The Black-Cloaked Man [Open]

[xigbar]

In the deepening twilight now taking Archades, a hidden back alley that had previously been completely empty now held a thin frame in a black cloak, only his outline faintly visible with the hood drawn up. Several white creatures appeared before him, appearing to be speaking before a hand motion from the black cloaked man dispersed them, the group quickly making themselves scarce. A chuckle came from the man when he was alone, slipping into the street and generally looking suspicious in his garb. The man was up to something, obviously, though what it could be was anyone's guess.

Well what do you know? A whole new amalgam of worlds... Xigbar thought, a feral grin flashing across his face, hidden in his hood. No one would have been able to see his face unless he removed the hood from his head, which he had no intention of doing. Just perfect; now, HE was running the show! Now who would be his first victim...?

[scryingphantom]

Slate blue orbs, hidden beneath a veil of shadow, gazed toward the sky. The male mused as his realization came all too soon: twilight, in another world. Lips gave a moment of emotion, as a smirk, before said expression faded. This world seemed to be rather engrossed, with many in rather intriguing fashions. With a shuffle of footfalls, the male wondered away from where a corridor just dissipated, all while he simply brushed off a few rose petals from his cloak.

Marluxia rounded the corner from the alley, his gaze straight ahead of himself. He brushed one last petal, musing at the surrounding city. Figures moved to and from, several gazed suspiciously in his direction. The assassin had no concern, as of yet, since most seem to head away from him as quick as possible. Which, the assassin concluded, wouldn’t be a surprise to see – why would foreigners be welcomed with open arms anywhere? If a country did that, they should consider themselves an open target.

Perhaps, this world does that… Marluxia’s thoughts ceased shortly afterward, catching a tail end of a conversation. He simply shifted, head turned into the direction. The words were soft, light, barely a whisper. Eavesdropping was not normally his style, yet a word spoken about another cloaked figure piqued his interest. Marluxia couldn’t help but smirk as the group spotted him, and dashed the other direction. So? Did he bare the same attire as the mysterious figure?

”Hmm, perhaps I could go about searching,” With that light statement, the assassin had his mind made up. If he could hope, his would’ve been about being his former partner. Larxene had been missing since the Castle Oblivion mission. Beyond that, he wouldn’t mind to have her back – her absence somehow made this world dull. Perhaps it was her crude sense of ‘humor’? However, even with a lack of her, Marluxia wouldn’t stop his plans by any means.

With the brisk air at his feet, the male began his decent into the town. A more insight of this world may provide some form of structure weakness. A weakness that could generally help Marluxia with an advantage, someday. Who says you couldn’t enjoy a thought of power while you take a stroll?

[Captain Cedric Rackham]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,470,true][bg=EEE6E4][atrb=background,http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs7/i/2005/258/c/4/Paper_texture_v5_by_bashcorpo.jpg] AND I WOULD LET A PIECE OF MYSELF DIE IT'S HARD TO BE THE BETTER MAN - WHEN YOU FORGET TO TRY it's hard to be the better man - when you're still lying Darkness had begun to creep along the edges of Archadia, a thick miasma that crept over the worn cobbles he had grown used to walking. As twilight dimmed the sky turned an indistinguishable color of navy, soft clouds blotting the horizon that sank into an unending bog of blackness. It was a strain on his eyes to make out the soft silhouettes cast by the flickering lamps fueled by the manufacted nethecite the Empire had previously removed from all corners of the Empire. It felt almost treasonous to bring the stones back within these walls, the Lord Larsa would have been most distressed by these actions, even if it was for the benefit of the citizens Gabranth felt unsure of his own course of action. His leather clad fingers curled into the palms of his hands, teeth gnawing at his bottom lip in an obvious anxiety. However much he would have enjoyed it, he did not take this stroll alone. There were a few stragglers, faces he did not recognize or address as they walked into their homes, the noise in the city itself drawing to a low murmur of hushed whispers muted by the brick and mortar walls. His ears were not assaulted by the sound of his armor for once and he was allowed to absorb the stillness and the absolute silence and for once he was able to hear his own breathing along with the footsteps of the soldier behind him. It was a relief, one he welcomed as his greaves brushed against the edge of his still armor-clad legs. For the most part he was without his usual attire, the billowing cape he often wore back within his own personal apartments along with his breast plate and pauldrons and other such extravagant pieces however his wrists remained covered in the dull silver and his helmet tucked beneath the curl of his right arm. It was always with him, the unblinking stare of Gabranth staring from hollow sockets, black eyes ever watching. For the most part he found the evening to be uneventful, his shoulders growing slack and the tension freeing itself from his body, muscles relaxing as he continued his silent walk. Only for a moment did his golden optics catch something and for that moment he wished it to be something of the norm regardless of what his conscious told him. There was a figure clothed in black, a slim body wrapped in leathers and a face concealed with a hood. Immediately he grew curious and the grip upon one of the horns of his helm tightened. “Strife, to your left. Tell me, what do you see?” He remained still, his head slightly turned in the direction of the figure though he gave no real indication of noticing whatever may or may not have been taking place within the abandoned back alley. Even now his senses remained alert, jaw clenching in apprehension as he awaited conformation from the blonde if what he had seen was not just some apparition made of false pretenses and paranoia. i hoped that you would do this for me POST MADE BY GABRANTH OF CALAMITY'S CRY

[Cloud Strife]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,470,true][bg=EEE6E4][atrb=background,http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e91/TeiyoTeiyo/CLOUDTEMPLATEBG2.png] YOU COULD T R Y AND BE WAY OFF WHY WON'T SOMEONE COME AND SAVE ME. WHY WON'T SOMEONE COME AND SAVE ME FROM THIS It was a rather beautiful setting. Cloud rather liked the twilight that had engulfed the city in a shade of orange, as the sun slowly receded for now, a breathtaking sight as pink clashed with orange and yellow before fading as the sky above began to blend back into the blue that it was only a few hours earlier, the twinkling of a few stars could be seen peeking out already, and he knew more would follow, filling the sky eventually with what looked like small white dots on a sea of black. He followed after the man the employed him silently, always silent. They both seemed to not care for too much noise or even pointless talking. But it still surprised him when he saw Gabranth’s face underneath the helmet that he wore. It reminded him that Gabranth was actually, well, younger then Cloud thought he would be... ...And he was pretty handsome... His cheeks reddened slightly from the thought and he turned his gaze away from the man’s back, which looked pretty bare without the cape he usually had flowing behind him in some invisible breeze that seemed determined to make it look dramatic above all else, and focused on the people that they were walking past. Because of him being the genuine pig to a mad scientist for five years, he was not something that could be classified as ‘human’ anymore. All his senses were enhanced with the constant submergence in Mako, he could practically hear all the whispers that were placing through the air, and he had to hold back another blush at a very sexual content that he really didn’t need to hear. Hearing his surname break though the otherwise silent air, the blush faded and he looked back towards Gabranth and raised a brow. The left? Turning his head, he looked , his eyes focusing over at the alley way, and the figure that was in said alley way, “A man dressed in a black cloak, hood is raised, covering his face from view.” He responded in kind to Gabranth’s question and raised a brow as he looked back towards the older male. SO TOUCH ME OR DON'T JUST LE ME KNOW WHERE YOU'VE BEEN CAUSE I'VE BEEN ALIVE AND ALONE it comes awake and i can't control it - in my body, in my head

[xigbar]

"I must be getting famous already; a false SOLDIER first and the great Noah fon Ronsenberg checkin' me out," Xigbar commented, turning to face them and crossing his arms. For them, it would have been impossible to tell the identity of the man beneath the cloak, unless they knew his voice, which he was confident they didn't. Now what would two 'celebrated' men like that be doing staring at him, he wondered?

"Oh, wait, let me guess; 'Sir, you are under arrest in the name of the Empire of Archades' or some other drawn-out demand for justice, right? " Xigbar questioned, a hidden grin spreading across his face. These two looked like they would make an amusing fight, if push came to shove. Or maybe something else would happen... who knew?

[scryingphantom]

As he continued his ‘stroll’, Marluxia couldn’t help by take notice of the lamps. For an empire so large, lamps of flickering light made the land itself overcastted within shadow. If this were another world, Heartless would have emerged without a second glance. Ah, the old days of having to do those types of missions… He was grateful those days were over.

”Ho~?” his pace began to slow as shady figures came into his vision in the distance. Though he couldn’t tell who, he knew there were three. Perhaps a confrontation of some sort? At that said point, Marluxia’s next obligation was simply passing by. He picked his pace back up, realizing soon enough he was coming up on one of their backs. Flickering light gave him strain to focus, but Marluxia almost halted almost instantly. When he was within ear-shot, he almost mentally kicked himself. Xigbar. Not a surprise – but, the sure arrogance Xigbar held while blurting out his known information. Sometimes, Marluxia concluded, that the former number II had some sort of a death wish. His entertainment for tormenting others tended to push buttons – almost instantly did it work for him; to get the opponent flustered and attack in a blind rage. Now, Marluxia 'desired' to see how the others would react.

He made his approach, knowing full well by now he had been taken notice of. ”Honestly, your sarcastic wit will be the end of you,” his voice rang out. Once standing within the ‘circle’ of forms, Marluxia let his footfalls fall silent. During the rest of Xigbar’s prattling was an excellent time to observe. The one male was, roughly, the same height of Xigbar – perhaps even about the same age? Age was not to care, Marluxia knew full well (through experiences of his own) he shouldn’t assume not one person here couldn’t fight.

The other male was shorter, obviously younger, with spiky blond hair. Marluxia’s expression, though hidden beneath his hooded veil, became a smirk at this. Rather amusing, really, this world was. Hearing the last words ushered from the older nobody, Marluxia turned his concealed attention to Xigbar. Most amused the assassin became, since even he could figure out Xigbar had to have something up his sleeve. It was almost a given (or so Marluxia would assume).

”Now I question as to why I came to your ‘aid’.” He released an aggravated sigh. Now, he was known to be an accomplice and along for the ride…

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(OOC: Hope this post is alright. Sorry for the wait, too.)

[Captain Cedric Rackham]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,470,true][bg=EEE6E4][atrb=background,http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs7/i/2005/258/c/4/Paper_texture_v5_by_bashcorpo.jpg] AND I WOULD LET A PIECE OF MYSELF DIE IT'S HARD TO BE THE BETTER MAN - WHEN YOU FORGET TO TRY it's hard to be the better man - when you're still lying Cloud had confirmed his suspicions, though before he was given the opportunity to answer a voice called out to them. Its accent neutral and indicating that this figure indeed did not hail from Archades, or perhaps any of the area surrounding was the first thing Gabranth had taken notice to upon being addressed. There was arrogance ever present with the tone of this man’s voice; though hardly gruff it was certainly male but what drew him in was the name at which he had spoken with such certainty. Noah fon Ronsenberg. His body lurched forward, his free hand curling into a fist as his lips moved to speak though no words were able to be worked from his throat. For once he was at a loss, stunned by this sudden proclamation that this man without so much as a face could address him so familiarly. Golden optics darted around for some kind of answer, landing in all directions but the black mouth of the leather jacket lest he see something he could not have prepared himself for. The first thought that came to mind sprang from his mouth, his words hissed as his body tensed. “Did he send you?” He meaning his brother, the only person alive to know of that name other than the companions he had once traveled with during the greater conflict. Gabranth could only assume this be the answer, though he had even taken Cloud into account for the most part as he continued to readily mock the Judge Magister. He would not stand for this disgrace, this humiliation. Gabranth moved to erase the distance between him, his eyes flaring with rage before another hooded figure made itself known. Immediately he recalled this action and cocked his head in a half hearted gesture of curiosity. This figure appeared to be the same for the most part, the same attire, the same gangly mass of limbs comprising its body though it too was obviously male. The voice was accented, lightly but just enough for Gabranth to pick up. Whether or not this being was from Archades or a nearby province would remain unknown until he was given the opportunity to inquire, though he doubted the chance would ever come. They conversed openly, obviously knowing each other and quickly he glanced back at Cloud. They had to be ready for anything, especially since Gabranth was unarmed. This did not mean he was absolutely incompetent without his weapons; this was by far just one of many bothers he had yet to pile into a lump sum of unfortunate events and miscalculated preparations. It was unlike him to be so unprepared, yet – “I will save you my so called ‘drawn-out demands of justice’ and get to the heart of the matter. What business do you have within Archades?” ooc: It was lovely Marluxia! :'D i hoped that you would do this for me POST MADE BY GABRANTH OF CALAMITY'S CRY

[Cloud Strife]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,470,true][bg=EEE6E4][atrb=background,http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e91/TeiyoTeiyo/CLOUDTEMPLATEBG2.png] YOU COULD T R Y AND BE WAY OFF WHY WON'T SOMEONE COME AND SAVE ME. WHY WON'T SOMEONE COME AND SAVE ME FROM THIS ”A false SOLDIER” Weird how over the years, those words fail to cause anymore hurt. Mostly because he had long since accepted that little fact. He failed to get into SOLDIER, was submerged and experimented on for five years...Cloud almost forgot who he even was. So he stole Zack’s identity, his status, as he was the last man he saw before handing him the Buster Sword. He was so torn up about Zack’s death, that he erased the man from his mind, if he didn’t exist, than there would be no pain when he was mentioned...no recognition either. And while Cloud didn’t even bat an eyelash at the so called insult, Gabranth was not the same way. His softly glowing blue eyes slid over to his employer and a single brow was raised. Whoever this...Noah von Ronsenberg was, it was not something that Gabranth liked to be reminded of, and this he that he hissed out, like the word itself was dripping of poison, like the man was toxic itself just as referring to him. However it was that pissed Gabranth off, Cloud almost pitied them, the man was strong, why would you want to piss him off? As another hooded one appeared, his eyes narrowed. So they were expecting a fight, and while Cloud wasn’t angered enough to charge, it seemed like his older male companion was. He frowned slightly, remembering this tactic, Reno, and Rufus like to do the same thing, talk and mock, anger was the best thing for a fighter, made attacks vicious and deadly, but it blinded them, made their moves sloppy as frustration mounted up, as such it could be easy to take advantage of it. It was like fighting a charging bull, the more you dodged and danced away, the more angry it became. However, one false move could easily put you at death’s door. Reaching out, he placed a calming hand onto Gabranth’s armoured shoulder and shifted closer to the other, “Don’t let anger blind you.” He whispered to Gabranth, for his ears only, “The more you react, the more likely he will pick at it, he wants you to be sloppy and fight.” Glancing over to the other two is eyes narrowed somewhat, “We do not know how strong they are, it would be foolish to charge head first into something you do not know.” The two strangers knew one another, that could be bad for them, Cloud does not know Gabranth’s fighting style, so he cannot adapt to cover his weak points, the other however do know one another, there was a high chance that they had experience working together in fighting, the taunts the first hooded one threw didn’t seem to surprise the newcomer, probably amuse him at best. Either way, It wasn’t the best to rush forward without any caution. OOC: What is this I don’t even... SO TOUCH ME OR DON'T JUST LE ME KNOW WHERE YOU'VE BEEN CAUSE I'VE BEEN ALIVE AND ALONE it comes awake and i can't control it - in my body, in my head

[xigbar]

"What business do you have in Archades?"

What, that was it? Man, what a letdown; he'd expected something a lot harsher after directly speaking the name of the Judge Magister, which to his knowledge sparked rage in his heart. Oh well, not enough of it, he supposed. "As amusing as muttering sweet nothings in each others ears would be for a comedy, this isn't really the right time for it, spikes," Xigbar mocked, giving a shrug and turning his head slightly in Marluxia's direction. Well, now if a fight came, they would definitely win. But fighting was not Xigbar's plan.

"You want to know what I want here? Heh, well aren't you the nosy one, o' tin toaster?" He taunted, grinning beneath his hood. "Information's my business, in case you didn't get the hint. Or do I need to say something that'll make you even madder? Believe me, I can dig up something. Now what is it you REALLY want? Or were you two just checkin' out my ass?"

[scryingphantom]

Marluxia found it rather amusing to watch the taller male’s orbs move frantically about. As if he where to find his answer in thin air. Or had Xigbar momentarily trapped him into a corner? The assassin amused, debating if that was a wise choice. Wild animals tended to lash out in desperation once cornered. Soon, it came, but not exactly what Marluxia had concluded. To say he was disappointed with what the male lashed out with, wouldn’t even begin to describe what Marluxia would’ve liked to have seen. Yet, this ‘he’ had spiked his curiosity.

”Ho~?” The assassin slate orbs had focused on the spiked-blond male. He could only take a guess as to what was being whispered. Marluxia shook his head, debating whether it was a battle strategy or a word to the wise. Either way, the assassin kept his gaze on the two figures. If Xigbar were to get either to lash out – he’d preferred to have an advantage, even if Xigbar wouldn’t respond in time. Yet, how intriguing it was to see the younger male having to, apparently, calm down the older. Amusing, really.

Even though Marluxia could not see Xigbar’s expression, he could just feel the smirk. Of course you could. Playing dirty is quite your specialty, now isn’t it? The cloaked assassin lifted his head, hearing the fact Xigbar actually had given them a question. Well..wasn’t that a new one? However, the other comment…

”Come now, why would anyone want to look at your ‘ass’? Since, aren’t you lacking one to speak about?” He just couldn’t help it. Xigbar had set it up. Marluxia let a fake chuckle escape his lips, gazing at the other two. Now, he could only wait for this outcome. Let alone, his mind was in thought on how well these two could cooperate in combat.

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(OOC: Short post, sorry. Sorry, Xiggy, had to crack it. [No pun!])