Larxene (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
harmitwithspark) wrote2021-11-20 04:48 pm
harmitwithspark) wrote2021-11-20 04:48 pm
Entry tags:
There's a difference
Who: Larxene, Mickey
When: Sometime near the end of KHII
What: Willfully disobeying an order and maybe problem solving.
"I believe that Thirteen is something of a loss," Marluxia mused softly, seeming put out by the fact. "With his Somebodies he seems disinclined to work with us at all." Or rather Marluxia, but that could be chalked up to their rather poor first meeting. The garden was still recovering from that in fact, another black mark against Thirteen as far as the Nobody was concerned.
And yet there was still need.
"If you'd like me to reach out to their group..."
"No," he narrowed his eyes at Larxene, "even if he cooperated now it would not be to the degree we need. We need a Somebody I believe."
"Another?" Somebodies were problematic and delicate honestly. Even getting a few heroes for memory study had been a touchy thing.
"Specific," he mused. "That boy, Riku?"
"You wish a keyblade wielder." Of course he did. How he intended to get a Somebody to cooperate any better than Thirteen was beyond her.
"We know of two. Bring me one or the other."
Two. Joy. "The boy Riku or King Mickey." He was insane. Utterly insane. She'd suspected it before but now she was rather certain. "Either will be problematic to contain."
"Contain?" he chuckled, sounding almost alive himself for a moment. "No, we'll need to convert one. If we train one properly from the start there will be far fewer problems."
Convert. He wanted to convert a Somebody into a Nobody. Deliberately. Worse, to either convert a Somebody with a dangerous obsession, or one with a genocidal drive against Nobodies. Neither were good to hand additional power to. "Have you considered..."
"I have considered everything necessary, Twelve," Marluxia hissed. "And we are under orders."
Of course. Marluxia was always 'under orders' from One. Often in a twisted viewpoint way, but still. Riku who was playing least in sight these days or Mickey, which latest reports had placed as attacking higher numbers for no cause. None of the higher numbers had died, but they were damaged and recovering, a fact that made her, distantly, stubbornly against recruiting. If it could be termed recruiting.
"I require them alive," he noted dismissively.
Of course he did.
She nodded curtly and turned on her heel to leave and...consider things. This had to be approached carefully, whatever she was intending. That had her pacing the library in the World that Never Was a few days later, thinking thinking thinking. She'd gathered more reports, her Ninja couldn't find trace of Riku at all. He'd holed up somewhere, probably with his princess, and wasn't making ripples on the wider scene. That left Mickey, who could go toe to toe with Two and Three just because the king didn't approve of them being in the same place.
She wasn't all certain what to do honestly. She didn't want to die, no, but this mouse harmed her people. It was part of her job, her Purpose, to protect her Nobodies. The higher ups were not exactly hers, but someone who would go after them would not hesitate to remove Lessers in the least.
Plus she...did not care for the idea of fewer Numbers honestly. It was imbalanced and distasteful. It spoke to an unfairness in her somehow. Perhaps it was the fact that she had nothing beyond the Nobodies that made her loathe to lose any; after all if they disappeared what purpose would keep her from fading? Add in the fact that if they lost higher numbers, those less capable of their work would be...promoted. She did not care for the idea of Marluxia with greater responsibility considering his already questionable approaches.
"So why did he declare war?" she finally asked the silent stacks. Why had a king decided to target her people? As far as she was aware they had never caused harm to that kingdom. They tended to avoid Somebodies as a general rule. Taking Mickey would not stop that war, rather it would likely drag more worlds INTO it.
She needed a way to stop it in their tracks.
A way to neutralize Mickey without a head to head confrontation that she was guaranteed to lose.
What tamed wayward kings?
"Queens and Princesses," she mused, turning her pacing toward the sections detailing world hierarchies and circumstances. Queen Minnie was running the kingdom in Mickey's absence, a fact confirmed by her own Ninja...and known to be far more even tempered than her husband. The Princess lead didn't go where she had expected honestly, it didn't tell her if Minnia HAD been one, but it did lead to a potential solution.
It took a full complement of Ninjas scouring the world of one of the returned Princesses to find the item she needed, and when she had it in hand she went directly to Traverse Town. She rarely stopped over in the tiny place, but it was where two rather powerful magic users were located and she needed to be sure. Merlin was a touch uncertain when he answered his door but she had her hood down and a carefully practiced smile on her face. "May I have a moment of your time?"
"...of course...dear. Of course, come in?" the man blinked.
"Thank you," she looked around the room she entered, filing away what book titles she glimpsed then pulled a spindle from her pocket. The sharp end had a rather prosaic cork stuck on it, no reason to risk Somebodies it was handed to! "My teams found this in a distant world and it is thought to be magical, I wish to identify if it is and should be handled differently." A truth, honestly. She needed to know if it still packed any kind of punch.
Merlin's hands fluttered as he reached for the thing then stopped, fingers scrabbling in the air for long moments as he looked...dismayed. "Oh...oh dear me that is a rather terrible piece of work isn't it?"
She sighed, "I wouldn't know," she pointed out.
"Ah right, right, this was made with a great deal of ill intent, a sleep curse it seems. I rather suggest it be destroyed."
"I will locate an appropriate volcano," she nodded, pocketing it again. "Thank you for your time."
"Any time...dear?" Classifying Nobodies for pet names certainly was going to give him hours of thought at least!
At least she had the start of a plan?
The start.
A delivery mechanism anyway.
She still wasn't at all certain what she was going to do with the mouse should she manage to pull this off somehow, but she may be able to drop him. She wasn't the fastest Nobody these days, a fact that had caused a bit of mental imbalance in her, and handed a flaw to Marluxia to prod at, but she was fast enough most days. Faster than Somebodies.
So were II and III though. That implied that her normal tactic of hitting hard and unexpectedly may not be the best. She had her ninja check in on the higher numbers in question, just...checking to see how they were recovering. The fact King Mickey wasn't dead was proof in her mind that none of the Organization had started this war. Xaldin could have kept air from the king's lungs, Xigbar could have sent the mouse's organs into a different world entirely...and yet they hadn't.
Much like she hadn't contemplated interrupting the nerve synapses in Mickey; it was far too likely to kill a fragile Somebody. Oddly Nobodies were the most restrained group she had knowledge of when it came to power. Lives, properly solid lives were...precious.
Even rabid ones.
So how to hunt a mouse.
He was a responsible creature, when not off playing lone hunter. He did wish the best for his people, which meant he'd not deliberately lead a threat TO his home or to others. That meant tactics she didn't prefer. Slow, patient, dogged. "Find him, stay distant," she instructed her group with a sigh. Find him.
Follow him.
Stay out of reach.
Pursuit predation hit buttons in most sentient creatures. The knowledge that they were being followed no matter what they did to shake a tail preyed on the mind. Stress led to exhaustion. When her ninja had followed him for a few days through the dark paths she switched out, sending her entire compliment of lessers to sit and wait on rooftops in the World that Never Was. Dozens upon dozens of Nobodies, crouched and patiently waiting. If things went wrong they had letters for some of the Org.
Arrangements, in a sense.
Then there was nothing but the hunt. Silently chasing a coated mouse through dozens of worlds, slowly closing the gap between them. Progress made in inches as he ran. Always running. The first time he stumbled she assumed it was a trap.
Same with the second and third; he was a fighter after all. Creating an opening wasn't above his tactics as far as she was aware. When he was weaving on his feet, and lifting his weapon in a shaking grip, then she closed the gap finally, throwing up walls of lightning to box him in and closing the gap. Of course he still landed blows, how not? That keyblade hit her several times, making the arm she lifted to defend her head crunch painfully and that same side sing in agony...
...but pain was part of existence for Nobodies. She couldn't afford to be distracted by it, no that spindle end was pressed against a gloved finger that he raised to defend his own face from her feints, and she was satisfied to see a small bead of blood and feel the mighty king wobble and sway, slamming to the ground a moment later.
Thankfully it had been a broad range spell, Mickey didn't have to be a girl, or a teenage princess as long as that long needle punctured the skin Sleep came. She didn't let the walls drop, no, she went to her knees and tried to think. Harder now, she could feel smoke trickling slowly from between her lips but what now?
What now?
She couldn't leave him here in the paths, that would end him as surely as taking him to Marluxia would. Cleaner perhaps, but an end just the same. There was nothing for it then, she gingerly pulled the king onto her back, hands tied over her shoulders and feet tied over her hips. She couldn't carry him in arms, not with one arm not wishing to work properly, and her free hand was needed to...pick up the keyblade. Like Mickey, it couldn't be left here. She didn't think it strange she could carry it, no, it made sense somewhere in her. She figured that since he'd dropped in battle he didn't feel safe enough, subconsciously, to let it wisp away.
She honestly wasn't certain where she was taking him until her feet hit the balustrade outside the throne room on Mickey's world. Ah, well then. She ignored the sounds of the guard Goofy across the green and breezed through the large doors, kicking them shut behind her. "I'd like to talk," she noted to the queen and her duck companion.
"Oh my," Minnia gasped.
"I am uncertain if you're aware of the fact that your king has been attacking my people," she began, untying the limp mouse and letting him settle on the floor. Daisy came forward to check his health and breathing, an understandable reaction really.
"No? Why?"
"I am uncertain," she admitted. "But he has attacked many of our members who offered him no harm."
"That doesn't sound like my Mickey!"
"Then perhaps he is being influenced by an outside number," she half shrugged, remembering belatedly that her one arm didn't wish to function properly. "I do point out that he has been using the Dark paths, which...good people cannot access."
"Oh really?" If she were hearted she might be amused at that aggravated tone in the woman's voice.
"Yes. I will take the coat with me. Without it he cannot safely travel those paths." It seemed for the best. "If you speak to the moogles he can access he will not be able to have another made." Hopefully?
"And what...did you do?"
Ah yes. "I did not wish to harm him, we do not wish to go to war with you, so he is in an enchanted sleep. It can be broken by true love's kiss. So you can verify that fact for yourself I will be leaving the enchantment method with you." That said she set the spindle on the floor by the keyblade, safely corked once more. "I do ask you to please let him sleep to prevent further aggression until such time as you determine why he has attacked us."
"Oh I will be tracking that down yes," Minnie promised a touch heatedly, nodding to Daisy to remove Mickey's coat and pass it over. "Your people...?"
"Are recovering."
"And you? Can we help you at all?" she asked, gesturing to her lips.
Ah, the smoke. "I too will recover. With luck we shall not need to meet again, it was not a pleasant experience."
"Dear me no," Minnie agreed.
"In light of my asking he remain asleep though I will detail two of my people to keep Heartless from you. They will leave when you choose to wake him and he can handle that task himself." It made sense, plus it would give them some warning if Mickey returned to the larger scene.
"They will be restricted to the promenade."
"Of course your majesty," she nodded, calling two Ninja from their vigil on the rooftops of HQ and letting the queen see them when they appeared. "They will also deliver messages should you feel the need to contact us." Which she would probably deliver to the higher numbers honestly. It felt...strange standing in a court and speaking with a queen.
"I will be writing."
Of course she would. Larxene nodded again, opening the throneroom doors to point her pair at perches for their new vigil. Minnie's sharp call kept Goofy and Donald from taking a swing at her as she left and...staggered into the dark paths. She did not feel well...at all.
She'd probably felt worse at some point but she couldn't easily recall it at the moment. She wasn't surprised when her ninja flooded the paths en masse to surround her, her two oldest gripping her under the arms to help rush her along. She couldn't go home, Castle Oblivion would not be the best place for her currently given her betrayal. No, they ran to a world carved of light and electricity. An empty server room in Tron was just the thing, her pushy Ninja stripping her coat away and carefully straightening her arm before pressing her into a corner to get proper contact with the energy flows.
She'd recover.
Ah, right. There was still something to be done. She held her good hand out for the letters she'd left previously, she didn't wish the missives to get confused, then wrote out a new one to both II and II. It was simple, really.
II & III,
Mickey has been neutralized and will no longer be hunting us. His world does not wish to declare war, the reigning monarch, Queen Minnie, will be researching why he set himself against us. I will be delivering any letters she writes to you two via Ninja.
I apologize for taking this matter into my hands, consulting higher numbers would have been problematic given the intent of others in regards to the king. For similar reason his sleeping state and location will not be reported, nor indexed in the Library.
XII
When: Sometime near the end of KHII
What: Willfully disobeying an order and maybe problem solving.
"I believe that Thirteen is something of a loss," Marluxia mused softly, seeming put out by the fact. "With his Somebodies he seems disinclined to work with us at all." Or rather Marluxia, but that could be chalked up to their rather poor first meeting. The garden was still recovering from that in fact, another black mark against Thirteen as far as the Nobody was concerned.
And yet there was still need.
"If you'd like me to reach out to their group..."
"No," he narrowed his eyes at Larxene, "even if he cooperated now it would not be to the degree we need. We need a Somebody I believe."
"Another?" Somebodies were problematic and delicate honestly. Even getting a few heroes for memory study had been a touchy thing.
"Specific," he mused. "That boy, Riku?"
"You wish a keyblade wielder." Of course he did. How he intended to get a Somebody to cooperate any better than Thirteen was beyond her.
"We know of two. Bring me one or the other."
Two. Joy. "The boy Riku or King Mickey." He was insane. Utterly insane. She'd suspected it before but now she was rather certain. "Either will be problematic to contain."
"Contain?" he chuckled, sounding almost alive himself for a moment. "No, we'll need to convert one. If we train one properly from the start there will be far fewer problems."
Convert. He wanted to convert a Somebody into a Nobody. Deliberately. Worse, to either convert a Somebody with a dangerous obsession, or one with a genocidal drive against Nobodies. Neither were good to hand additional power to. "Have you considered..."
"I have considered everything necessary, Twelve," Marluxia hissed. "And we are under orders."
Of course. Marluxia was always 'under orders' from One. Often in a twisted viewpoint way, but still. Riku who was playing least in sight these days or Mickey, which latest reports had placed as attacking higher numbers for no cause. None of the higher numbers had died, but they were damaged and recovering, a fact that made her, distantly, stubbornly against recruiting. If it could be termed recruiting.
"I require them alive," he noted dismissively.
Of course he did.
She nodded curtly and turned on her heel to leave and...consider things. This had to be approached carefully, whatever she was intending. That had her pacing the library in the World that Never Was a few days later, thinking thinking thinking. She'd gathered more reports, her Ninja couldn't find trace of Riku at all. He'd holed up somewhere, probably with his princess, and wasn't making ripples on the wider scene. That left Mickey, who could go toe to toe with Two and Three just because the king didn't approve of them being in the same place.
She wasn't all certain what to do honestly. She didn't want to die, no, but this mouse harmed her people. It was part of her job, her Purpose, to protect her Nobodies. The higher ups were not exactly hers, but someone who would go after them would not hesitate to remove Lessers in the least.
Plus she...did not care for the idea of fewer Numbers honestly. It was imbalanced and distasteful. It spoke to an unfairness in her somehow. Perhaps it was the fact that she had nothing beyond the Nobodies that made her loathe to lose any; after all if they disappeared what purpose would keep her from fading? Add in the fact that if they lost higher numbers, those less capable of their work would be...promoted. She did not care for the idea of Marluxia with greater responsibility considering his already questionable approaches.
"So why did he declare war?" she finally asked the silent stacks. Why had a king decided to target her people? As far as she was aware they had never caused harm to that kingdom. They tended to avoid Somebodies as a general rule. Taking Mickey would not stop that war, rather it would likely drag more worlds INTO it.
She needed a way to stop it in their tracks.
A way to neutralize Mickey without a head to head confrontation that she was guaranteed to lose.
What tamed wayward kings?
"Queens and Princesses," she mused, turning her pacing toward the sections detailing world hierarchies and circumstances. Queen Minnie was running the kingdom in Mickey's absence, a fact confirmed by her own Ninja...and known to be far more even tempered than her husband. The Princess lead didn't go where she had expected honestly, it didn't tell her if Minnia HAD been one, but it did lead to a potential solution.
It took a full complement of Ninjas scouring the world of one of the returned Princesses to find the item she needed, and when she had it in hand she went directly to Traverse Town. She rarely stopped over in the tiny place, but it was where two rather powerful magic users were located and she needed to be sure. Merlin was a touch uncertain when he answered his door but she had her hood down and a carefully practiced smile on her face. "May I have a moment of your time?"
"...of course...dear. Of course, come in?" the man blinked.
"Thank you," she looked around the room she entered, filing away what book titles she glimpsed then pulled a spindle from her pocket. The sharp end had a rather prosaic cork stuck on it, no reason to risk Somebodies it was handed to! "My teams found this in a distant world and it is thought to be magical, I wish to identify if it is and should be handled differently." A truth, honestly. She needed to know if it still packed any kind of punch.
Merlin's hands fluttered as he reached for the thing then stopped, fingers scrabbling in the air for long moments as he looked...dismayed. "Oh...oh dear me that is a rather terrible piece of work isn't it?"
She sighed, "I wouldn't know," she pointed out.
"Ah right, right, this was made with a great deal of ill intent, a sleep curse it seems. I rather suggest it be destroyed."
"I will locate an appropriate volcano," she nodded, pocketing it again. "Thank you for your time."
"Any time...dear?" Classifying Nobodies for pet names certainly was going to give him hours of thought at least!
At least she had the start of a plan?
The start.
A delivery mechanism anyway.
She still wasn't at all certain what she was going to do with the mouse should she manage to pull this off somehow, but she may be able to drop him. She wasn't the fastest Nobody these days, a fact that had caused a bit of mental imbalance in her, and handed a flaw to Marluxia to prod at, but she was fast enough most days. Faster than Somebodies.
So were II and III though. That implied that her normal tactic of hitting hard and unexpectedly may not be the best. She had her ninja check in on the higher numbers in question, just...checking to see how they were recovering. The fact King Mickey wasn't dead was proof in her mind that none of the Organization had started this war. Xaldin could have kept air from the king's lungs, Xigbar could have sent the mouse's organs into a different world entirely...and yet they hadn't.
Much like she hadn't contemplated interrupting the nerve synapses in Mickey; it was far too likely to kill a fragile Somebody. Oddly Nobodies were the most restrained group she had knowledge of when it came to power. Lives, properly solid lives were...precious.
Even rabid ones.
So how to hunt a mouse.
He was a responsible creature, when not off playing lone hunter. He did wish the best for his people, which meant he'd not deliberately lead a threat TO his home or to others. That meant tactics she didn't prefer. Slow, patient, dogged. "Find him, stay distant," she instructed her group with a sigh. Find him.
Follow him.
Stay out of reach.
Pursuit predation hit buttons in most sentient creatures. The knowledge that they were being followed no matter what they did to shake a tail preyed on the mind. Stress led to exhaustion. When her ninja had followed him for a few days through the dark paths she switched out, sending her entire compliment of lessers to sit and wait on rooftops in the World that Never Was. Dozens upon dozens of Nobodies, crouched and patiently waiting. If things went wrong they had letters for some of the Org.
Arrangements, in a sense.
Then there was nothing but the hunt. Silently chasing a coated mouse through dozens of worlds, slowly closing the gap between them. Progress made in inches as he ran. Always running. The first time he stumbled she assumed it was a trap.
Same with the second and third; he was a fighter after all. Creating an opening wasn't above his tactics as far as she was aware. When he was weaving on his feet, and lifting his weapon in a shaking grip, then she closed the gap finally, throwing up walls of lightning to box him in and closing the gap. Of course he still landed blows, how not? That keyblade hit her several times, making the arm she lifted to defend her head crunch painfully and that same side sing in agony...
...but pain was part of existence for Nobodies. She couldn't afford to be distracted by it, no that spindle end was pressed against a gloved finger that he raised to defend his own face from her feints, and she was satisfied to see a small bead of blood and feel the mighty king wobble and sway, slamming to the ground a moment later.
Thankfully it had been a broad range spell, Mickey didn't have to be a girl, or a teenage princess as long as that long needle punctured the skin Sleep came. She didn't let the walls drop, no, she went to her knees and tried to think. Harder now, she could feel smoke trickling slowly from between her lips but what now?
What now?
She couldn't leave him here in the paths, that would end him as surely as taking him to Marluxia would. Cleaner perhaps, but an end just the same. There was nothing for it then, she gingerly pulled the king onto her back, hands tied over her shoulders and feet tied over her hips. She couldn't carry him in arms, not with one arm not wishing to work properly, and her free hand was needed to...pick up the keyblade. Like Mickey, it couldn't be left here. She didn't think it strange she could carry it, no, it made sense somewhere in her. She figured that since he'd dropped in battle he didn't feel safe enough, subconsciously, to let it wisp away.
She honestly wasn't certain where she was taking him until her feet hit the balustrade outside the throne room on Mickey's world. Ah, well then. She ignored the sounds of the guard Goofy across the green and breezed through the large doors, kicking them shut behind her. "I'd like to talk," she noted to the queen and her duck companion.
"Oh my," Minnia gasped.
"I am uncertain if you're aware of the fact that your king has been attacking my people," she began, untying the limp mouse and letting him settle on the floor. Daisy came forward to check his health and breathing, an understandable reaction really.
"No? Why?"
"I am uncertain," she admitted. "But he has attacked many of our members who offered him no harm."
"That doesn't sound like my Mickey!"
"Then perhaps he is being influenced by an outside number," she half shrugged, remembering belatedly that her one arm didn't wish to function properly. "I do point out that he has been using the Dark paths, which...good people cannot access."
"Oh really?" If she were hearted she might be amused at that aggravated tone in the woman's voice.
"Yes. I will take the coat with me. Without it he cannot safely travel those paths." It seemed for the best. "If you speak to the moogles he can access he will not be able to have another made." Hopefully?
"And what...did you do?"
Ah yes. "I did not wish to harm him, we do not wish to go to war with you, so he is in an enchanted sleep. It can be broken by true love's kiss. So you can verify that fact for yourself I will be leaving the enchantment method with you." That said she set the spindle on the floor by the keyblade, safely corked once more. "I do ask you to please let him sleep to prevent further aggression until such time as you determine why he has attacked us."
"Oh I will be tracking that down yes," Minnie promised a touch heatedly, nodding to Daisy to remove Mickey's coat and pass it over. "Your people...?"
"Are recovering."
"And you? Can we help you at all?" she asked, gesturing to her lips.
Ah, the smoke. "I too will recover. With luck we shall not need to meet again, it was not a pleasant experience."
"Dear me no," Minnie agreed.
"In light of my asking he remain asleep though I will detail two of my people to keep Heartless from you. They will leave when you choose to wake him and he can handle that task himself." It made sense, plus it would give them some warning if Mickey returned to the larger scene.
"They will be restricted to the promenade."
"Of course your majesty," she nodded, calling two Ninja from their vigil on the rooftops of HQ and letting the queen see them when they appeared. "They will also deliver messages should you feel the need to contact us." Which she would probably deliver to the higher numbers honestly. It felt...strange standing in a court and speaking with a queen.
"I will be writing."
Of course she would. Larxene nodded again, opening the throneroom doors to point her pair at perches for their new vigil. Minnie's sharp call kept Goofy and Donald from taking a swing at her as she left and...staggered into the dark paths. She did not feel well...at all.
She'd probably felt worse at some point but she couldn't easily recall it at the moment. She wasn't surprised when her ninja flooded the paths en masse to surround her, her two oldest gripping her under the arms to help rush her along. She couldn't go home, Castle Oblivion would not be the best place for her currently given her betrayal. No, they ran to a world carved of light and electricity. An empty server room in Tron was just the thing, her pushy Ninja stripping her coat away and carefully straightening her arm before pressing her into a corner to get proper contact with the energy flows.
She'd recover.
Ah, right. There was still something to be done. She held her good hand out for the letters she'd left previously, she didn't wish the missives to get confused, then wrote out a new one to both II and II. It was simple, really.
II & III,
Mickey has been neutralized and will no longer be hunting us. His world does not wish to declare war, the reigning monarch, Queen Minnie, will be researching why he set himself against us. I will be delivering any letters she writes to you two via Ninja.
I apologize for taking this matter into my hands, consulting higher numbers would have been problematic given the intent of others in regards to the king. For similar reason his sleeping state and location will not be reported, nor indexed in the Library.
XII