that of Radiant Garden. That name… there was familiarence in it, as though the Beast had heard the name before, but he could not place it. But to know this place was once a place of light, and was regaining the light it once had? Sora came up again, this time in answer to the Beast’s second question, and he listened as the frail man, Hope, spoke of how the boy warrior was in the Combat division. Fitting in a sense. The boy was remarkable, but to work as part of Combat in this world? Hmm.

The man focused on the effeminate male, and Beast took the time to reaffirm his surroundings. There were a lot of people here, but they seemed so unorganized. There were those who looked like healers, doctors and nurses, and there were those who seemed to be of some sort of security force. But they force seemed so disorganized, especially when capturing him. Did they lack a leader in there? Every pack had a Beta and Gamma, did this organization lack a Beta or Gamma? Perhaps both? Was Hope a Lone Alpha working only on his own regards to try and get the world in order? “Hmm.”

[/b] The Beast couldn’t be bothered really. Though it seemed this place had noble causes. It was rare Beast lended his paw to anyone beyond Sora, but this if this man as friend of Sora…

“Your security is weak.”[/color] The Beast commented, noticing the arrival of yet another, a woman this time. She also answered many of the questions the boy Deshi seemed to have, but confessed to little about maleficent. At least she was evicted of this world… hopefully. Beast was doubtful when it came to that evil fairy, but Belle would have throw a fit if he just ignored these people and caused chaos anywhere, even another world. The Beast listened and stood once again in his proud mode. He would acknowledge this Hope as Leader, for now, but he was still somewhere inside a Prince. Somewhere.

Aaaaaand that’s when Jecht showed up. Beast recognized the scent, a mix of male sweat with bravado and a bit of ale, and though he had only worked with the man shortly during the Blitzball tourney, Beast had known enough of the man. He continued to try and Be Alpha and upstage his own son, something Beast had conflictions about. When he came up and patted the Beast’s back, Beast let out a low rumble. One of partial annoyance, but more to just show that he was acknowledging Jecht. There was so much about this man’s character that felt off and odd. “Fine.”[/b] He said simply, as he tended to.[/justify]

[Deleted]

Deshi waited for his answer from Hope or the creature, but instead heard a different voice coming from behind answering him. Before he even turned, he could tell by the sounds of the footfalls and the voice that the person was female. So when he did move and turn slightly towards the female, locking a serious dark brown eye on her, all he had to do was fill in what she looked like. Age didn’t matter to him. All he was interested in was how dangerous she would be; however, as he glanced over at her, he did not see much of a threat before him. Her energy wasn’t hostile and she appeared to be simply be passing on information and trying to find her own. It was an odd act considering she did not know any of them and had pretty much barged in on their conversation. Rude in a way, but Deshi wasn’t about to complain. She answered his questions and he listened.

Keybearers were warriors fighting for the Light, but some did not. Hmmm….like that kid from the islands. The one in dark armor that had his face covered by a mask?, he thought reflecting on his battle on the island known as Destiny Island a few days earlier. It was the first dose of this Light and Dark war he had gotten and it was a fight he was not about to forget anytime soon. He had been lucky back then to have Genesis and his student Akemi at his side, but even then the battle had been brutal physically and mentally. He had almost lost to the Void…sunk to what people called the Darkness. It was a worrisome thing to finally understand and in turn had made the calm warrior wonder even more just what he could do to stop the Void. Did Light perhaps hold the answer? Or perhaps the keybearers of both sides? He reflected on the masked boy that had tried to destroy the island. Hmmm….were all keybladers of the Dark like that or was it just him? The questions and curious nature of keybladers and the Void floated through the calm warrior’s brain for just a second and then he was focusing on the woman’s words again.

She was speaking on Sora now. As he listened to her, he frowned slightly at her comparison. Super-hero? Comics? What were those? And how did it apply here? Did it really apply at all or did it even matter? It was an odd thing that threw him off a bit, but he did take from her that Sora was indeed powerful and fighting the good fight. As she mentioned injustice he began to wonder again about himself and the Void. Would he be on the receiving in of that child’s blade one day because of the Void? Would this kid….these keybladers who fought for the Light would they see him as a threat? Would seeking them out for aid be wise or was he better on his own in this matter? Leave both sides out of it and fight it on his own? The questions and worry again. He had no time for it, so he pushed it aside once more and focused.

The woman knew nothing of Maleficent and pretty much threw the ball right back into the creature’s and Hope’s court. After she had said what needed to be said, she turned the conversation to herself introducing herself as Aya Brea, a police officer from some place he never heard of. Police officer….? A guard then? Deshi’s eyes became steely as he watched her as he was briefly reminded of the prison guards back home and how cruel they could be; however, the look only lasted for a second and then it was gone. He could not apply his memories to a stranger…even if the titles sounded similar.

“Deshi,” he responded to her introduction and then fell silent as he watched her lean against the wall and ask her questions. He would’ve answered her back, but instead turn his attention to Hope as he spoke addressing each person’s questions, one at a time. First, he spoke to the Beast. He said this world used to be called Hollow Bastion, but had reclaimed its original name once again and was now a world of Light that was rebuilding itself. A world of Light, huh? Then did someone such as himself not belong here? He pondered the question a bit more and then focused on the words being said once more. Sora was fighting against the Dark even when teamed up with the Academy and like himself could move from world to world to do his duty. So if he joined the Academy he would end up running into the kid…Hmmm….maybe this was a bad id—what was that?

Deshi looked over at Hope locking his eyes on him as he spoke of the keybladers and the power their weapons had. Unlocking Hearts and vanquishing Darkness? The words range clear in his mind, pushing his earlier worry about running into a keybearer away. If this was true, then maybe….maybe this was the answer to his problem with the Void. Maybe a keybearer could pull the beast out of him and then—

"Aren’t you forgetting that if you destroy me, you destroy yourself? the Void asked him mentally with a growl. Deshi’s earlier hope faded slightly, but not completely. In a way the Void was right, but the keyblade was looking like the best option here. Hope said that the truth about the keyblade was hard to find, but he didn’t want to know about the true nature of the blade, he simply wanted to know if it could cure him. If so, then he’d take the chance of being destroyed if it meant being free for just one moment. The Void growled at this thinking, but Deshi’s mind was set now, so there was nothing the creature could do.

On the outside, Deshi appeared calm and simply nodded at the information given as he continued to listen. Sora was a powerful keywielder much like he had heard before, but also one of Hope’s friends. He was connected to many people in a strange way? What did that mean? Did he have strange friends? Or was there perhaps another meaning behind that?

Whatever the case was, this Sora was seeming like the best person to ask his questions regarding the Void and seeing if the keyblade really was the answer he sought. If he stayed, then perhaps he would meet the keyblader some day and be able to understand all the mystery that still surrounded him despite all the information given. Alright then. What was being said next? Maleficent was a witch that used the Dark to overrun this place with darkness and the Heartless. Hmm…so the shadows and this Darkness were connected to each other. And what was that? Keyholes….the Door to the World’s Heart? Worlds had Hearts? Then was this war between Light and Dark over the Hearts then? If so, then why? What made the Heart something that people fought over?

Deshi looked down slightly as he mulled that over for a bit before he looked up at Hope as he asked him a question. He nodded slightly to confirm he indeed had combat experience and then heard what division Hope wanted him in. Well, at least he’d be in the same department as Sora was and he wouldn’t be tied to staying at the Academy. The position would be beneficial and he’d have a purpose for the time being. He’d fight for the Light, but on the side find his answers and how the keyblade worked into the path of destroying the Void. He nodded inwardly as he weighed his option. No way to lose going this way, right?

"Hmph!" the Void responded back coldly, but said nothing else. After a few seconds, Deshi responded to Hope.

“That sounds like a plan. I accept,” he said and then feel silent as Hope turned his attention to Aya. Somewhere among all the talking, Deshi didn’t notice another had come until said person was walking passed him and going up to the creature. As Deshi took in the shirtless man, he took notice of the strange tattoo on him and the strong presence radiating off of him. A fighter then, but if he knew the creature then he wasn’t a threat... right? Deshi remained silent as he listened to the man ask his own questions and observe this strange bunch gathered.

Deshi took note of the creature’s comment about Security and his reaction to the man with the funny tattoo. He acknowledged the tattooed man in his own way and even seemed to accept Hope as the leader although a bit reluctantly. Seeing this, Deshi again wondered about what was really under that creature form.

[aya]

With her introduction out of the way, the blonde vixen opened her eyes once more as those surrounding her began to speak, the former detective making sure to keep her eyes on them. Not that she was expecting them to attack her or anything but rather to decipher their body language as they spoke. Indeed, from what she had learned through both experience and psychology courses, communication between people was 93% body language if you included tone in that. While making note of their words was also still important, it was much easier to lie with one’s tongue than it was with their body.

Regardless, the first tick she would notice was that upon introducing himself, the rather effeminate one of the group seemed to give her a hard stare for but a moment. It was the smallest of glares but Aya was a perceptive person and seeing as her focus had been on looking for any ticks like that it was seen. While that was true, she maintained her face of indifference and didn’t let out any alerts that she may have caught that as she glanced over to Hope. It wasn’t any of her business anyway, if anything it was most likely because that man had run-ins with the police and wasn’t very comfortable around them. At least not for the time being as she had nothing to do with this organization and if they recruited potential criminals that was their own problem to deal with. For now it was of very little concern to her but it was something she would make note of in case she ended up joining this organization and had to work with the man. If that were the case, it would be best to know just how much she could rely on him in whatever task they had to complete.

Whatever the case, her attention then shifted back to Hope as he introduced himself and began to give her the information she desired. Apparently, this Academy was erected in Radiant Gardens with the goal to protect the worlds at large in mind, a universal police force it seemed. How effective they were at this had yet to be determined but it seemed that they didn’t rely on strength alone to achieve this goal. No, they had several departments in their organization according to the surprisingly young leader, although that wasn’t much of a surprise. It took more than strength to enforce the law or bring justice to others after all; it took cunning, perseverance, technology, and much more. In fact if there was one thing that was more important than the rest it was an efficient information network that was constantly gathering intel. Without said network one couldn’t hope to combat the evil as the ability to communicate quickly and efficiently was of the highest importance.

Like the informants we had back when I was in the force, without them I wouldn’t have made nearly half the arrests I had,[/i] she noted, recollecting on past events. While Aya was a rather able detective, there was a limit to deductive reasoning and sometimes you just needed a lead. Sometimes you just needed a rat that gave you the location of a drug deal, someone who had witnessed a crime, and someone willing to testify in court. It was this thought pattern that made Aya wonder if they had such a department focused on gather intelligence and if so just how efficient they were.

Plus if I join that department I have an excuse to continue searching for Eve and even use their resources to do so with,[/i] she mused as Hope then asked her what her purpose was here, and not so subtly asking her to join. Well perhaps she was thinking too much into it but considering this organization was still relatively new, a former police officer would be a great addition to it. With her experience she could fill many roles and whichever one needed her the most it was possible he could place her there. Whatever the case, she was looking to join anyway although she wasn’t about to make herself seem like she was in desperate need of a place to stay. Indeed, if she did that she would be giving all her bargaining power away so she would have to make it seem like she was in no hurry to join. That being noted, her lips would curve into a smirk as she pushed off the wall with her foot, her arms remaining crossed as she parted her lips to speak.

”Well while that certainly sounds nice joining this organization and all, I would need to take a look around before I could make that decision,” she started, letting out a small sigh, ”I’d like to see these other departments you speak of and see how professional of an environment this is. A person of my experience and talents is hard to come by so I can’t just up and join any organization at the drop of a hat. That being said, if you wouldn’t mind escorting me around the place I believe I can give you a better answer as to whether I wish to join or not,” she explained, her tone confident as well as her stance. She was about to walk over to the man and perhaps get the tour started but before she could so much as take a step another stranger appeared. Glancing over to him, she couldn’t help but give him a deadpan look as she sighed, disgusted that a man would run around shirtless. Not only was he shirtless but it seemed like the attire attached to his lower body was in tatters, the blonde shaking her head at the sight. When he parted his lips to speak asking Beast how he was doing, the former officer ears caught the slight annoyance in his tone at the sudden arrival of this stranger. It was a mutual feeling between the two and thus Aya did not feel any reason to hold back any sarcastic or rude remarks for this buffoon.

”Well considering I can smell you from over here, I can only imagine he could smell you from a mile away and was screaming due to your impending approach,” she commented, placing her index finger and thumb against her nostrils for emphasis, ”Honestly when was the last time you took a shower? Was it the last time you got a new pair of pants?” she added, making note of the ripped attire he was wearing.