Organization XIV - The Story So Far

Dispatch thrust a fist into his open palm. "Still in the lead, nice! I just hope the next one is more straight fighting." Tabago turned and gave him a look, to which he shrugged. "Hey, what can I say? I'm still competing and I know what I'm good at."

"Fair enough, kid. Just make sure to keep your guard up."


**Meanwhile…**
 
"I'm here! What happened?" Kaylee jumped down the stairs, skipping every step, landing with her hands on the table, her eyes flicking rapidly between the Supreme Kai of Time and her assistant. "Did you find him?"
 
"Well…not quite," Trunks admitted, avoiding eye contact with the scarred Saiyan woman.
 
"But you called me in, that's gotta mean something! Progress?"
 
"Progress," the tiny Kai confirmed. "We're not sure how, at least not exactly, but it seems like we can confirm that Dispatch has found his way somewhere entirely different."
 
Kaylee shot her boss an expression of mixed disappointment, confusion and annoyance. "Well yeah, obviously."
 
"No," said the Kai, sighing. "What I mean is, somewhere outside Time Patrol jurisdiction."
 
Kaylee's eyes narrowed. "I hope you don't think that's gonna stop me."
 
"Of course not, which is why we still want to provide supervision over this mission." The Supreme Kai crossed her arms. "Somehow, your teacher has ended up in a timeline separate from our own. The portal seems to still be in the place where Planet Vegeta was, but we're not sure why he lost communication, or whether there's a way back. And the mission won't be complete until it's sealed again."
 
"Alright. What comes next, then?"
 
Trunks was the one to respond this time. "It means that we'll be sending you in as soon as we have a way of receiving mission reports and a way to get you both back. With our best technicians on it, you should be able to leave tomorrow."
 
"Tomorrow," Kaylee repeated. The word left a foul taste in her mouth. Her fists curled up, but there was nothing she could do. Nothing but wait for someone else to do the important job.
 
"Listen," said Trunks, reaching up to put a hand on her shoulder. She slapped it away, but he continued. "I know waiting can be tough, but I also know that once the two of you are together, you'll have this thing solved in no time. You've come a long way."
 
More empty words. "You don't have to try and console me," said Kaylee. "I'll be back at sunrise."
 
The two guardians of time exchanged worried looks as Kaylee turned and brusquely walked back up the steps, but neither one of them knew what to say. Within seconds, she was already gone.
 
"Hey."
 
Kaylee turned towards the source of the new voice. A woman she knew well: tall and lean, with smooth, sandy-brown hair that reached her waist, and bright blue eyes. Selena. Her foster sister.
 
"…What?" asked Kaylee, trying to keep the edge off her voice.
 
"I heard about…well, everything, I guess."
 
"…And? What, you want to tell me not to go? Too dangerous, or something?"
 
"No! Not at…well, okay, maybe a little, but—"
 
"You can't stop me. I don't give a damn how strong you are, I won't let you stop me."
 
"Kay, I don't want to stop you! I mean, I want to stop you, but—"
 
"You can't! It might be the only goddamn thing in the world you can't do but you can't do it! You can't convince me not to go and you can't force me to stay!"
 
"Kay, please just stop for a second and listen!"
 
"Why? So you can keep telling me how worried you are? How much confidence you don't have in me? Or maybe you want to go instead of me because you think you can do a better job? Forget it!"
 
"WRONG!" Selena screamed. "I'm not trying to tell you not to go! I don't think you're weak! I know how important this is for you! I know! What I don't know is when you got to be so angry all the time but I didn't do anything to you so would you please stop taking it out on me?! I'm only worried about you because you're my sister!"
 
The two stood, glaring at each other outside the doors of the Time Vault, for several long seconds. Selena was trembling. Kaylee stood stock still, stone-faced. It was Kaylee who broke the silence.
 
"…If you can't figure out why I'm always so pissed, and why it's you I take it out on, then you haven't been paying attention. Goodbye, Selena. I'll see you whenver." With that, she turned away, and walked down the stairs, her teeth set, her gaze fixed on the exit of the Time Nest. She didn't see the tears hit the steps behind her.

Gestalt had been returned to the world of the living as if he'd never left. ...This doesn't feel a whole lot different. He gazed up at the sun, feeling its warmth on his skin. The breeze quietly whispering through the air. It's not a lot, but it's substantial, I think.

The announcements barely registered with him. They were still in first place, that was a blessing and a curse. The target on their backs would only grow more vibrant and enticing to the other teams, now, and they'd no doubt made more enemies in this battle. As hellish as this race had been, surely the third round would only be more terrible and gruesome. His excitement now mixed with anticipation of the horrors that would await him in the near future.

The future? He tried to look into the future again, but saw nothing, a void where the expanded senses once were. That spell had only granted a temporary effect, which was understandable. Seeing the branching timelines all the time sounded like it would just lead to headaches and confusion, frankly. Keeping track of a single reality was tough enough for Gestalt.

Come to think of it, while it had been an incredible blessing, perhaps he'd been too reliant on it for planning. Had he trusted his instincts and made snap judgments instead of spending time checking the future any time things looked uncertain, perhaps he'd have been able to slip back Arthur's grip and avoid his own demise. He was grateful for the experience; it had taught him more than he could've expected.

I want to fight him again.

Cutting past the dull murmur of the crowd was the sight of Kain cradling his sister, holding his companions close. Dispatch was with his Chief, seemingly unbothered. Jill looked like she might've been a bit rattled, but kept composed.

Finally, he realized he was missing something. The familiar weight of his sword was gone, and while his body had been restored - even his little cape was back - the weapon was in a thousand pieces, scattered upon the track. Unclasping his cape, he gathered the largest pieces, safely wrapping them up. He'd have to see it restored somehow, or perhaps it was better replaced. Having it reforged in a day was perhaps an unlikely event. Truthfully, he didn't know enough about metalworking.

His errand complete, he returned to his team, not really sure what to say. "...Heya. Reporting from the afterlife: it's boring."

Jackie weakly waved, in a daze after all that she'd seen so far. The carnage wasn't as quick and dirty as it was last round, it was ongoing, and oftentimes brutal. It felt to her like her stomach and bones had turned to ice, knowing that so many people had such contempt for life all around her. She wanted to hide away, crawl in a hole, or even just shut her eyes and pray that it'd all go away. But she steeled herself and reached back out to Gestalt, who was walking with a small bundle in his hands. "We're on good terms with the Hephaestus team. Maybe we could swing a favor for them to assist us? I mean, we're in first place, and we're helping each other win. A single sword might be as easy as breathing to a god."

Kain had wandered closeby, his friends tagging along as they slowly paced over towards the main group. They kept a distance though, seeing that the Hephaestus members of Karr-Groth had also shown up and were approaching Team Hermes, the distance between the groups speaking to the discomfort and misgivings they bore. "Well, while we're waiting, the arena's still pretty cold... my bad. Shall I warm us up, then?" Without waiting for a response, Kain's eyes flicked to the side in concentration, squinting as he fiddled with a lighter. A few clicks one way, two more another, and... 

The ice began to melt and recede almost instantly, becoming water then vapor that rose up out of the stands quickly. A small ball of flame rose up from the hem of his robes, then another, and a third, each floating near the other groups. "If you're still feeling stressed, reach out towards it. It's like emotional hot cocoa." 

Jackie reached out a little quickly, then took her hand back, somewhat embarrassed, but then saw the rest of Kain's friends eagerly putting their hands up near it, the lights dancing across their outstretched palms and the shadows cast by their fingertips dancing across their faces. She blushed slightly, and reached out again, confidently this time. The warmth was delightful, and she smelled hints of cinnamon. Emotional hot cocoa indeed. 

The Hephaestus group weren't so phased, but as all except Hero were more lightly dressed, they huddled around it, all of them still facing towards their former competitors.

Dispatch turned back to face the other groups, his head tilted and one eyebrow raised. The only words he caught were "emotional hot cocoa," and the phrase only confused him more. He looked over towards his chief. "What are they...?" he asked, trailing off.

Tabago responded with a big shrug. "Beats me. Maybe they're just not used to fighting in the cold."

Dispatch gave another, smaller shrug. "Didn't bother me much and I don't fight in the cold too often. Saiyan thing, you think?"

"Not a clue. Didn't really spend much time studying other races. Maybe if they'd ever actually stood a chance against us, but you know how that went."

"Ha, yeah!" Dispatch chuckled. "Hey, speaking of...y'know, we're still in first place going into the finals. How about that match you promised?"

Tabago's face slid into a slight scowl. "Didn't I say come back when you win?"

"You think we're not gonna?" Dispatch said, a mock-surprised tone in his voice.

"Save it, kid, you're not gonna sway me. 'Sides, you should probably save your energy. Looks like you've been leaning a little too much on that wizard kid's little magic gizmo."

"Hey!" said Dispatch, his surprise genuine this time. "I could totally make it without that. Just gives me an...efficiency boost. I mean when you've got a resource, it's dumb not to use it, isn't it?"

Gestalt just held up a hand to the warmth, the other keeping his shattered blade wrapped close to his chest. "...I'm a little embarrassed. I think I could've avoided that last move. On the other hand, he wasted so much time monologuing at me, he pretty much sealed his own fate. Think I'll try harder to avoid dying in the future, though." His words sounded tough enough, but his voice betrayed his diminished spirit.

He briefly glanced in the direction of that gunner fellow, Enos, and his recently-revived companions. His stomach twisted a bit as he recalled the look of the man as he fell, dead, and wanted to call out to them, try to apologize, do something to lessen the enmity they no doubt felt towards his team, but something kept him frozen there. He also wanted to flip off Arthur, but felt his eyes roll when he looked in the goliath's direction, and no further desire to engage with the prick outside of their eventual rematch.

The swordsman gazed upon the flickering flame, thinking back to his death. How might he have escaped it? Now that he recalled it, he'd seen a single flicker of light in the inky depths of his lifeless future, just before he'd lost all hope - for a micro-instant, there was a single path that would've seen him survive. It had only vanished when he looked to confirm it. As much as the power had been a blessing, it had clearly spelled ruin, too, in more ways than he truly knew.

Furthermore, there was this strange pressure bearing down on him. The more he thought about the coming finale, the more anxious it made him. The emotional balm of the flame only barely kept the chill at bay for now. So wrapped up in his thoughts was he, that it took him almost a half-minute to process and respond to what Jackie said about having his sword repaired. "O-oh, yeah, I should be sure and ask them. Any damage done in these fights is trivial for gods to undo, huh...?"

Theo took a look at the broken sword and nodded once. "It died a good death. You can rest assured we'll make a request of Lord Hephaestus on your part." The Karr-Groth folks had moved closer, and overheard part of the conversation taking place. "In trials like these, having a weapon that can keep up with the wielder will be crucial to not be left out in the open empty-handed, in more than one sense." His hand idly drifted to his own blade, Vorpal, and a strange look fell over him for a moment, before it was pushed aside and his face became stony again. 

Jackie's brow furrowed as she bit at the pad of her thumb. "My spear's been holding up, but I'm loath to ask for an upgrade or a replacement. I constructed this one myself, along with the guard of my homeworld. It's tradition, and our techniques are quite particular. Unless I could work the forge myself, I don't think I could see my getting Thorn replaced." She smirked. "Besides, if I can survive phasing through walls with it, I have to hold onto it for as long as possible, right?"

At that moment, Hercules called out to all gathered, a bemused look on his face, one of surprise, amusement, frustration and slight dread. "Contestants, a moment of your time! The gods and goddesses have convened, and as scheduled, we will be preparing for our third round, the Raid Battles, tomorrow! However, our Lords and Ladies, in their wisdom, have elected to pull one hero, the strongest from each team, into a battle royale free-for-all that will commence at the same time as the raid start. Only 3 survivors will be allowed to participate in the raid, and the battle royale will last for as long as need be until such a time as those 3 final survivors are left standing. In the interest of suspense for our audience, the elected heroes will be announced at the start of the round, but be assured that the ones to participate in the free-for-all have already been chosen. Lucky heroes, survive the third round, and the finals will be in your grasp! Good night, and good rest!"

"Thank you, Theo." Gestalt said numbly. "It's not that I have any especially fond sentiments about the sword, but all the same, I'd prefer that it not remain in pieces."

As he listened to Herc's announcement, he began to relax a bit. Not because of that, of course. If anything, it was a bit unsettling that the gods had deemed this separation necessary - if that was truly the underlying reason for this kink. Feeling himself unwind, tension vanishing that he hadn't even realized he was holding, he swayed on his feet a little.

Would it even make sense to try inviting another of the teams to dinner after that? Tensions were so high - especially with their team remaining in the lead - that he didn't really expect anyone to participate. Still, once the teams were discharged, he tried to flag down Team Aphrodite. Maybe they were feeling less resentful by now?



In the stands, the newcomer grumbled at the news. Tightening their grip on their bag, the traveler stood up, took a sharp breath in through their nose, and stretched their arms before silently filing out of the Colosseum.

Alle from Team Aphrodite looked over to see Gestalt waving their team down, before looking back to the rest of her party. The four of them had been grouped together, as Mage had been desperately trying to stave off the shivering cold they now found themselves in. "We're being hailed by the first-place teams. Should we entertain them, or let them be?" Alle asked Hero. Her voice was neutral, and if she bore an opinion on the matter, her face and countenance did not show it. "What do you think?"

Hero looked up, holding Kailee close and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Mage. He glanced over to Gestalt, then over to Alle. "Seems we made a judgement error using Aphrodite's boon so late in the competition. I think at least getting some information out of them and seeing what they're up to might give us an edge. Maybe not enough to qualify, but if it upsets the standings enough, we might manage to make Lady Aphrodite proud."

"I don't think we'll manage to make her happy enough to get our wish as-asked-for," Mage piped up, her hands glowing with heat as she wrapped her arms around Hero and Kailee from the back, "but not coming in last place would probably get us at least a partial wish. Something, anything. I can't say I'm optimistic but anything rather than this being a massive waste of time and effort would be preferable. If we perform well enough at the end, we could still find a sponsor..."

"I think we could manage a night of companionship," Kailee said, her cat-like eyes fixated on Gestalt like he resembled a meal, or a vexing curiosity. "If nothing else, I want to see what they're like. If they're worthy of competing, or if it'd be worth it to do a little sabotage. As a treat, y'know."

Alle simply nodded and strolled over to Gestalt, standing inches from him and looking down at the man. "Yes, young one? What might we assist you with?"

Gestalt was taken aback by the fact that they hadn't simply flipped him off from a distance. "Uh, so after the first round we tried to get some of the teams together to eat together, maybe cool things down a bit. You folks interested in getting dinner, maybe talking for a while? I'm curious about everyone's abilities, but since we're competing, I won't pry too much - and there's another matter we're asking around about, so I'd appreciate it if you'd be willing to join us."

He blinked as he craned his neck up to make eye contact with the wolf-lady. ...Man, she's taller up close. With that kind of reach, she'd be a tough opponent even if she came at me bare-handed. If I recall, she's a spellcaster, too. Up close and afar, both of 'em would be tough. ...Maybe she'd be amenable to some kind of sparring match after the competition? I don't know if there's a good time to ask.


"So, does that sound good to you? You don't have to answer right now if you want to think about it; I know you might want to use the time to prepare instead."

Throughout the conversation, Dispatch and Tabago had kept their distance, but at mention of the word "dinner," Dispatch's attention was stolen. Dinner the previous night had been fun, between food, drink, and catching up with his Chief. And some of these other contestants were pretty strong, so it might be worth trading some talk of techniques. He turned back to face Tabago and invite him to come along...but the larger man had seemingly vanished, leaving Dispatch to wander back to the group, bewildered.

By this point, the sun was beginning to hang low on the horizon, bathing the Coliseum and nearby town in a peaceful red glow. Not at all the sort of weather someone would associate with dozens of people having just died. But then again, most people weren't Saiyans.

Tabago mused on this as he walked calmly away from the arena. Something odd was going on, and while he wasn't sure what, he had a good idea who might be behind it. He continued his level pace, heading not only away from the main tournament staging, but away from all the lodgings nearby; whatever the conversation that was about to happen, he didn't want passersby listening in...and especially not his old crewmates.

It was a bit of a bother, since hotels, inns, taverns and eateries were in all directions, but before too long, he managed to find a short, quiet alley with a more open end, not unlike a forest clearing. Tabago paced over to the corner, just barely out of sight from the alley's entrance, and turned to face the center, crossing his arms with his back to the corner.

"...Alright, Witch. I know you've done something, but not what. Show yourself."

"Nonsense, planetary warrior, 'twas not I who pulled at strings," came a disembodied voice ahead of a crow, which landed on a nearby crate. "After all, even I could never have expected such fearsome opponents in this ring of combat. 'Twas lucky I did not encounter that troupe later than I did, I should think, for even my own considerable power wanes against such forces. No, I have done nothing in this instance, save direct Lord Hades towards particular candidates that have shut themselves off from others, or who might be particularly susceptible, given their standings and choices in patrons." Maleficent rose from the shadow of her crow form, alighting soundlessly onto the pavement below. Her gaze was distant, but her expression somewhat amused: it seemed she was fond of the way things had been turning out so far. "Come now, you doubt in our plan this late into the proceedings? We've gathered several groups under our banner, all we need is the lynchpin to be in place. How goes matters on your own end?"

---

Alle quirked an eyebrow at the young man, but did not betray any other expression besides. At first thought, the idea of these random youngsters offering to sit with them struck her as that of lost children trying to find a place to fit in, but that was removed from this context. Rather, it dawned on her that either these contestants kept business and pleasure, as it were, utterly separate from one another, or that they felt the target on their backs so acutely as to attempt to make allies in a desperate move to cover themselves. At least, that's how it seemed to her. She gestured for him to wait a moment, then turned and walked back to the rest of her party. "They want us to dine with them, as a gesture of goodwill or peacekeeping. I'm not sure which, honestly, but it might behoove us to have more allies, at least ones more reliable than those from Dionysus."

Hero immediately responded. "We should take them up on it. Regardless of our feelings on the matter, we're in last place, and they're in first by a mile. They and Team Zeus have the greatest advantage over any of us. Our boon works better the later we use it, so--"

"I understand strange bedfellows and all, but frankly, we don't have the guarantee," Mage interrupted. "Even if we did, we're just too far behind. Can we really stop two other groups from getting any points? It feels like that's the win condition for us, and at that point, I'd rather swallow my pride and go out on my own terms."

Hero nodded once. "I understand, Mage. But these people reached out to us. We can use that, for what it's worth. And knowing them, it might go far."

Kailee's tail twitched a few times before she spoke up. "Let's wine and dine 'em. If nothing else, I want at least one good memory of this place. No better way to do that than to meet new faces and try new food!" 

Alle smirked. "Someone's frisky."

Kailee rubbed against Alle as she passed the canine woman. "And honest, yes." The group strode back over to Gestalt, and Kailee circled around him before nuzzling up against Gestalt and grabbing his arm and pulling him close. "We've decided to take you up on your offer," Hero said over Kailee's purrs. "And as a matter of fact, we'd like to ask for a favor. Consider it a deal or bargain."

Tabago crossed his arms, his expression severe. "Can't really be 'our' plan when I don't know all the details. All I've got is we're gonna make a big Heartless. And on top of that, I wasn't actually able to register - I thought you said those portals were easy to use, but it took me so long to figure 'em out that by the time I got here I was already late."

If he hadn't already known better, he might have said she wasn't as strong as she let on, though of course he did. Even in the short time training with the witch, he had already felt his strength increase by at least an order of magnitude, and with hardly any real effort, at that.

The woman with the cat ears coming up so close only really served to confuse Gestalt. He couldn't help but feel like he was supposed to stammer and blush or something, but mostly it was just kind of weird. Still, it seemed like they were making an effort to alleviate the tense air, like he'd hoped for, and he could appreciate that. He had to at least try not to dampen things, so he gave his best attempt at a smile.



Upon hearing Hero's proposition, the young swordsman clapped his hands together enthusiastically. Or as much as he could muster, anyway. Hopefully they wouldn't take his mildly-stiff response as rudeness. "So you'll join us? Nice! I'm interested in hearing about this deal of yours, but I doubt you want to have to explain it twice, huh? We can meet up at the hotel in a little while, let the adrenaline wear off a little more."

Maleficent pondered Tabago's words for but a moment, but then nodded once. "You've proven more than trustworthy, and the final phases are rather delicate in their proceedings, after all. Very well, this is the plan, as follows: 

"You are to continue speaking with whomever you can in order to win them over, or at least make them promise to fight on our side if things should go wrong at any point. We desire not just any large Heartless, but one with enough power to rupture the heart of this worlds and many others, spreading darkness throughout the worlds and being an ace up our sleeve. Once we capture the princesses of heart, we can use them to unlock the Door to Darkness and the Heart of All Worlds, Kingdom Hearts. Our peon can then infuse its dark essence into Kingdom Hearts, and with both under our control, we may set out upon subjugating each dominion as we please, with our final goal of creating worlds unto our own image!

"And that's where you and your allies come in. Lord Hades has spoken to some of the contestants post-mortem, and has secured their assistance. Once the final match begins, the gods of Olympus will be gathered in person to watch the proceedings. I, with my sleep magic, and Endymion, with his ties to Zeus and his slumber, will sleep not only Zeus, but the light in his heart, if any such should exist within him. Then, awakening his darkness, he will surrender his own heart, becoming an almighty Heartless! To complete the ritual, we'll need time to fend off any contestants that have become wise to our schemes. Thus the need for bodyguards. Any questions?"

---

Kailee seemed intrigued by Gestalt's seemingly sarcastic attitude, and turned to Mage. "I'll be going ahead with them, so I'll catch you all soon!" she exclaimed, twitching her right ear twice. Mage took notice, and waited for Gestalt's back to turn before casting a spell that would keep the two in mental contact. Really though, he seems kinda cute, was the first thing Mage heard before she twinged slightly in regret. 

Kain, seeing the two, chuckled and called out while they were still a ways away. "Looks like someone's suddenly having their popular phase! what's her name?"

Tabago's expression didn't change from his stern scowl. Our own image? Given the witch's countenance, it was more likely she'd throw him to the wolves at the last moment. Not to mention, taking over the worlds held no interest for him. He wasn't a king, but a soldier. Maybe even a gladiator.

But...to turn a god into a Heartless? That was as bold a move as they come. Something about it seemed off to him, somehow, but he couldn't quite think why he should care. Even in the worst case, the Heartless wouldn't attack him. And while the witch wasn't any more trustworthy than the first time they'd met, she remained as useful. Taking orders didn't sit right with him, at least not like this, but for now it was easy enough to play along.

"You've got bigger plans than I realized, Witch. But no. No questions."

"Come to think of it, I don't think I caught your name; mind introducing yourself?" Gestalt asked her as they drew closer to the group. "...Actually, I guess it's rude for me to do that without giving so much as my own name first. I'm Gestalt."

He gestured to each of his teammates in turn. "That's Dispatch, he would probably have entered this tournament even without a reason. This is Jaqueline, she's kind of a genius and we wouldn't have gotten here without her. And he's Kain, he's the one who told us about the event in the first place."

Turning to the members of Team Hephaestus, he was a bit more curt. "And they're Theo, Goeiz, Brahaam, and Jill."

Maleficent took note of Tabago's demeanor changing, but made no comment on it to the contrary. "Very well then. I trust you to fulfill your end of the bargain and safeguard us during the ritual, as promised, and afterwards we will leave you to your own devices until such a time comes as we are ready to take on Kingdom Hearts itself. You'll not be wanting for the presence of your companions for long, I assure you." With those words and a swish of her cloak, Maleficent had transformed into her raven form again, squawked once, and then took off, to parts unknown. All she left behind was the cool evening breeze and the distant chatter of people finishing up their days.

---

"I'm Kailee! I like someone who's a little more forward and willing to jump in on a conversation like that, so don't worry~" The catgirl borderline purred as she walked and talked, not so much taking a placating tone and air so much as someone eager to spend time in the company of who she was with. "And nice to meet all of you! I'm Kailee, as I told Gestalt here, and I hope we can get along for tonight! I think we were going to talk about something important after dinner, but I'd love to get to know all of you a little better! Why don't we find a place to eat, and continue the discussion there?"

*some time later*

"...and so that's how we arrived here," Jackie concluded on her part.

"As you can tell, we had little idea of their situation when we partnered up, but considering the system and the overall choice of other teams, we really couldn't ask for better people to cooperate with," Theo added.

"I'd be curious to hear about your own adventures a little more," Hero interjected, seizing the momentary lapse in conversation, "but for now I wished to discuss something particular, if you all have the time and energy to spare? At most I could wait until morning, but it's urgent and needs be discussed before tomorrow's match." Hero leveled his gaze at each of the people he was speaking across from, his eyes carrying a weight and a seriousness of someone considering how to deliver the news of an execution, or large-scale political conflict. Whatever it was, he considered it to be heavy, and potentially costly.

Dispatch leaned his chair onto its back legs, using his knife from dinner to pick some stray bits of meat from his teeth. Tabago hadn't returned after his disappearance earlier on, but other than that, he was feeling pretty good. Whatever this "Hero" guy was worried about wasn't anything he and the other top competitors here couldn't handle.

"Sure, fire away."

Gestalt was just glad their team hadn't completely blown off the invitation, so he was in neither the mood nor the position to shut down further discussion. Still, this sounded like it would get heavy. After a good hour or so of chatting about the usual 'how we got here' details and lighter fare, he supposed they were due for something a bit harder to swallow. He nodded, setting down the kebab he'd been eating. "I'm not going to invite folks to the table then tell them they can't talk. I assume I speak for everyone?"

He figured, if it was something unreasonable, they could always turn him down. And if it was a trap to weaken their team, he was prepared to take responsibility for this. Besides, how would that really benefit them? Taking the Hermes-Hephaestus coalition out of the running entirely would still only bring them up so much, and the other teams weren't far behind anyway. No, this probably wasn't about the competition at all, ultimately. Besides, these people didn't seem like the type to use underhanded methods, and violating or abusing hospitality wasn't a smart thing to do under the watch of the Greek pantheon.

So he didn't judge this to be especially dangerous. No need to be over-cautious about it.

Hero nodded, and began to speak. "There's a bit of this wrapped up in our own story, which I'll tell after this if you're still willing to hear us out, but for the moment, we find ourselves in dire straits with this competition. One of the core components dragging us down is the prospect of teamwork, something we've lacked in regards to our fellows in Dionysus. For what it's worth, we've spoken to them before each of the matches and agreed on a course of action, only to find ourselves left holding the bag, so to speak. Arthur, in particular, has been a thorn in our sides in that regard. The man seems hellbent on grudges, and seems to fight with his pride more than his sword or his fists."

Kain quirked one eyebrow, fork halfway to his mouth, pausing before taking his last bite of pasta. "You're serious? You want us to... what? Kill him straightaway? Take a dive against him?" Setting his utensil back down, Kain leaned back in his chair and folded his arms against his chest, his hands sliding into the opposite's robe sleeve. "Even if we agreed, that sounds like collusion in a way the gods wouldn't want, and either way leaves you handicapped."

"Correct, which is why we don't want that," Alle replied. She gave a glance at each of the others across the table, and then leaned forward, elbows on the table, digitigrade fingers steepled together. "We ourselves got a pretty mighty boon from Lady Aphrodite, and had planned on saving it for the finals, but it seems like the next round will be our last, unless we work a miracle. You all could likely guess the nature of it, considering how the boons work, but what we'll say now is we can lock down key players in the next round, potentially getting us 4th place at worst. It's a long shot, but what we were thinking of is taking down those in 2nd to 4th place immediately, both in the singles combat and in the main portion, then outperforming 5th in order to seize our best chance of victory."

Kain abruptly swallowed his food and coughed slightly, grabbing a napkin to cover himself. He made a few choking sounds before composing himself, and in the meantime, Jackie was the first one to speak up. "That's... a tall order. How exactly would you manage such a thing, even with our help? Aphrodite isn't mind-control, but the power of love. Do you mean to imply that you will fill our opponents' hearts with such emotion that they break down and we are to simply step over their bodies towards the finish line?"

"Another problem," Kain said, his voice strained from suppressing further coughs, "is that Team Zeus consists of my old comrades, and are likely going to pull out all the stops regardless of my input or yours on these matches. We have an understanding between our teams, but I feel declaring a -- what's the term, conflict of interest? -- would be wise at this juncture. After all, you're also effectively asking us to step on our own partners' toes as well as yours' to make this happen."

Dispatch dropped his chair back onto its four legs, his arms landing crossed on the table, and shot the other team a scornful look.

"Thought you were gonna ask us about a real problem, not just to help you cheat. This is a tournament, and if I'm gonna fight someone in a tournament, I'm doin' it on even ground. That's the point."

He stood, pushing himself away from the table, and turned to leave, pausing only to give a cold look over his shoulder and say, "I'm goin' to bed."

"Hold up; let's hear them out a little more first." Gestalt held up a hand, trying not to let his disappointment show too clearly. 'Help us score 4th place' was certainly more plausible than an attempt to take their team out of the running, but it left a bad taste in his mouth. "I should say that I'm not interested in underhanded stuff. I have no intention of targeting friends and allies, either. We won't be helping you to cheat. Even if I were willing to do that sort of thing, it goes against the spirit of the Games, and we'll probably all suffer for it later anyway. Alienating the gods would not be in our best interests. But speaking of interests..."

He leaned forward, looking right into Hero's eyes with a steely look. Trying to be firm, but clear in his request, without sounding hostile, he opened his mouth. "...Why did you enter this tournament? If you just wanted to prove yourselves for ego, you wouldn't be asking us for help. I'm guessing your patron, Aphrodite, has agreed to grant you a special boon if you do well in the Games. We can't bump off the other teams for you or skew the results, but if we know what you really want from her, we can try and help with that. Even if it's something only the gods can do, we can try to negotiate it with them."

Hero sighed. "Cheating isn't what we're asking for. We're asking for an alliance, simply put. As for the nature of why... I have nothing left to lose at this point, except the Games themselves, so here it is.

"We come from a land where seedy underbellies and corruption plague every town from the small hamlets to the big cities, and despite our best efforts, and the efforts of those we've enlisted back home, it's beyond our ken to be able to personally handle. I'd call it systemic, but the fact of the matter is, I can -- and have -- personally traced the issues our peoples face back to specific individuals. Aphrodite promised us, with a good standing in the Games, that she would see that the leaders of this corruption bear a change of heart. We sought her out because of her influence amongst societies, and that with the scum we fight against, a..." Hero fumbled for a moment, desperately trying to accurately convey what he meant, "...I lack the words, but a complete... rebirth, or renewal, a... resurrection, almost, of their moral self and their pathos, their emotional side, was necessary to have any chance at changing not just the head of the snake, but the body they've coiled around."

Alle levels a glance at Dispatch, before turning to the others. "If we could accomplish anything by crushing the ones in charge themselves, we would. The problem inherent to that solution is: we have, and they got back up within days, as if nothing we'd done had happened. Time and time again we've fled, seeking any who would rise up and resist the insidious malevolence that convinces the common man to submit to decadence and degradation. If our last chance is to throw in with the strongest team and pledge our power to you and yours in exchange for tying our wagon to first, then that's what we'll give."

Goeiz and Brahaam look lost in thought as the two speak, and Goeiz speaks first. "I detect, firstly, no falsehood or nakedly bare ill-intent in your words. I find them a bit easy to swallow, which I only note for itself placing no selfish act from any of you, despite the apparent desire for such a wish. I imagine the strife you bear is something that affects you personally, perhaps on a deep level, yet in a way is something that would be disregarded to the grand scale of things. I do not feel the necessity of more allies, personally, but I can feel the earnestness from such a youthful and headstrong group as yours."

"I would be interested to see in what ways our group might help, should things work out either way for you. It is our own duty," Brahaam elaborates," that we protect the realm from the horrors beyond the realm of man's imagination, and that we keep society safe from succumbing to the darks beyond even the darkest corners of man's subconscious. At worst, our personal group in Team Hephaestus would be willing to help you after our business is sorted here."

Having finished his food while the others were talking, Gestalt's shoulders relaxed. It was a relief to know someone would actually help these people, and they wouldn't have to sacrifice the integrity of the competition to do it. Of course, this was a competition to honor and curry favor with the very gods who had apparently thus-far ignored their plight in the first place, so in light of that... trying to 'play fair' seemed almost childish. Brahaam's words were not lost on him, either; apparently these people were fighting Lovecraftian horrors on their own time. It really put into perspective how many different kinds and different causes were all gathered here to beat the shit out of each other.

But there was one more reason he'd been asking people to come to the table, and this seemed as good a time as any. "Actually, while we're discussing heavy subjects, could I ask you all something?"

"You ever hear of something called a 'keyblade'?" He asked them, point-blank. Their problems made him wish he could help, but there wouldn't be a world for their potential allies to return to if this quest ended in failure. "I dunno if you've noticed what's happening to the stars, but the worlds are getting swallowed up by darkness. We're actually trying to figure out a way to stop it, and we've heard the 'key' might be the only thing that can do the job. I don't want to drag you guys away from what you're doing, it sounds really important too; but if you've heard anything about this 'key', or where it can be found, we need to know."

"A Keyblade, you say?" Hero mused for a moment, considering the word. "The spread of darkness we thought was blotting out even the night sky, affecting the firmament itself, not the stars above. It seems that you fight darkness even beyond what we do. I cannot say I've heard of this Keyblade, but we left our informant behind. We can contact him tonight and see about any information he might divine tomorrow." 

Alle spoke as well, "The gods I pray to are a divinity not of this world, but are from our own. Perhaps through prayer I might also illuminate the where, the why, or the how it is you all might succeed in this. It is also not a guarantee, but in exchange for this favor it is the best that I can do at this time."

Jackie felt uneasy, considering that the more time they spent in this world, the more risky their gamble of trying to win big was. If it worked out, it would be smooth sailing, but if not, they'd have lost precious time that they wouldn't get back. If not… she didn't want to think about the darkest day of the cliffs of Mirth. Instead, she pushed that aside and spoke up. "In combat tomorrow, what should we do to prepare to work together? Your shield seems formidable, Hero, and the two of you seem to have a mastery of magic. But how about you, Miss Kailee?"

"I'm the flex in the group," she replied, preening herself. "I'm the fastest, my spear techniques are second only to Hero's sword technique, and these cat features aren't just for show, y'know! I can prop myself up by my tail, jump on top of buildings, and hear great distances, or even amongst chatter. For instance, the smaller girl from team Zeus is speaking in alliteration to the man with sunglasses about… pickles?" 

Kain sputtered as he was taking a sip of his drink, quickly moving to wipe his mouth with a nearby napkin. "Ah, yes, that would be my sister!"

Kailee smirked but didn't say anything more. Kain took the opportunity of his interruption and stood up, gathering up his things, and turning to leave. "You have my full commitment as well, but word of suggestion: you'll probably want to use that charm ace in the hole to get that selfsame warrior of Zeus on our side tomorrow. I can't even fight him unless I have any warning at all." And with that, he walked 
away.