Crisis at Isla Tower (Thread for people coming to the tower?)

Kagura's path to the tower was for the most part clear, aside from an alleyway or two. Disgusting filth, it was bad enough she had to walk, yet alone walk through the city like some commoner taking back routes and shortcuts. Though discretion wasn't a luxury Kagura granted herself.  She walked down the streets still adorned in jewels and a feathery white dress. Her heels didn't make the travel any more pleasant either.  She still looked like royalty which probably made it all the more astonishing she wasn't stopped or pursued by one of the demonic creatures. Everything changed when Megami no Raito spoke to her. The choker she treasured, her shadow weapon, awakened and it with Kagura's power.

Kagura arrived with just enough time to see the group discussing the situation. Kagura made no effort to announce her presence instead she simply approached in her normal elegant fashion quietly listening to everything. Her silence was broken soon after.

"Demons, other worlds, demi-gods, and commoners with special powers called personas." her words held the cold sarcasm of her arrogance behind them.  "What next you're going to tell me Santa Claus and Easter Bunny are real? Lucifer himself could come down and still be unworthy to so much as gaze upon my New Eden. If it will help move things along, I suppose I'll sully my hands and investigate this other world. I've always wanted to kill a god anyways."  


Kagura looked at the party around her sizing them up. She felt no need to introduce herself. If angels and demons really did exist she would have to establish her role as the supreme pinnacle of power and it wasn't something she intended to back down from. Perhaps it was the surfacing of her powers that made her feel invincible or maybe it was the life of luxury she lived. Everything could be bought and that which couldn't could be destroyed by allocating money to the right individuals.

The android watched one person step away from going to find Zachary and a few others step up. "Good to know that I won't be going alone to say the least should Zachary not be willing to see the truth of the matter." The android said, before listening to to another possible avenue of investigation. The android paused...yes she must be referring to the whirlpools that he saw briefly, the ones that the demons were pouring out of. Though he also found it odd that Isla admits to Zachary knowing too much, when she too knows a lot.

"Yes, that is also important no doubt, the worlds are linked more closely than ever. Though that leaves our resources a bit stretched. As it stands we only have three fighting for our cause, meaning that we'd have to split our limited resources to explore both. Not an idea I'm a fan of." The android stated, before thinking of a few more questions.

"I beg your pardon minister Isla, I meant to keep this relatively brief, but I have a few more inquires. It's about your associate, you said we would meet her, but is there nothing more you can tell us about her? A description or her origin perhaps? I understand the need for secrecy, but at the same time if she is out there and in trouble then I need to be able to recognize her to aid her. If she is using more power than she should be, is this not a sign of trouble?" The android inquired hoping to get some sort of answer from the minister, but at the moment...he needed something to be able to aid their ally.

"Furthermore, once we're out there...is there any way we can contact you? I imagine communications are down at the moment, but if we need to ask you or warn you about something then how are we to contact you?" The android certainly hoped that Isla had a silver bullet in this regard. That would conclude his questions, before glancing around at the group with the newest member.

"I'm rather strong, and I've got a few tricks up my sleeve, if Zachary will not see the truth of the situation then I can handle my own in a fight." The android said volunteering for that mission, and with their newest group member he looked at the other two. "As for you two...I recommend you both choose one to go with. I know I can likely find my friends outside of here, so if you want to support the new member..." He said gesturing to Kagura, "I will understand, though I strongly recommend pairing up."

Partisan would go quiet as she simply choose to stay off to the side listening. She wasn’t going to get involved in the events of the other worlds or with this Zachary fellow. No she was going to keep an eye on the minister to make sure she remained safe. Call it selfish or what not, but the machine would not let this small paradise go down that easily. Not when so many lives were at stake. As she made her own choice and backed down from this round, it seemed that others began to step up to take nibble at what was being given.

As Hiro listened to what was going on, his eyes would narrow slightly as he shuffled through the information in his mind. On one hand, they had the home front problem – Zachary. Whatever he was planning could impact things in a negative way…especially if said man found this supposed ally of the minister. Between what he had heard of the ally before and now this, Hiro wondered just who this mysterious lady was and what her role was to impact the outcome so greatly.

On the other hand, they had the other problem…namely the worlds that hid behind the walls of water. The answers to the demons might be over there, but that wasn’t all. The minister mentioned the worlds were collapsing and that the pseudo-gods of before were gone…The angels…So they had vanished? Did their disappearance have anything to do with the state of affairs now? A curiosity, but one he put on the back burner for now as blue eyes looked over at the android as he spoke.

He seemed to be okay with the idea of them working together and seemed even okay with simply trusting the minister. While Hiro could not understand this sort of blind trust, he didn’t exactly rebel against it either. Besides this one had some valid questions that would help in the long run if they were answered. Letting the other do the talking for now, Hiro would listen to what was said before his attention was drawn to a rather overly dressed lady. It was quite baffling how the woman managed to walk all the way here with everything she wore, but she was here now so he suppose she had more stamina than he gave her credit for. He assumed from her way of speaking and acting that 1) she thought she was better than everyone and 2) she had been ease dropping on the conversation. The way she simply volunteered to take on the other world was a bit puzzling, but then again they did need all the help they could get, so he suppose he shouldn't about complain the odd turn of events.

When the man spoke on splitting up Hiro would finally speak.

“I didn’t expect the path to be easy. Even less so given my position; however, my course stays the same,” he would begin his eyes drifting from the minister to the other male. “I’ll accompany you to Zachary and do my best not to slow you down,” he said with a nod. Yeah. He wasn’t a power house in comparison to persona users or these other forms of power that had fought in the battles beforehand, but at the same time he wasn’t going to back down because of it. No. He would push forward and figure this thing out one way or another. He could grow from his journey….the question was would the other accept his help?

The android took the number, and made a note of it in his memory banks, and then he also took note that this former associate was a student at one point. That was good to know at the very least, so he could try and cross reference it to former students that he knew of...wait....

The android paused, and looked at the number as if trying to memorize it. Female, former student, supernatural powers...it was a stretch, but the android could recall one individual who fit that description. She had been in another world speaking with an unknown individual when they found her, but right before his eyes she developed the power. Rinna Lauderdale...was that this mysterious associate? ...why hide who her partner is? If it is in fact Rinna, then why is she hiding?

The android then noted how the guns rose, and the sound footsteps sounded from behind him. He turned around to see A hooded figure stating of how she thought the barrier was meant to keep her and her friends out. Judging from appearance, the woman was not a demon, and Isla stated that she was one of them. By one of them Sentinel concluded that perhaps one of the outside groups trying to help or harm.

"Well this is fortunate, perhaps you can help us shed some light on the current situation then." Sentinel said looking toward the hooded woman. "Isla said you were one of them, and you mentioned friends, are you part of the group that is meant to keep balance of the worlds?" He asks the hooded woman, before blinking. "Ah, I apologize, my name is Alphonse Sentinel, I don't believe we caught your name." He said gesturing for her to share her own name. He was also trying to diffuse the situation considering of how there were armed men so close by. Regardless of whether or not she introduced herself, Sentinel would ask yet another question or two, "If you don't mind me asking, what are you and your friends doing exploring these islands? What are you all looking for? I hope something to stop this terrible calamity." He stated watching Claire carefully, wondering if she was the possible traitor or...an ally.

Kagura stood watching everyone discussing the current situation. She'd be lying if she said she didn't want all the details though at the same time she wanted to hurry and take care of this Zackary character. And still more was to be discovered in this parallel world just beyond the ocean. If it was true that the Zackary wasn't working alone it was likely that someone far more important would be pulling strings from a safer location. Kagura couldn't think of any place better than a world where only few had access to and the dangers for one weaker than the shadows that roam it acted as a natural defense system.

She turned to the android. He didn't look very strong, but then again neither did she. Appearance clearly meant nothing in terms of power. Perhaps he was even more powerful than she was. That could very well be a problem in the long scheme of things. It would be better to make an ally and manipulate him later if necessary. Besides there were plenty of dangers in the other world, if he became too much a threat their alliance could give her a much needed opening for later.

"If you wish to accompany me I won't stop you. Besides there may be need for a scouting party rather than lone scouts anyways. If this Zackary person is working with someone else it makes sense for the spineless coward to hide elsewhere should Zackary fall and vice versa. If these 'demons' and this other world are linked, we may find the answers there." she spoke with a mature almost firm nature as if she were stating facts and that the idea of Alexander joining her was a privilege rather than mutual benefit.

Kagura turned when she heard the footsteps folding her arms. Her choker that formed into a silver V shape suddenly appeared as if it had visible seams, something that wasn't there before. "This could prove interesting." she said making an almost venomous gaze at the hooded girl. So many people were out and about and here Kagura thought she was so special. Though it didn't matter, they could prove usual tools in tending the garden that would become her Eden.

"I agree. Given our current situation information is key and mystery only serves as a red flag and call to arms."

"Alright, I'll hold you to that," Hiro would tell Elsa before his eyes drifted to the woman who was bidding them farewell.

"I see. Until next time then," he would say giving the lady a nod before falling silent to watch her go. As Hiro move off on her own path, he would feel a bit sad considering numbers were great; however, if she had some other goal in mind, then the young man wouldn’t stop her. As for the rest remaining. Well, it looked like it was three now considering the fourth member had already decided to stay here. While Hiro was fine going with the other male to find Zachary, he wasn’t too sure if sending the proud lady on her own to the other side was wise either. Sure, he didn’t know the other worlds like the others did, but at the same time he was very familiar with the darkness that liked to lurk there and how easily it could consume things.

As for her words, well they did make sense. Much like Isla’s student and ally the other half to the problem could be over on the other side…provided it was indeed just two people.

However, Hiro had to wonder about that. Was it just two…or was it a much larger group effort? This question would only further deepen with the arrival of the hooded person which the guards automatically took note. With guns raised and tension high, Sentinel moved to both talk to the new comer and try to diffuse the situation. Even the haughty woman seemed to be interested in what this new one had to say. As questions flew, Hiro would fold his arms lightly as on from somewhere on his shoulder a small figure sat up. It was Aria. It seemed the commotion had disturbed her from her rest.

The small demon look around the area, trying to figure out what was going on, but for now kept her mouth shut as she simply took to observing. In the mean time, Hiro would watch the girl watching them before asking one question that had not been asked.

“Unbound by powers…How so?” he asked leaving it open for either woman to answer if they wanted to before he became quiet once more to see how things unfolded.

Claire that was easy enough for one to remember, and when Claire explained what she thought Isla meant by them, the android nodded his head in confirmation. Isla then began her own line of questioning asking why Claire was here, and Claire explained how the group is all performing a duty to ensure that the worlds do not perish, and how they want to stop those who are trying to make it worse. To the android's surprise, Isla stated how their objectives do not align, and the android began to open his mouth to respond...when a quivering voice responded to Isla...she sounded so sad, the android felt his heart strings tug a bit.

"Minister Isla, you said minutes ago that now more than ever these other worlds are connected to our own. My last mistake when dealing with a situation like this...was looking and focusing inward on this world's trouble. Evidently, that was a mistake considering what I was told by Gonea, the mother of all humanity. Let us not presume that our goals do not align with the group's just yet." The android said, not in an accusatory way or judgemental way, but in a soft-spoken advisory way. Sentinel then turned toward Claire giving her a soft smile.

"Claire, I believe that our goals do align, perhaps it is not so clear at this moment, but I believe we want the same thing. To protect the worlds and prevent the core from collapsing in on itself. We don't hate outsiders, not unless you give us a reason to, and the angels...well they had their own problems. Please, allow me to explain a bit." The android said, closing his eyes and taking a breath, not that it helped him much but it helped him gather his thoughts.

"The angels each had their own goal or own ideal of a world that they wanted to create once this "Event" was resolved. They implored, those of us who had supernatural powers to join them and act as representatives and warriors for their cause. They wanted us to help them create their ideal world...none of their ideas were appeasing to the representatives or at least most of us. Therefore, we focused on the threat in our world and the beings known as the Primordials since we saw no reason to risk our race's personal freedom by siding with the angels." The android explained, "Because we chose not to particpate in this "event" and dealt with the problem that all the angels warned us about, the Primordials, Gonea, the mother of all humanity, separated us from the other worlds and likely removed the angels as this point from their domains. Now, I understood that the angels served to protect the worlds from the corruption of the Primordials and offer their ideal worlds to the representatives. What I didn't know is how key they were to the very stability of those worlds." The android explained to Claire trying to justify their actions, and comfort her about being an outsider. He wanted to show that their was a difference between someone who was trying to help, and those that had their own agenda.

"Now...had we known that, we would have taken another course of action, but instead we requested that Gonea withdraw and stop watching over humanity, as we have our own free will and deserve a chance to decide our own fate. Likely making it that the angels would withdraw with her since they were her servants. I would have requested that the angels stay if it meant the stability of the worlds. He explained, allowing Claire a moment to process what was said.

"We do not hate outsiders, the angels were removed without our say, and were a risk to our free will, which made it hard to justify them hanging around." He summarized, only now did he realize the mistake that they made. Red eyes blinked before looking at Claire, "Now Claire, I understand that your group has a mission to protect these worlds and stop this terrible event from happening. Can you tell us more about your group? Can you tell us how to stop what is happening? Do you know who seeks to take advantage of the current situation? I know of an individual known as Zachary on Standsten, who seems keen to use this to his own ends." The android a tenderness to his voice to help make Claire feel better.

"Furthermore, can you tell me more about this core, and how the angels; disappearance destabilized it further?" That was his final inquiry for the moment until he heard more from Claire, he could handle complicated stuff, that was the good thing about being a robot.

(I have no idea of posting order anymore here, so…)

“Hiro,” would be the calm response to the girl giving her name before he was falling silent again to listen to the young woman. He would nod lightly at her words as he considered them. So there was this group unbound by the rules of others and their powers. On top of this it seemed that the minister was in no way pleased about the situation. She didn’t seem to want the young woman to be here and pretty much was telling her to get lost; however, the young lady at hand didn’t want to leave. And why was that…?

Hiro felt himself become tense as she mentioned the Core of the world and how it was consuming worlds nearby due to becoming unbalanced. Unbalanced thanks to them being gone.

“…”

The situation only got worse as Alphonse did his best to play peacemaker and explain the situation of the past. They had asked the Mother to leave with her angles believing it was the right path…and yet…

“Perhaps we all made grave errors back then. My own even graver than your own. While you sought freedom through peace, I sought it through wiping this world of every last one of you. Humans, angels, gods…I wanted them all gone to make the world clean once more, but from that desire I ended up helping a darkness far worse than all of what I hated combined…” Hiro would say as he closed his eyes unafraid to admit his mistake and prepared to take any backlash from it. He would shake his head slightly before reopening his eyes again and leveling them with Claire. Hi gaze was serious and determined.

“I don’t care about outsiders as I could be considered one myself. Nor do I care for petty squabbles between groups. All I care about is fixing the problem at hand in any way we can,” his eyes would move from the girl to Isla. “Can we really turn down help like that just because she is on another side? Can we really afford to do that?” he would watch her for only a moment before looking away as blue eyes drifted to the ground. “Perhaps I don’t have the right to say anything here, but I have to agree with Alphonse. We cannot win this on our own nor fighting from just one side or against each other. If we start doing that again, we’ll end up with the same results as last time. Maybe something even worse this time.”

Hiro would fall quiet after that and let come what may as Aria stayed quiet on his shoulder with a light frown on her face. She didn’t seem to like whatever this was she had woken up too.

The android nodded as she explained her group, evidently there was thirteen of them, and they all had identifiable features. The android made sure to record this so he would be able to recognize them and inquire with them for more information, this was very helpful in the android's opinion. Now they could find and learn more from the others in case they knew something that Claire didn't. She didn't seem dumb, but she seemed a bit childish. The android kept his notes about her group, and then she spoke about the Core.

Evidently, the Core was under attack by someone or something and it recovers by swallowing worlds...oh. That made the android pause, realizing that now these two worlds were in danger of being swallowed whole. "I see, so this core is trying to recover from this attack, and unless we find some other way to fix it our world and the next nearest world will be swallowed whole. Well, that's a lovely thought. But what do you mean by swallow other worlds? Furthermore, do you know who is behind it all?" The android said paraphrasing what Claire said, and asking his own questions. However, Claire seemed like she was getting frustrated again, "Hey now, no need to cry, we want to help and you're helping us understand what needs to be done. You're doing great!" He exclaimed trying to encourage her a bit, she seemed childish and easy to upset, but he knew a thing or two about handling children. Now you mentioned Azami, why are you looking for Azami? Why is she important to your group's cause? Does she fix the core or bring back the angels?" The android inquired giving Claire several moments to answer these questions, before then asking a question that he had no doubt would be difficult for her to answer.

Then he paused and revaluated what he knew about Claire or what he had seen, she was easily upset and like a child when she got upset...the android had no doubt it would lead to an outburst. Perhaps the question about whether or not there was a traitor, was not one for Claire to answer. One of her compatriots might be able to provide a clearer answer about that, so for right now the android would not ask about the idea of a traitor in their midst. That might give the girl a wrong idea, he would keep it in mind...was Claire possibly the traitor. She seemed...unstable...easily frustrated, but from what he had gathered is that she wears her heart on her sleeve. The android was more inclined to trust her at this moment.