What Lies Ahead (Open)

[Vaan Shepard]

((Same as all Ascension threads, those who were in it come in, those who were not PM me a heads up and you're in))

It was a blur for Vaan, to be coming from the battlefield back to the Veil. He recalled Ashe leading him back with the new boy, Mikhail? He remembered her asking Lea to contact everyone that helped Vaan last time and those connected to Sora to meet at the Veil, it was then his attention perked up when she mentioned something important.

"I found the Dovahkiin."

Soon Vaan found himself sitting at the table, in the Veil, awaiting everyone to approach. Ashe was very busy chatting with this guy Mikhail, every so often she would look away from him and catch Vaan's eyes - she'd smile at him. He would smile weakly back and looked away, trying to not give the impression that he was looking at her.

"So this is the true Network," Mikhail commented, looking around the bar. "I admit, the mission goal here is less violent than the one we were in..."

Vaan's ears perked up, he turned to Mikhail, "Wait you...you were a member of the other Network? With Ashe?"

Mikhail looked at him and nodded, "Yes...I was, until a few weeks ago."

[Josh and Sophie]

Josh and Sophie walked over and took seats at a table next to the other three. Sophie had no doubt been mourning over the woman. She couldn't help crying after looking at the poor lady lay before everyone, dead.

"Josh? I'm going to the bathroom for a minute." She got up from her seat, and proceeded.

"Okay," Josh replied. He simply stared at the table, slightly dazed. They'd been trough a lot already, he and Sophie, since they'd arrived in Urbadelphia and it didn't seem like anything was going to change that. He looked up and at Vaan, Ashe, and Mikhail; and listened (for once).

[Neku Sakuraba]

I walked into Veil to see Lea putting drinks in front of a weary-looking crew - Ashe and Vaan and Aqua's twins, as well as the two siblings, and a new guy who I didn't recognize. Lea's face looked haunted.

"What's going on?" I asked, walking up to them. "Did something happen?"

[Vaan Shepard]

Vaan turned over to Neku and pointed over to him, "That's Neku, the leader of the Network."

Mikhail turned to him and introduced himself, "Mikhail Rabastane. I was a few weeks ago part of the other group calling themselves the Network."

"What made you leave?" Vaan asked, Mikhail turned to Ashe.

"She did, when I heard Ashe vanished I went to look for her...I finally heard she was in Urbadelphia under the name the Arbiter. I rushed here to find her only to see she was already free, she told me what happened to her and we both have been looking for the Dovahkiin."

[Neku Sakuraba]

I nodded, looking him over. "It's a pleasure to meet you," I said. "Do you have any leads? Also - anything you can remember about the fake Network would be a big help. Ashe has already admitted to having holes in her memory." I made a face. "I know the feeling, and I feel her pain, but I need to know as much as I can."

[Namine Joy LeBeau]

"Oh... Stuck in the past as always," I sigh as I walk up next to Neku, haven't having been all too far behind him when he entered. "Qua will be here in a few, got caught up looking for her.... Oh." And then I pull out my phone and text Aqua that her kids are here.

Once done I look up, waiting and watching, not really caring if I needed to be introduced or not. Right now, I'm on the clock, this is serious business... Formalities can be pushed aside for now.

[Neku Sakuraba]

I smiled. "Guess so." I put a hand on Namine's shoulder. "This is Namine, she's my best coordinator, kind of my right-hand girl. Be nice to her."

Then, silently, just for the two of us, I said, I'll tell you later how the trip to Washington went.

[Ashelia McGuiness]

Mikhail waved to her as well, Vaan though was a bit confused.

"I'm sorry, you didn't tell us how you knew Ashe?"

Mikhail looked at him and smiled, "Well kind of hard to not know her, she's my girlfriend."

At that moment, Vaan felt something inside him grow a little cold. He must have made a face or something because Ashe was suddenly uncomfortable for a moment, he put his arm around her and that image disappeared off her face. Vaan looked away for fear he was looking like an idiot, oh yeah, he had a crush on her. He didn't know her for long...and he only ran into her once after she left the Veil, it was about a few days before today...he found her at the park looking for clues. He joined with her on that search...during that point they talked about themselves....

"Sora and I grew up in the same orphanage," Vaan confessed, walking with Ashe in the park. "They told me my parents were members of a street gang, mom met my dad and they had me: soon feelings of a family took over and they wanted out...they didn't make it out."

"I'm sorry," Ashe said.

"It's okay, I never knew them," Vaan said, "Sora never knew his parents either...he use to carry such anger. We all knew he was different, he knew it too, he took it out on anyone who looked at him funny."

"How were you friends then?" Ashe asked.

Vaan turned at her and smiled, "The day he saved my life...there was these punks that kept beating on kids from the orphanage. One day I made a wrong turn and I got in trouble...I was pinned, beaten...I knew this was it. Then he came out of nowhere, beat them all to a pulp and took me to a doctor. I asked him why he saved me, and he told me 'I have to look out for my own.' I've been his friend since then."

They stopped walking and sat at the park bench, "What about you Ashe, how did you get to be here?"

Ashe looked away for a moment, "I was kind of like you...parents gave up on me, left me on a street corner. Was lucky enough to live with some people until I grew sick of them, ran away, went from home to home, street to street, I had once thought of..."

She stopped for a moment before she added, "...Selling myself."

Vaan's eyes went wide, "Wait you...you were a-"

"Never got that far," she admitted, "I saw what happened to the ladies on the street and the ones who lived beyond their twenties died in a hospital bed. No, that wasn't going to be me...it was right around them when I had my first."

Vaan went red in the face, Ashe looked at him and when she saw his face she burst out laughing, "No no no, my first Crossing."

"Oh..." Vaan cleared his throat, "Sorry..."

"It's okay." she paused, "I was so scared...but when I discovered my powers I quickly learned how to survive, became strong...nothing could touch me. I was indestructible, yet...vulnerable."

"Vulnerable?" Vaan asked, "But you can lift things with your mind, how could you be vulnerable?"

Ashe didn't answer, a small breeze blew through her hair and Vaan instantly caught a whiff of....heaven, whatever was in her hair was...he couldn't even describe it, lost in it's perfume when she turned to look at him he felt embarrassed.

"Because no matter how many things I could catch with my mind...I could never catch the cruel words humans said about me."

Vaan was snapped from his memory when Ashe stepped in at this point. "Mikhail and I spent the next few days looking for him and...we hit a break, we found the Dovahkiin."

"He moved his base to Urbadelphia, he intends to make his moves here," Mikhail added.

[Namine Joy LeBeau]

You better, I thought back with out any real fire. And then watched and listened to what's going on. Its obvious that Vaan has a thing for Ashe due to his expression, guess this will dim him focus a little... Or maybe sharpen it. But at the other's news I perk up, "Do we know exactly where? Or something useful, like what he might do?"

[Neku Sakuraba]

"He's made a threat to the US Government," I put in, shaking my head. "That's why I was called up there. He thinks that Vaan's a weapon they created to use against him." I chuckled. "That you're a human you gave demonic powers to put down the Otherborn rising against them." I rolled my eyes. "They're scrambling, both of them, I think. I just hope they never find out that Sora's the one who put those weapons in your hands, or else we're all doomed."

I sighed, shaking my head again. "I hate politics. Terrorists are easier to deal with; you said you found him - where is he?"

[Riku Nomura]

"I would like to know too." I said leaning on the door to the building.

This is pretty normal for me but what wasn't normal was the fact a person with an eyepatch was beside me.

(OOC: I'm combining Xigbar and Riku for the purposes of this thread.)

"Sup kiddos. Old stiff here told me about a "Dovahkiin" and since he's paying me good money I thought I might as well tag along."

"Meet Xigbar. Long story but the what matters is he's here to help."

[Roxas]

Roxas wandered back into The Veil, having disappeared for a moment in order to go to toilet. His usual blue eyes seemed somewhat dull, and the dark black, armoured pauldron that he'd effectively taken from Fukushu had also disappeared. He let out a heavy sigh as he plonked himself down in the nearest seat, next to Josh. He'd never met the guy before today but he seemed to be involved in everything that was going on, and Roxas was simply confused as hell, he had no idea what was even happening.

"So there's a second network now..?" He asked, frowning as he looked across at Neku, then these two others who apparently used to be a part of this other network. "And it's effectively a terrorist organization? Ugh... This is far too confusing for me..."

[Josh and Sophie]

Josh began to open his mouth to protest, but closed it and decided not to. (Another first.)

Sophie returned to the table and looked at Josh, slightly confused; and gave him the "who's that?" expression. Josh shrugged, and Sophie proceeded to sit back down, on the opposite side of the boy sitting next to her brother. She studied him for just a moment. The first thing to draw her attention were his eyes. Dull blue ones. Second was his hair (though it seemed everyone's hair seemed to stick out here). She stopped looking at him, and turned to the rest of the group. She'd obviously missed the extra people that came.

[Aqua]

At that moment a very serious Aqua comes walking in, upon seeing her boys as literally apart of the conversation she's sure she's been called for she glares darkly. In only half a heart beat she's upon them, hands on her hips, glaring down at them. But as she opens her mouth Midori beats her to it, ''They found the enemy."

And Sini drags her up a chair, "Face it Mother... We're helping." All three of them share a moment, everyone around the table can literally hear the crashing of a large wave braking on the banks of rocks from the ocean before Aqua sits, her eyes saying this isn't over. Then she turns her attention to everyone else, thoroughly pissed already and not in the mood for any bull... So they better be coming out straight or she's gonna snap...

[Namine Joy LeBeau]

My ears catch everything said and every movement, memorizing them. Eyes watching and mind filing, everything. Not one thing can go wasted, nothing is junk when you need to understand people. I sigh softly as who I assume to be Aqua, the woman I've been texting with [she has described her children to me and asked if I was alright, naturally I said yes], turns a dark gaze upon us all. What's the point in denying anyone the right to defend, the purpose of protection. But I say nothing, brain sifting through all that I've heard, trying to add it all up, come up with a proper reaction.

Yet all I can do is frown.

But I can't give up yet, one thing I know is that I've gotta stand on my own two feet and give everyone a positive example... Just wish... We were doing something, just standing her getting through introductions and waiting is wasting time.

We need action.

That's all we've ever needed.

"So... Are we getting on with it yet?" I sigh heavily and wait.

God.

I hate waiting.