The rumours had been spreading like wildfire.
Mainly, these circled around Number 11, Marluxia: the young leader of Castle Oblivion who'd currently succeeded in having a record number of accusations, at least by the Organization's terms, of being homosexual. There wasn't exactly much proof otherwise, though, what with the pink scythe and flowers with which he did battle. Of course, with the way The Superior's double agent had been acting recently, the fire-master was running a close second. As for the stories spreading around, thanks to Number 8's reports, it had become apparent that two of the newer members of their group, the mentioned 'Gay-lord', and his right-hand woman, token woman at that, Larxene, had been plotting to overthrow the Organization.
The silver haired man stormed through the corridors. Axel was not the most trustworthy to not go ahead and back-stab an apparent ally at any minute, so therefore Xemnas had taken matters into his own hands; coming to the Castle with the pure intention of finding out just what was going on around there. Walking at a brisk pace just behind him was the Nobody treated as almost the group's second-in-command: Saïx. A few quick statements and observations were exchanged between them in low voices, and on command, the blue haired man fell back a little, taking a separate turning from their leader.
Shaking his head as he came to a contradiction of a conclusion he'd come up with regarding the issue, the shaggy blue hair moving slightly with the movement, he made his way to one of the higher levels of the complex. The decoration of the place made him nauseous. White and polished columns of stone lavishly decorated with designs of roses in full bloom surrounded the young man, and his brow furrowed in annoyance at the sight. This was one of the main reasons he avoided going to this place whenever possible, the intricate though exceedingly girly interior design was somewhat of a pet hate of the lunar master's.
The footsteps he made echoed through the marble corridors, emphasizing just how deserted the place was. This troubled him. Had the other members foreseen his and Xemnas' arrival, and done what they could to avoid them? Sighing in irritation, he let his calm yellow eyes close slightly as he kept walking, though they snapped open once again as he heard resonance of another set of feet falling on the cold floor only a few corridors away from Saïx's location.
The slight hesitation that followed only lasted for a second before he continued from his brief phase of stationary position. Static seemed to build and spark in the hollow air as the graceful figure of the fair-haired Nobody, garbed in a black trench-coat like his own, rounded the corner. Due to the fact that Number 7 was rarely seen around this place, she raised an eyebrow in slight surprise, and a smirk of almost amusement crossed the pale face at the man's clear disapproval of the decorations.
She, too, just resumed walking through. The thunder-elemental doubted highly that he was present for any reason other than business, and though she wasn't the most polite member of the group, not that many of them were, Larxene made the decision not to hold him up any further, and kept moving at the same rate. "Hey" was all that the young woman said to her team mate, offering a playful wink to him as the gap between the two lessened. The blue haired man merely nodded in response, as if only to show that he'd acknowledged her presence, and they passed each other. The chance meeting seemed so meaningless, just a short greeting between acquaintances, but… nearing the end of the corridor, The Savage Nymph glanced back over her shoulder, just in time to see the last of the flowing blue hair and dark coat round the corner she'd just come from, herself.
The meeting between Marluxia, Saïx and Xemnas that followed some time later was as tedious as expected, and The Lunar Diviner was almost certain that the pink haired man had ceased listening to their leader's seemingly endless, monotone talk quite some time before he actually finished. With a polite warning that if the rumours were actually true, that much the flower-user denied, then he would be given the maximum punishment, the two left the Castle Oblivion as quickly as they came. Number 11 laughed softly. He was certainly not planning on talking the Superior's warning seriously. Promptly after seeing them leave, he called those working with him, or so he believed, the fire-wielder and thunder-mistress for a quick tactics meeting.
However, Number 12 never showed up for the conference. Apparently she had some other matters that needed her immediate thought and politely excused herself. The talk went ahead all the same, though it was only two of the members actually strategising. Of course the young woman's reasoning for suddenly opting out, and whether she was dropping the project entirely came up. They both soon waved it off as playing safe until the silver haired man's suspicion against them cleared. As Marluxia turned away, however, a smirk crossed Axel's face. 'And if you were just smart enough to do the same…' the double agent mused.
As the two higher-ups walked from the building, once again at Number 1's brisk speed, the haunting yellow orbs darted back once again to the towering Castle in the distance. Thinking back on the day's events, maybe it wasn't so much of an unpleasant place like he had previously assumed. 'Maybe I should come back more often?' came the calm, collected thoughts. All too soon however, these personal considerations were shattered by another order from the man walking ahead of him, telling him to hurry up. Once again, Saïx did as he was told, not taking so much as even a glance back should he agitate the other man further.
Strange sounds, those of tinkling glass, of bubbling liquid, was heard from one of the lower levels. The Chilly academic was working late again, long blonde hair tied in a neat ponytail to avoid risk of it dangling in chemicals, and safety goggles covering his eyes. On hearing someone descending the stairs to his research lab, he carefully put the test-tube he heated atop the Bunsen burner back in the rack, leaving it to bubble as he turned around, seeing the guest make her entrance. Moving the safety glasses so they rested on his forehead, he eyed the young woman in the doorway, raising an eyebrow as for once she seemed serious, contrary to her usual sadistic, angry, or playful expressions she often wore. "Vexen…" the lightning-elemental began, crossing her arms in front of her in the meanwhile and seeming to be picking her words carefully. The scientist was most surprised she did not use the usual nickname that annoyed him so much: 'Vexie'. "Exactly how much evidence do you have to suggest that, though we lack hearts, we do not possess emotion?"