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Post by Xypher on Sept 24, 2022 19:05:36 GMT -8
Merrill From Growth and ConnectionTo his surprise, Merrill suddenly felt himself falling from the sky, back and wings facing to the ever-approaching water below him.
"Again?"
He sighed, rotating his body so he stared at the rapidly approaching ocean below him. For a few moments, all that was heard was the rush of the wind against his body as he fell.
"I know we didn't communicate on where to go, but I thought I managed to follow Warrior..."
He opened his wings, and decelerated until he was gently gliding down, just enjoying the view, and the feeling of gliding. Merrill shut his eyes.
"The world can be a beautiful place."
The voice in his head spoke softly, with a slight hint of Awe.
Merrill couldn't help but agree. He chose to stare out towards the ocean, knowing behind him the destruction from earlier. Being alone for the moment, at peace, was refreshing.
Deciding to stop his decent, his wings beat a bit harder until he just held his position, several hundred meters above the water below. Beneath him, was a piece of damaged wall that was floating, roughly a hundred yards or so from the sandy shores.
Knowing his moment of peace wouldn't last long, his expression changed to a neutral one.
"Death, you have got to check that ego. Whether you like it or not, Apollon has been tied to us. I have not forgotten the words of that murian, Burai. But that does not give you the right to just pick fights like that. That just makes cooperation that much harder."
"Who says I want to cooperate with someone like that? Do not forget, Merrill, that this... union of ours is not necessarily permanent. While I am more than willing to assist you, I am still me. I will not bow down to other, "gods" because they exist, or have an ego of their own. I admit, this existence is one that I did not expect, but I will not give up "everything"... I still have some pride, damn it."
"While there are some things I can understand, we are still unique existences of our own. We do have... emotions tied to our feelings as gods. I can respect that much. Unique, and distant. Yet... thoughts and feelings do matter. The feelings of respect do matter... Somehow. All emotions matter."
She was quiet for a moment, before speaking again.
"What was before, or what will be after, is up for debate. Our memories prior to this awakening, are irreverent at this time. I can sympathize with you, Death, that it is unnerving to not remember. To not know. But we do know we are tied to Merrill here. And the future has yet to be written. Who knows what will be. We should be working together. And now, even though we disagree, we have offended that murian. Right wrong or indifferent. We are all tied together. Regardless of how much time that may be for."
Silence fell between them all for a moment.
Death sighed, irritated.
"While this may be true, I do not understand why you do not take another step, boy. You actively refuse to side with one of us. You say you fight for "what is right" and yet, you fight with both Light and Darkness. You fight with powers related to Life and Death. And time and time again, you fail. You fall... Who will die next, that girl, whats-her-name? because of -"
"Enough! Death, that is well past the line and you know it. Just because Merrill has chosen his own path in this matter, does not mean he is at fault!"
"Yes, and yet, I am the bad guy, blamed for when life ends! Just because I have to, as my very existence applies that what you give, I must take! To have to deal with all of that negative emotion, to claim even his, gets frustrating! Especially when I know that you know that when he chooses, his power will explode!"
"And when it does, will it be in a flash of light? Will it be a spark? Or will it be a blip, to fade into obscurity instantly?!"
"What the hell, you two?"
Silence... The emotions seemed to freeze, surprising all three of them.
"So we are all tied to the emotions... Peculiar. Did I get that from you, or did you get that from me? Is that a connection?"
Neither being answered, suddenly lost in their own thoughts of the moment.
"I need to check in with the others..."
He muttered to himself. He sighed, opening his eyes and quickly sent off a handful of emails.
To: Warrior From: Merrill Title: Separated Body: I don't know what happened, but we have been separated again. Where are you? I'm in Creamland. Are you and the others okay?
To: Hollow From: Merrill Title: Separated Body: I was separated from everyone. Where are you guys? Is everyone okay?
To: Joker From: Merrill Title: Where are you? Body: Are you okay? Where are you? We left the area. I've been portal-ed elsewhere... again.
....
....
To: Lalonia From: Merrill Title: Are you safe? Body: Just checking in on you. Hoping your journey has been fruitful and that you are safe...
To no surprise, the tense atmosphere dissipated instantly. To Merrill's chagrin, his own cheeks flashed with a touch of heat, knowing the two of them were smiling.
"There's hope for you yet."
Death chuckled.
Merrill snorted, doing his best to hide the beginnings of a smile. Looking at the scene before himself, he took a deep breath, and exhaled. He decided to enjoy the reprieve, regardless of however long it lasted....
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Post by Genesis on Jan 3, 2023 15:58:40 GMT -8
"Well this place really is a right mess, isn't it?"
*There was a tall Navi who was looking around and investigating what was most certainly the destitute ruins of Creamland. It had gotten some of the worst of it as it appeared, as nothing resembling civilization could be found in the network. The Navi was equipped with dark blue armor with yellow and white highlights, his helmet having two prongs on the top with green gemstones that could remind some of a western cowboy hat, a red visor covering his eyes. Long, silver-blue hair flowed from the back of his helmet, a small utility belt around his waist too as he spotted Merrill amongst the ruins at least.*
"But I suppose not all hope is lost. Howdy there! I was just sent out to see if there were strangers in need of some assistance in light of recent events around these parts. You need some help?"
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Post by Xypher on Jan 3, 2023 20:08:11 GMT -8
Lost in thoughts, Merrill didn't even notice right away that someone else was there. Even more surprising is that none of them realized it at first, before both Life and Death suddenly felt the presence. But silently agreeing to let the boy figure it out, they waited, still half consumed by their own thoughts.
Hearing the voice that was calling out to his right, Merrill was broken from his stupor of looking out at the ocean as the figure spoke aloud. He quickly finished his descent, landing gently nearby, next to a pile of rubble. With a nod, he agreed.
"Aye."
He bowed as the navi approached, his head cocking slightly to the side, aware he hadn't met this navi before.
"I should probably clarify that this wasn't me. I know it might look strange for someone like me to be here..."
He began, hands raised, only to stop as the navi inquired if he needed help. With a small smile, one that didn't quite reach his cheeks, he gave a slight, tilted half-nod, speaking somewhat, tiredly and yet...
"I probably do need some help, not that the help I need is the kind that is easy to find or give..."
He looked up for a moment at the sky, before returning his gaze to the person before him.
"We'll figure things out. Chin up. I'm sure everyone is alright."
"What the heck, kid? Focus! You took a slight break to mull thoughts, and that break is over. Head out of your ass."
Merrill shook his head, clearing his thoughts, before resuming more of a natural expression. He placed his hand to his chin briefly.
"Come to think of it, I do have one issue that is plaguing me..."
Before he continued, he slapped himself on the forehead with an audible smacking noise. He sighed, shaking his head.
"Where are my manners? My goodness, Even as the world falls into such a dark and strange time, I shouldn't have had my manners degrade in such a short time. I do not believe we have met before, my name is Merrill. Pleased to meet you."
He bowed once again.
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Post by Gaia on Jan 3, 2023 21:58:24 GMT -8
The sun didn't speak, as he promised. Its interest was piqued, however, for whatever reason. It ignited itself within Merrill's soulspace, without warning and without notice. Light and heat flowed off of Merrill as the power awakened within him.
[smear:FF5555]
. . .
[/smear:ffff66]
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Post by Genesis on Jan 4, 2023 1:09:37 GMT -8
*The Navi would offer a light-hearted chuckle at the bow and the clarification. It only made sense that for someone to be at the scene of the crime to be suspect, but he would handwave it off as something that was fair to say that it might not have been the one sullen-looking individual on the case that did the deed.*
"Lighten up a little. Worrying about everything so much is just gonna make you exhausted. Loosen up a bit, yeah? It'll do you a world of good."
*It was a tall order to be sure given everything, but it was better to take it in stride and relax than to dwell on anything too much and then get all stressed out. Heated because of what could or couldn't have been. He would offer a two-fingered salute after that though, as either way it was certainly good news that was delivered in this encounter as well.*
"Then again I am glad to hear this whole debacle wasn't your doing. It'd be pretty messed up to go around causing so much destruction and then just standing there, admiring the view."
*It would take some sort of guy to do that and then just look at it all. But it did sound like there was one issue that was plaguing Merrill aside from the unfinished thought about the kind of help he needed. All things in time he supposed. World was falling apart but formalities were still important enough, as he supposed getting into the introductions would be next.*
"The name's Dynamo. Good to meet ya, Merrill. So, what can I do you for?"
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Post by Xypher on Jan 4, 2023 15:15:29 GMT -8
Merrill mulled over Dynamo's words for a moment.
"He's a relaxed fellow..."
"It's a nice change. He seems... chatty. Much better than many of the others we've ran into lately...
Merrill couldn't help but let a small smile creep into his face.
"You have a point. It probably would do me good to relax a bit... Even though, it is hard to relax when the world has fallen into such ruin."
He looked at the ruins of what was the civilization before them.
"But you do have a point about exhausting myself too much..."
For the first time in a while, Merrill made an effort to relax. He let his rigid form release a little tension in his shoulders.
He let out a small laugh.
"That would be pretty messed up though if I had, I admit. But no, I arrived here after the devastation took place. I was too late to do much to help..."
He stroked his chin for a moment.
"I seem to be having destination issues. When I go to travel, my intent seems to get waylaid or I am sent elsewhere than my original destination. Kind of bothersome, really. Not sure if it's me, or what. Between that, I have also been separated from a few friends and some allies-"
Then his body flashed with the light.
"Shi-"
He sighed. He could tell his moment of reprieve was over.
"Sorry about that. Just a tad jumpy is all. Can't help it sometimes. Been one of those times."
He scratched the back of his head with a slight chuckle.
"I must admit... It's nice to have someone who just wants to talk, instead of just trying to either kill, attack, maim, capture or harm you for heaven knows why..."
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Post by Genesis on Jan 5, 2023 6:05:16 GMT -8
*Looked like Merrill had a lot on his mind for how he wound up in this situation here. To top that all off was that he was dealing with trying to help folks out and being too late to pull that off too. The icing on the cake was the fact that even with all of that having gone wrong he also couldn't travel properly and thanks to that found himself separated from his allies. Or at least that would have been the end of it, but it looked like he was jumpy with a side helping of power incontinence as well while being on edge that trusting others these days just seemed tantamount to foolishness.*
*Suffice it to say that the guy was going through a lot.*
"Sounds to me like you really could use the break with the world just being out to get ya for no reason at all. But you also can't rest easy because you're worried about the friends that you lost contact with in these trying times."
*Even if Merrill was to start relaxing himself, he would no doubt start to consider that the others weren't able to do the same. That would build up stress and spur him right back to action, meaning he'd rush off before long and find more trouble while being a bit reckless to go with it. To that end he extended his hand for Merrill.*
"Tell you what? You seem like a nice guy who's just gotten the wrong rub of it lately, so how's about I help you get back to those friends of yours? Free of charge. I'd need a point of reference though, seeing as I don't really know who they are right now, but don't worry about it."
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Post by Xypher on Jan 5, 2023 15:38:42 GMT -8
Merrill listened carefully as Dynamo responded to him. He had to admit, from Dynamo's perspective, he probably looked like a nutcase. He nodded, admitting that he had indeed "gotten the wrong rub." Granted, he knew he was partially at fault, as he got himself involved by following after Xion, Warrior and the others.
Problem was, he already found a lot of trouble blindly without having a full grasp of the situation. It was one of the reasons he got involved, was to find out more... However, combined with being naturally curious and wanting to help out others... It was almost guaranteed he would get involved, be it loyalty, trying to do the right thing, or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Wouldn't be the first time that happened, either.
He bowed quickly, pointing to his arm as Dynamo reached his hand out.
"I appreciate the offer. Might help us if I knew where any of them were at the moment... Let me just reach out to figure out where any of them ended up and we can go from there..."
He lifted his hand, drawing up half-a-dozen screens and again began typing encrypted emails on various ones.
To: Warrior From: Merrill Title: Where are you? Body: I don't know what happened, but we have been separated again. Where are you? I'm in Creamland, still. Haven't heard a response. Having some issues here. You with the others? Do you know anyone named Dynamo?
To: Hollow From: Merrill Title: Separated Body: I was separated from everyone. Where are you guys? Is everyone okay?
************************
While creating these emails, another scene was playing out. Within the soulspace, Merrill appeared, a look of concern and curiosity on his face.
"What's on your mind, Apollon? Do you know this person? Has something piqued your interest?"
He turned to face Death's space. Seeing the frustrated and disappointed look on his face, Merrill's eyes furrowed.
"Before you comment, I am aware that we don't exactly look great to our newcomer right now. Deal with it, please."
Turning back to Apollon, his expression was one of curiosity. But before he spoke, Life spoke up.
"For what it is worth, Apollon, Merrill does try and help others. While your opinion of him, and us, might not be high or positive at all, I am just asking that you give him a chance to prove himself his way."
Before Merrill could stop him, Death spoke, surprising the other two.
"You might be surprised by the boy... He even surprises me sometimes..."
****************************************
As he continued to write the messages he glanced back at Dynamo.
"My apologies. Got several to send. While I'm sending these, tell me a bit about yourself, sir? I see you are out here helping others... Based on your comment, sounds like you are a contractor. A person for hire, if you will?"
To: Joker From: Merrill Title: Where are you? Body: Are you okay? Where are you? We left the area. I've been portal-ed elsewhere... again. Can you do me a solid and check your Databanks for someone named Dynamo? Ever heard of this person?
****************************************
Meanwhile...
Merrill took a second to process what he heard. He glanced over, a look of genuine surprise on his face. But it lasted a second before his gaze returned.
"For what it's worth, I would like to know what's on your mind. If you know this person, or if there is something, please tell me. I don't mind making detours or checking things if it would ease your mind. This journey... WE all share it. And, as you see, I try to have these connections as... Communalistic, not necessarily parasitic, if you will."
He placed his hands behind his back, awaiting a response.
****************************************
Finishing up the next email, he continued typing.
To: Xion From: Merrill Title: Location/Plan Body: Got separated from everyone. Looking to get back to the group. Met person named Dynamo. Know him? Green or Red Flag? Where do you need me to go? And, as he wrote the last email, the tips of his cheeks reddened...
To: Lalonia From: Merrill Title: Are you safe? Body: Just checking in on you. Hoping your journey has been fruitful and that you are safe... Hopefully get a chance to see you soon, and that all is well. I'm looking to meet up with the others, after getting separated.
After slapping the send button quickly, he turned his attention back to Dynamo.
"Sorry about that. While we wait, let's chat! Tell me a bit about yourself?"
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Post by Gaia on Jan 5, 2023 16:11:35 GMT -8
Apollon Flame didn't answer Merrill at first. The nascent sun deity gave him none of his attention whatsoever, and as the other aspects continued to talk to him, Apollon Flame found himself only annoyed by them, and their pleas to him.
This is what it meant to them, to attempt to appeal to him?
A whisp of light trailed from the star, like a prominence unleashed from the sun, and moved closer to both Life and Death. It was not dangerous in nature, but it surely held purpose. If they would allow it, Apollon would join with them for a moment.
The life of an entire world's resources glowed in their memory, watching at a world full of life and love. Power flowed as they stood from on high and they watched what could only be described as a sun being flung from the heavens onto the Earth, and the world was enraptured by flames. Death followed where he turned his gaze, and Life fled from where his flames struck. Death, bound to follow him for all time, and Life, unable to exist outside of fear while he yet reigned.
The tendrils of light receded back into the sun, removing the imagery from them. It was a cruel display of what he thought of them.
[smear:FF5555]
. . .
My power has been here, before.
[/smear:ffff66]
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Post by Warrior on Jan 5, 2023 19:51:36 GMT -8
#s://i~imgur~com/dk4CQm0~png To: Merrill From: Jacob Rayner Title: RE: Where are you? Body: I've been called in to handle an offline situation that's unfolding. I'll be in contact once it's resolved. But no, I've never met a Dynamo.
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Post by Genesis on Jan 6, 2023 19:03:35 GMT -8
*Made sense that he was going to have to get in touch with some of them in order to get their locations known. After all being suddenly separated meant that there was a bit of a problem in knowing where everyone ended up after that happened. Though it could be said that Merrill's assumption was right on the money too.*
"Right you are. I offer my services for a reasonable price and see to the task at hand, which right now was lending a helping hand to anyone who got caught up in the recent chain of explosions."
To: Merrill From: Xion Title: Re: Location/Plan Body: Don't know him. Red Flag. Don't leave.
*It was short and to the point, namely because of a reason that was hopefully conveyed with brevity without there being a moment to doubt why that was. It wasn't as if they were aware of his circumstances or he theirs, so it was up to interpretation when all was said and done. As for Dynamo's own story, his was rather brief when looking at the big picture.*
"Well before all of this went down, I was often sent out on a bit of fetch questing here and there. Someone would have some lost items and I'd go find them and return them to their owner. There was a time in the past when things got heated when the item in question happened to be on a mountain or on the outskirts of a city given how everyone loves fighting at those places, but when things were smoothed over it was resolved without a fight on my end."
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Post by Gaia on Jan 6, 2023 20:58:06 GMT -8
#s://cdn~discordapp~com/attachments/858178610224562196/1049866352405532782/JokerAcidCard~png
A flash of energy spiked through the space as Joker and Ace arrived, the two wave beings materializing from nothing just a short space away from Merrill and Dynamo. Ace immediately looked around, seeing the devastation in the air, and looked with awe and concern, but, then, glanced towards Joker, as if he had noticed something vile and surprising.
"Not every moment away from the family was a good one," Joker said, answering a question Ace never asked. Ace didn't push the matter forward, but turned to look in the direction of two individuals he didn't recognize. He decided to let Joker take the lead, so he knew which one was an ally, and which one wasn't.
"Merrill," Joker greeted with a nod, referring to the one with the wings. He took a stride towards him, and Ace smiled his own winning, gleaming smile, waving a hand in his direction. He turned towards Ace. "This is my brother, Acid Ace. Much as you call me Joker rather than my full name, he goes by Ace," Joker introduced.
Ace stepped out from behind his much larger brother and held out a hand to shake with Merrill. "I actually prefer to go by 'The better looking one,' but Ace will do, too," he said with a smirk. Ace had a bit more of an affect to him than Joker did, his smile more genuine, his movements more lifelike, telltale signs of the human underneath the wave frequency. "Joker's told me you're a good friend. That means something to me. Consider us friends, too."
Joker turned after to look at the other figure in the distance, who he presumed to be Dynamo. Joker knew little of him, as well, but, at least now Merrill wasn't alone with him. "I don't recognize you," he said simply, looking at Merrill with a careful glance.
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Post by Xypher on Jan 6, 2023 21:02:53 GMT -8
Merrill nodded as Dynamo spoke at first of his profession. His rather
"Well. I must say to offer your services to me for free then is rather kind of you!"
He smile was genuine, as were his words. The hidden meaning behind what Dynamo said was not lost on him, however. He did take a moment to look Dynamo over, raising his hand to his chin. He was quiet for a moment, eyes looking skyward as he contemplated. He then spoke, his gaze returning to face the "contractor" before him as he pulled up a different screen.
"I know this might not be the best moment in time, given my rather unique situation, but I would like to hire you -"
A small beep was evident, cutting him off. He looked down at his arm, pulling up a different screen and he poked something, reading the couple lines of text from the first message. Just as he was about to reply, the second message appeared. Understanding the meaning, and having it obstructed, Merrill rubbed his head, fingers flashing as he replied with a couple of words.
To: Xion From: Merrill Title: Location/Plan Body: Understood. Standing by. Message received.
Merrill understood exactly the implications of the message. This lead him to understand the situation he was in a bit better, even with just few words. He could make a couple of guesses based on the two messages he received so far, that even in the short time that he was mulling over his thoughts, others were still putting motions into actions.
"Well. That's no good. Can't go there then..."
His voice would carry over to Dynamo's ears well enough. His face was one who again looked lost in thought momentarily.
"One has the network blocked and the other failed to specify his location..."
He sighed, an apologetic look on his face. Clearly it was not his day.
"I suppose we'll wait on a response a bit longer, if you don't mind? Where was I again?"
He listened to the rest of Dynamo's story, nodding a couple of times. He was completely unfazed by Dynamo's profession, which may or may not be a surprise to him.
"Right! I actually am in need of services like yours. I am looking for some information, and possibly an item to go along with it... I'd also rather acquire said things without fighting..."
He again looked thoughtful. He couldn't help but let out a soft smile.
"That is some skill you have there, Mr. Dynamo! Rare enough to come across someone who can get out of some situations like that without having to fight!"
Merrill had a genuine curiosity for those who could use such a skill. Even given the situation he was in, one would be shocked to learn that he was in fact, serious about understanding how to sometimes use words to avoid conflict.
That didn't mean he was naïve enough to believe that there were hidden meanings behind what Dynamo had said.
"Heck... That knowledge in resolving situations themselves non-confrontationally is worth a fortune about now."
He couldn't help but chuckle.
"But seriously, if you would be interested, after this mess gets resolved, I would hire you, if you were interested."
******************************************************
Meanwhile, in the Soulspace, while he was talkin with Dynamo:
Merrill was unable to hide the genuine surprise by Death's words. Given how things had been unfolding mere minutes ago, he was having more questions with his situation than ever, with not a single answer to anything.
Not that he had a moment to reflect here, as Apollon had a tendril reach out towards the other two.
As a sign of his willingness to compromise, and by extension learn something else, he chose not to act or say anything. He chose to observe and let Life and Death make the choice to accept themselves. This further proved his point about how he viewed this whole situation.
To no surprise, Death reached out and touched the tendril first, his expression one of deep thought as he closed his eyes to view the scene.
Life hesitated for a moment, before slowly offering her hand, and viewing the events for herself.
For Apollon - such contact would also offer a memory of its own onto his mind:
A woman breathing hard, exhausted by the act of the creation of Life itself. The sound of a crying newborn, as the newly appointed mother held the child in her arms. But instead of it being one of joy, the only thing felt was fear.
"Not my child..."
The woman's quiet voice was filled with sadness.
"Please spare my child..."
The vision would fade to black, a scream echoing in his mind before dissipating.
Unware of what had transpired by the action, Death spoke first, his head clearly recovering from the experience.
"Well. You are exciting..."
He looked over at Apollon, his face one of curiosity, instead of his usual snark/smile, or in the general sense regarding Apollon, a negative emotion.
"Considering what you've stated before, it is rather surprising that a version of myself from whatever timeline you came from, or that I myself haven't crossed paths with you before... Power like that... draws attention."
In a very un-Death-like action, he choose not to make remarks on what Apollon thought of him, even though it might irk him...
As for Life, she reflected on what she saw, both surprised by such feelings shared, and the vision and thought regarding the loss of life to such magnitude.
"Such a sad situation... I am sorry that you have experienced a world of such destruction... Is that how you feel about everything?"
Even if she was fearful of such a thing, that didn't mean she would just accept his harsh criticism of her, and them, without trying to understand. To her, even though his feelings of them were negative, she wanted, no... She had to believe that understanding could lead to change...
As for Merrill, he stood and let them all experience the moment. He wanted to ask what Apollon had shared, but also wanted to prove that his words weren't just all talk either. He was patient and quiet until Apollon spoke. His eyes opened wide slightly, immediately understanding the implications of what he just said.
"What do you mean? Do you mean in this area here, in Creamland? Can you be more specific?"
He placed his hand to his chin, immediately realizing just how significant this area had become. He managed to get himself in an interesting spot on his own.. Could that be...
"I take it you would like to investigate, yes? I am more than willing to, if you wish."
He directed his final question to the sun god, a look of curiosity and concern on his face.
*************************************************
What a situation he found himself in. Now with the newfound knowledge, he had to consider the likely possibilities of his surroundings.
While he did so, his gaze shifted, body immediately going to high alert as he felt life energy flow into the area. While one sign was familiar, the other was foreign, and that didn't escape the immediate look on his face, until he saw the body of Joker. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"Joker! You are alright! Thank goodness. You had me worried..."
The sense of relief was clear in his voice. And while Merrill could sense that something about Joker was different, he chose not to comment. He also offered no forthright information as to what had transpired either.
Taking his usual bow, he then turned towards the new face as he stepped out from behind the Crimson Titan.
Merrill chose to bow towards Ace, deliberately choosing to not shake his hand just yet. He did not want to offend Dynamo by such a small action. He knew better than some that such a small action could be considered a slight, and he was not trying to cause one.
He did however, have a small fit of laughter at Ace's remark. The smile that followed, while genuine, Ace might have seen the momentary glint of profound sadness in his eyes.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Ace. Please, I ask that you never lose sight of that sense of worth and wit."
He was quiet for a split second.
"That action reminds me of someone I once knew. You remind me of him. I think that we will get along just fine! I think we'll make good friends indeed!"
Turning back towards Joker, in time to hear the Wizard speak towards Dynamo.
"Joker, this is Dynamo. He happened to be searching the area and our paths crossed by accident. Dynamo, this is a friend and ally of mine, one of the ones I was separated from."
He scratched the back of his head, a small chuckle escaping his lips. He caught Joker's glance, and used it to continue his momentum.
"I gotta admit, I appreciate your offer to help. Looks like I don't need that ride this time around. But that being said, I do appreciate your company and your advice, Dynamo."
He stopped to give others a chance to speak, and hopefully he would get a few answers to a couple of the questions plaguing his mind momentarily.
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Post by Genesis on Jan 6, 2023 22:27:34 GMT -8
*Looked like there was something that Merrill here was interested in finding given the job description he offered. Then again, the correspondence from his friends said one didn't specify their location and the other one was in a blocked network? Well, that couldn't be good for that friend, but nothing could be done from the outside to get in if that were the case without the means to clear the blockage.*
"Sure, I don't mind waiting longer. Only things endangering us would be anything showing up out of the blue to try and eat us or something."
*After all whatever did this was probably still out there and at large. Probably causing ruin and havoc of a similar kind and just looking for more victims to add to the list. If they stuck together, they could better elude the threat, but otherwise there was the prospective job that Merrill had in mind. An item, information, and all without fighting was all good to go, but not without a bit more specific details.*
"I would call it the gift of words. Some folks only want to be left alone, so doing that gets it done. All about the nature of things, yeah? I bet whatever did this to Creamland could hear words but decided to be deaf to them. Would be nice if they used their head for more than just fighting the hotheads."
*There were just some where words alone weren't enough. At least some of them backed down when presented the prospect of having to deal with something they were unprepared for and thus unwilling to force the avoidable confrontation. But before he could get into the details of what Merrill wanted, it appeared as if some of the ones, or one of the ones as they said, had followed the trail of messages here that were sent out. Things were starting to look up after all, offering up the same salute to them as he had Merrill before with the introductions taken care of.*
"Not at all, just trying to be helpful in trying times. If we don't look out for each other then nobody will. If you still want to enlist my help, hit me up and if things aren't going crazy at the time and it's in my ability, I'll help you out."
*Since he wasn't left all alone out here, it meant he could probably just travel with his friends to where he would need to go. He didn't know how they got separated or from where, as it looked like they could reasonably be said to have not been separated by what happened here.*
"Just be careful getting mixed up with whatever did all this. Clearly bad news. Think the only places that aren't just going through it are Netopia and Electopia, then? Just a bit safer than here anyway."
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Post by Gaia on Jan 7, 2023 21:43:18 GMT -8
#s://cdn~discordapp~com/attachments/858178610224562196/1049866352405532782/JokerAcidCard~png
Ace noticed that Merrill didn't reach out to shake his hand and felt a little offset by the gesture, but, then he focused his attention on Dynamo as well. Dynamo seemed like an exuberant one, so maybe Merrill just didn't want to offend Dynamo by getting all buddy-buddy with Ace and not him? It was a pretty sound reason, Ace could respect it.
He turned to listen to Dynamo as he talked, realizing that the destruction he saw in Creamland was fairly recent. Something so powerful existed in the Net? Ace hadn't taken enough ventures away from the family to know much of the Net, aside from what Heartless shared with them before unleashing them for their most recent ventures.
Joker clenched his fist tightly as Dynamo went on, staring Dynamo down. He acted like he didn't know, but Dynamo clearly knew who he was talking to, and knew more than he let on. That was a dangerous thing, for him to know more about Joker than Joker knew of him, but, there was little he could do, here. Dynamo wasn't wrong. What he had done was not something someone that cared about others at all would do . . . someone that wouldn't listen to all that he could hear. His fist clenched at his side, Joker knew he was furious, but kept that to himself, for the time being.
"Netopia is less than safe. We just came from there," Joker admitted, having calmed himself down enough to at least be able to talk without making it evident that he was frustrated. Ace noticed his brother's frustration, but wasn't sure of what to attribute it to. "The whole of the world is under siege. We have to take all of it seriously," Joker reminded, looking towards Merrill, now. "We have a mission to undertake in Element City," Joker told him.
In Merrill's soulspace, Apollon shows absolutely no heed nor interest in the scene that Life shared with him, other than disgust. As for her question to him, Apollon was quite sure he had answered it before. Something about this place was so familiar, he was sure of it, but it was as though he were slumbering far deeper than he was now.
[smear:FF5555]
. . .
I only exist for destruction and rulership. When my world refused to worship my Mother, She created me to destroy everything on it. That is all.
. . . Something using my power, or something with power very similarly to mine, was here. Recently. Perhaps . . . still nearby? Hmm . . .
[/smear:ffff66]
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