When You're Strange
Chapter 9
The Expositional Chapter
The room was completely silent. Everyone just exchanged glances with each other, not sure what to do or say.
"Oh, come now," Arachnus said. "Surely there must be something that you're intent on asking."
After a brief pause Daisy spoke up. "What do you hope to get out of contacting us?"
Arachnus smiled, pleased that someone finally decided to talk. "I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific, Duchess."
"Well, first of all, you contacted us. That means you took the initiative here. Now, there are only a few reasons I could think of that you would send that invitation to us. One is to do so to protect yourself and your kind from us. But that shouldn't have been a problem because, barring some extremely random chance, we wouldn't have been able to find you. In fact, we didn't even know your kind existed until you contacted us. If you wanted to stay safe, you would've been better off not even contacting us in the first place."
"An astute observation. But, I'm assuming you have more to say. Please continue."
"Next would be if you were doing this to lure us into a trap. That doesn't seem to be the case… so far."
"Daisy!" the Queen shouted.
"Please, it is quite alright," Arachnus assured. "I know better than most that trust is a difficult thing to build. Please continue, Duchess."
"'Daisy.'" Arachnus raised an eyebrow at that response. "Please call me Daisy," she insisted.
Arachnus chuckled. "Very well. Continue Daisy, if you please."
"Well, the last thing I can think of is you really did mean what said in your letter. Come to a historic agreement and all. And not just for your own protection, but for something else. So, what is that 'something else?' What do you stand to gain to gain from this?"
Arachnus smirked. "Before I answer, I'd like to say that that was a marvelously worded explanation. There is absolutely no chance that I could have possibly misunderstood what you meant." Daisy blushed a bit but firmly nodded. "As for your question, that is what 'what is my incentive,' I would have to answer…progress."
Everyone exchanged expressions of confusion with each other.
"I guess it's your turn to explain," King Mickey stated.
"But of course. You see, when one lives as long as I have you tend to see that most everything we hold dear is, in the grand scheme of things, trivial. There are those who have saved enough munny to buy their own worlds lose it all in an instant. Empires that conquered all that there is to see and then have crumbled within weeks. Wars have scarred or even destroyed worlds, and yet it can all end with a word. These things, despite the fact they are usually seen as 'monumental,' have failed to last. Yet other things we take for granted, the emotion of love, a person's desire for justice, an ideal that someone fought for, even a simple quote, these things have lasted eons." He paused to take a quick sip of tea. "I hope to make something that joins these ranks."
"So you want fame," Riku said. "You want your name to go down in history as the man who helped bring the realms of Light and Darkness together."
"It may appear that way, but no. I have no interest fame. In fact, I find attention to be a particularly annoying hindrance."
"That's a little hard to believe considering all the attention you're gonna get from this," Donald stated.
"A necessary evil, I'm afraid."
"So then, what did you mean?" Queen Minnie asked.
"I simply want to make something that will last. And not just anything, but a beneficial addition to the universe which we share. I am but an agent of progress now, hoping to make a small yet significant contribution to existence. Something I could not possibly accomplish without your aid." He took a pause to have some more tea. "And that is my answer."
"That's some pretty pro bono work you're trying to do," Kairi stated. "Assuming that's all true, of course."
"I assure you it is, as you will see during your stay here. So then, next question."
"How old are you?" Sora asked without missing a beat.
Arachnus smirked and chuckled. "That's a rather personal question, wouldn't you say?"
"Maybe," Sora responded in serious tone, "but you did say 'when you've lived as long as I have.' On top of that, all those things you mentioned, liked wars and empires, you talk like you've seen them yourself. So I have to ask."
"Well, it seems someone's been paying particularly close attention to my words," the ruler answered, his smirk widening. "As you've no doubt guessed by now I am indeed much older than I appear. But as for an exact age… I'm afraid I don't know." He scratched his chin as while thinking. "When I stopped counting I was somewhere in the three hundreds, and that was quite a long time ago. So long ago, in fact, that I hardly remember it."
Everyone stared wide-eyed. They couldn't believe what they'd just heard.
Arachnus chuckled. "Before you ask, because I'm quite certain you will, no I am not immortal. You are not in the presence of a god in any sense of the word." The guests calmed slightly, but they were still noticeably flustered. "Perhaps another question will end this awkward silence?"
Everyone exchanged glances with each other until finally the King spoke up. "You mentioned something about it being afternoon, even though it's clearly dark outside. What's that about?"
"Ah, yes. Nightlife is a world of perpetual night, but there are indications as to what time it is. During the 'day' the moon dominates the sky alone, while at night the stars are the only objects above." The King nodded in response. "Which reminds me, we are on a time limit. Nothing pressing, but just enough so that we can't just sit here and lollygag for too long."
"Uh, how come?" Goofy asked.
"Because of the event we have panned for tonight. A concert."
"'A concert,' huh? You did mention something about entertainment in your letter," Kairi commented. "You set up a whole concert just for us?"
"Well… no. The concert was not arranged with you in mind. Instead it just happened to be set up by one of the many talents we have around here."
"So you ordered him to schedule the event around us?" Sora asked.
Arachnus snickered, then burst out laughing. Everyone was caught off guard but still waited for the small lord to quiet down.
"Heh heh. Please forgive me, but if you knew the person I was referring to you would find it particularly amusing as well. You see, to imagine this man doing any action under the orders of anyone, including myself, is positively ludicrous."
"I take he doesn't work for you," Riku commented. "You're not able to use you power as the ruler of this world to make him do what you want?"
"I'm not one to take such tyrannical actions. And even if I was, he still wouldn't pay anything I said any mind. The only reason he would do anything is because he wanted to. Furthermore, he's not actually a resident of this world. He is a drifter, going wherever he feels like at the time. Still, he can be counted on to arrive here at least once a year. I was particularly lucky to find that he was more than willing to put on a show for our honored guests. In fact, I think the mentioning of your arrival was what prompted him to agree."
The Destiny Island trio all exchanged glances with each other, all sharing the same thought as well.
It couldn't be him… Could it?
"What's this guy's name?" Riku asked.
"Thomas Weir. He actually requested I make sure I keep my schedule open so that he may meet you after the concert. He's a rather eccentric person, and he can also appear a bit disturbing at times, but he's not a malicious soul."
"So, is he gonna be the concert's conductor?" asked Kairi.
Arachnus snorted. "Hardly. That role will taken by Pietro. Thomas is one of the performers. Or, to be more accurate, one of the star performers. Despite this, it is he who organized the event, so don't expect entirely classical music. He always wants to appease his admirers, and believe me, he has quite a few. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that most if not all the residents of Nightlife are his fans."
"By how you describe him I'm surprised he'd share the spotlight at all."
"Well, the other star performer is an old friend of his, and the most popular resident of this world. Her name is Roonikka, and the only person whose popularity even comes close to Thomas'." Arachnus cocked his head the side in a quizzical expression. "You seem rather interested in him. Would like to see if I could possibly get him to visit you now?'
"Uh, no thanks! Sounds like you wouldn't be able to if you tried," Sora answered.
"Too true. He is rather hard to deal with. We still have some time left. Are there any other questions?"
"Um… You mentioned in your letter that you, your kind, had found a middle road between Light and Darkness. How?" asked Kairi.
Arachnus smiled. "I was waiting for this question to be asked. Yes indeed, what makes us unique should be explained. If I could have but a moment…" Arachnus set down his teacup and began typing on a keyboard hidden within the table surface. The room dimmed, which was peculiar considering it was lit by candles, and then a small lens extended upward from the table's center. "I can provide a visual aid."
With a few more quick keystrokes the lens lit up and projected a holographic image above the table. The image it was projecting was that of a heart. It shone with a modest yet beautiful light. If one looked closely they would notice a small mass of darkness darting back and forth between the edge and the interior.
"This is an average heart," Arachnus began. "As you can see it is composed mostly of Light and a small amount of Darkness. Both attempt to assume complete control over the heart and although the Light is clearly the dominating force neither is able to extinguish the other. Nearly every resident of the Realms of Light and Twilight have hearts similar to these."
"'Realm of Twilight?'" Kairi asked.
"Ah yes, perhaps I should explain. Most researchers agree that there are four main Realms. Yours is the Realm of Light and ours the Realm of Darkness. But this you know. The space between the two, where the Light and Darkness begin to mix is referred to as the Realm of Twilight. Depending on where one is within this realm either Light or Darkness will dominate. However, no matter where one may reside in this realm both elements are always present. Two worlds you may be familiar with in this realm are Twilight Town and Yen Sid's Tower. Twilight Town is closer to the Realm of Light while Yen Sid's home is nearly exactly between the two realms. Is this understood?" The group nodded in response. "Very well. The fourth realm is the Realm of Nothingness. This is a particularly dangerous realm because its nature is to turn everything that resides in it into nonexistence. For a living being to continue to stay alive they must continually engage in some sort of cognitive activity in order to affirm their existence. Failure to do this will result in them being extinguished. From what we have been able to ascertain the only ones that have been in this realm, aside from a few researchers of mine, and have lived to tell the tale are Ansem the Wise and-"
"Us," Riku finished. "I'm surprised. We didn't really go around telling everyone about that. How'd you find out?"
"There are those within the three realms of light and dark who have the power to, through concentration, feel and interpret fluctuations in the universe and are able to ascertain events without being present. Those who specialize in this ability are called 'Seers.' However, one does not have to devote themselves entirely to these powers to be able to use them, but those that do not will be less efficient at it. As you have no doubt guessed I have some of these specialists under my employ. Through them I have been able to keep track of you for some time."
"If that's true why didn't you know what I looked like before you met us?" Sora asked.
"A Seer is not able to see an actual image as to what transpires, just the nature and fluctuation of Light and Darkness. It is not a perfect method as one has no idea what exactly the fluctuations mean and are forced to interpret them themselves. We have mostly been able to keep track of you by the distinct nature of the Keyblade. I must say, my Seers were quite shocked to find not one but four Keyblades being wielded. "
"So you know everything that's happened between us?" King Mickey asked.
"No. As I mentioned before one must be intently focused to use these techniques and they require a sizeable amount of energy as well. Furthermore, those with enough skill to notice the fluctuations of a specific individual are exceedingly rare. Most only have the power to notice changes on a world. Also, likely due their nature, it is much easier to notice fluctuations in the Realms of Light and Twilight than in the Realm of Darkness. Additionally, Seers have found it nearly impossible to notice fluctuations in the Realm of Darkness while in the Realm of Light. In other words it would be much easier for us to keep track of you than it would for you to keep track of us. Finally, Seers have found it impossible to notice anything that happens in the Realm of Nothingness. I would seem the nature of that realm causes such. Have I explained myself clearly?" Once again, the group nodded. "By the way, I have been meaning to ask, how did you escape the Realm of Nothingness? The only way we have found to travel to or from that realm is with the aid of the Corridors of Darkness. From what I understand Riku had lost his ability to make such paths."
"The Light opened a path for us to the Realm of Darkness," Riku answered. "Not long after that another one opened up to our Island."
"The Light did so?" Arachnus asked in a shocked tone. Riku and Sora both nodded. "Fascinating," he muttered, scratching his chin in a classic thinking pose. "Perhaps this has something to do with rumored 'Power of the Worlds' our Seers have mentioned. It happens rarely but every so often there are massive and unexplained fluctuations within the universe, as if for a moment it is a living being." After a few more moments of pondering Arachnus looked back up toward the image of the heart above the table. "I'm sorry. We've gotten quite off track, haven't we? Please allow me to continue."
A few more quick keystrokes and the image above the table changed. The heart radiated with an amazing amount of splendor and the presence of Darkness all but gone. "This is the heart of one of the Princesses of Heart, like yourself Kairi. Not only is the Darkness completely missing but the Light within it is at a level that cannot be found anywhere else or achieved by any method, save for the others in the group. We don't know exactly what causes a heart to be made this way but from what we have found it seems to be this way since birth. Many of our researchers have theorized that it is absolutely impossible for a heart like this to take on any Darkness, no matter what the means. At the opposite end of the spectrum," a few more keystrokes and the heart darkened. Eventually it lost all semblance of being a heart and became nothing more than a mass of Darkness. There was but a tiny speck of weak light at the center. "This is what the heart of most of your opponents have been like. Those like Maleficent have achieved the closest amount of Darkness possible without losing themselves. To go any further, to snuff out the light altogether, and the person would cease to be. Even in the evilest of heats there must be light. There is but one more form of heart to which you are familiar with."
After more typing the heart began to become much brighter, almost to the point where it was as bright as a normal heart. However, the Darkness was noticeably present, almost like a black amorphous creature moving around it. "This is the heart of someone who has taken on the Darkness but is still not being influenced by it. Through sheer willpower the person has kept the Darkness from taking over their nature. Because of this it may even be possible for the person to control the Darkness without risking further influence."
"So in other words, this is my heart," Riku stated.
"And likely a heart similar to Ansem the Wise, yes."
"How come I don't feel like I'm fighting the Darkness in my heart now like I used to?"
"There are some theories. One is that, from what we have been able to ascertain, the level of Darkness within you is less now than it was when you were assisting Ansem the Wise. Also there is the possibility that you have been keeping the Darkness in check for so long that you do it subconsciously now. But, no one can say for sure." Riku nodded, satisfied with the answer. "So, these are all the kinds of hearts that you would be familiar with by now. But now we must show you the nature of our hearts."
Once again he entered commands onto the keyboard. Everyone gazed at the projection in eager anticipation, wanting to see what it was that was so special about these unique people. When the heart had ceased changing everyone was noticeably surprised. Most of the heart was Darkness and was as deep and black as that of the heart of a villain. However, not only did it still retain the form of a heart but also at the center was a small ball of brilliant Light comparable in brightness to the heart of one of the Princesses.
"This is an example of one of our hearts," Arachnus stated. "When I mentioned we had found a middle road between the Light and the Darkness, this is what I meant. By focusing all of our Light into a single spot we have created a core that no amount of Darkness can overtake. And because the Light no longer attempts to fill our entire heart, the Darkness is allowed to flow freely within the rest of it. With this structuring we are able to enjoy all the benefits that the Darkness has to offer without fearing any negative consequences."
"That's amazing," Queen Minnie said. "But, how?"
"It is not an easy task. Our hearts have gone under modifications. None are born like this, and the process of altering a heart to a state such as this is by no means easy. First one's heart must be like Riku's, possessing a large amount of Darkness but still not overcome by it. Then, one must use their will to focus and temper the Light within, an arduous process that may even take days for some."
"So, everyone here is like this?" asked Donald.
"No. Many have yet to undergo this process and are still more akin to Riku. They simply wait in anticipation for when they will be able to handle the stress of such an event."
"You mean it hurts?" Daisy asked.
"No, but the stress can kill a person if they are not ready."
"Why would somebody do this?" Kairi asked, a look of fear and amazement on her face.
Arachnus smirked. "A peculiar kind of people. People who are enchanted by the power of Darkness, but are adamant about still remaining righteous." He chuckled. "If one was particularly pig-headed, one might say those who wish to use the powers of evil for the sake of good."
"No offense, but that sounds pretty… weird," Sora stated.
"Sora!" Kairi shouted.
"Diplomacy is not achieved by conforming others to a certain view, but rather being able to accept the views of others even if they contradict your own," Arachnus stated. He smiled and said, "Just because we may not see eye to eye does not mean we cannot be allies. Perhaps even friends."
The group looked to Arachnus rather surprised. He in no way seemed offended and from what he said it seemed more and more likely that he truly did intend to make good on his promise of diplomatic relations.
Sora smiled. "Yeah, I guess so."
It was at that point a dark portal opened up but a few feet from the table. As it dispersed, Weiss took its place.
"My apologies for my intrusion, master," she said and quickly bowed. "We need to leave now to make it in time for the concert."
"What do you mean? We have plenty of time."
"Not for their preferred method of travel we do not."
"Ah, yes. I keep forgetting. Weiss, please escort them down to the hangar. I will be waiting."
Arachnus then disappeared through a portal. Weiss made a short bow then proceeded to open the door. All the guests got out of their seats, bowed back, then followed her out the door. There was some chatter between everyone except for Weiss, who kept leading the group along, and Sora, who was lost in his own thoughts. Everything that had been said and shown to him since he got here, it was a lot to take in. On top of that, he had to decide if any of it was true or not. If it wasn't, then Arachnus was officially the most skilled deceiver that Sora had ever met. If it was, then Sora's whole world had just been turned on its head.
He had always believed that the Darkness was evil, and why wouldn't he? Just look at the examples that had been presented before him. Jafar, Ursala, Oogie Boogie, Hades, Scar, Maleficent, Xehanort's heartless, the only one out of that whole group who didn't really seem that evil was Pete, and that was just because he was a bumbling idiot. Iago turned over a new leaf, but that was mostly because he was afraid of Jafar. Still, he did learn what it took to be one of the good guys, and when he left Agrabah he seemed to be heading on the right track. The only people who he knew that continued to use the Darkness but still stayed good were Riku and Ansem, but even those came with conditions. Riku stayed himself for the most part at first, but as he kept getting deeper and deeper it was obvious he was being controlled, tricked into thinking that what he was doing was going to help save Kairi. It wasn't until after he was possessed by Xehanort's heartless that the real him began to shine through again. He eventually became just like his old self even while controlling the Darkness, but that was because he was fighting for control. Ansem, on the other hand, was cautious. He saw what the Darkness had done to his students and did everything he could to ensure he didn't succumb to the same path. Unfortunately, even though the Darkness had no control, he had lost himself in revenge. The need for warriors of the Light to carry out his vengeance for him likely played a part in him not succumbing as well. At least he found himself again before he died.
But the residents here in Silk Tower were so different from anyone who had sought out the Darkness, and he was still coming to grips with it. Not only did they not seem evil, they seemed human. Hong was peppy, stubborn and lively, almost exactly like Yuffie. Aoi was polite and sweet, but not above a little childish teasing. Vert was well mannered but at the same time a little cocky as well. Pietro was an all business type guy but his few moments of embarrassment clearly showed that there was something beneath that prim and proper attitude. The only two that seemed a little less than human were Weiss and Arachnus. Weiss was stoic and reserved but although he couldn't tell it seemed she was desperately trying to be friendly. Arachnus on the other hand stood out from the almost unsettling contrast between his appearance and his personality. Not only was he incredibly mature and intelligent but his patience and understanding was seemingly limitless. Still, if you took away the glowing eyes and dressed them up in some less conspicuous clothing he wouldn't have batted and eye at any of them. The main difference between them and those he battled before is that these guys seemed mostly content with what they had, unlike his former opponents who had an unquenchable thirst for power.
"YO!"
"Huh?"
"Hey Sora! You still in there?" Riku asked with a smirk on his face.
"Wow, Sora, that's pretty impressive!" Kairi stated.
"What is?" Sora asked.
"You can sleepwalk with your eyes open!"
Everyone else, aside from Weiss, snickered.
"Shut up, Kairi! I was thinking!"
"Sora's thinking!?" Riku asked in faux shock. "Stop the presses!"
All of Sora's friends burst out laughing. He was about to yell back at Riku until something caught his eye: Weiss was snickering. It was very subtle but unmistakable. Sora just grinned.
I guess she is human.
"Well, excuse me for actually thinking about the monumental amount of stuff we were just told today."
"We've been doing the same thing, except we've been talking to each other about it."
"Yeah? Think of anything aside from how much this'll change the universe if this whole thing works out?"
"Um… Well…"
"Yeah, like I thought," Sora finished with a grin and kept walking past Riku.
"Wow, Riku. I can't believe you just got burned by Sora," Kairi stated with a smirk.
"Why does that sound as much an insult to me as it does to him?" Sora asked looking rather annoyed.
"Because it was," Kairi answered, still smirking.
"Remind me why I'm going out with you again?"
Kairi held her smirk and walked past him saying, "Because you can't keep your eyes off me."
Sora chuckled and followed. "Right. How could I forget?"
Riku rolled his eyes and followed with the rest of the group. As everyone chattered Weiss led them back to the elevator. She opened the door and led them all inside, closing the door behind them. Before she place her palm on the scanner she turned to the rest of the group and asked, "Would our honored guests mind if I tried something a bit different this time?"
"What do you mean by that?" the Queen asked.
"Something to speed up our arrival time. There will be no use of the Corridors of Darkness, I assure you."
"Well… I guess it's fine then." The Queen looked to her friends who, somewhat hesitantly, nodded in affirmation.
"Very well. One moment please."
Weiss took a deep breath and let out a slow exhale. As she slowly lifted her arms into the air the walls and floor of the elevator began to become covered with darkness, slowly creeping along with the motion of her arms. The group began to get a bit nervous, but said nothing.
"'Hold on to your hats,' as they say," Weiss warned before thrusting both arms downward. The elevator raced downward with great speed, the group having to hold on to the walls to keep their balance. Judging by the passing lights they were dropping by several floors per second. Before anyone could object to what was happening Weiss took another deep breath and she exhaled the darkness began to face away, as did the elevator's extra boost in speed. The elevator slowly reached a stop and the doors opened. Behind them stood Arachnus, Aoi, and Vert.
"Well that was rather quick," the young lord stated.
"You didn't do the elevator thing, did you?" Aoi asked.
"You mean she's done this before?" Kairi asked, still trying to calm her heart.
"It's her idea of a practical joke," Vert answered with a smirk.
"'Practical joke?'" Riku echoed, feeling his heartbeat finally begin to slow.
"Well, I found it amusing at least," Weiss stated, with the subtlest of noticeable grins on her face.
The group just stared for a few moments, then Sora began to chuckle.
"You sure have an interesting way of breaking the ice, I'll say that much."
"Thank you."
"Hey, where's Hong?" Donald asked.
"She's back inside making preparations for when we return," Arachnus replied. "Well then, if we're quite ready, follow me please."
Arachnus and the maids led the group through a short hallway until reaching what looked like a hangar bay out of a sci-fi movie. There were several different kinds of gummi ships lined against both walls and lights directed attention out towards the hangar exit, essentially a giant hole leading outside. Already prepared in front of them was gummi ship resembling more of a limo than anything else. Vert took the driver's seat while Aoi took the passenger's seat. Everyone else stepped into the back. Sure enough, the inside was like a limo as well, complete with two black leather seats facing each other as well as maroon felt flooring. Across the sides of the interior were cup holders as well as compartments containing ice and wine bottles, among other things. Everyone took their seats and soon the vehicle rose and exited the hangar, passing over the bustling city below.
The King, Queen, and Daisy conversed with Arachnus about how they would go about introducing each other to the realms, Weiss sat patiently and quietly, and Donald and Goofy gazed at the sights of the city. Sora was doing the same until Riku tapped him the shoulder.
"What?" he asked.
"We need to talk," Riku whispered.
"About what?" Sora asked again, seeing no need to lower his voice.
"This 'Thomas' guy," answered Kairi in a whisper.
Sora grew serious and nodded. "You're thinking the same thing, right?" he asked, his tone now a whisper.
"Yeah. That description he gave, it sounds a lot like Odd," Riku commented.
"What are we gonna do?" Kairi asked. "We can't just ask 'hey, does this Thomas guy have a nickname?' He's gonna ask why, and we can't just lie about it."
"Besides, we're not here on a search and destroy mission to get Odd, we're here to get the alliance to go smoothly," Riku added.
"Yeah, I know, but remember, we don't know its him," Sora pointed out. "Remember what Arachnus said? He said this Thomas guy may act weird, but he's not a bad guy. Does that sound like Odd to you?" Both of them shook their heads. "Exactly, and I don't think we've got him pegged wrong."
"Even if we do, and it does turn out to be him, he said that Thomas isn't working for him," Riku added. "He's not even a resident of this world. Anything he does isn't overseen by Arachnus, so we can't associate the two together."
"All the same, we can't do anything about it now," Kairi stated. "Let's just try and enjoy the show. If it is him, we'll talk about it afterwards. Agreed?"
The two boys nodded in response.
"Hey guys! Look!" Goofy shouted, pointing out the window of the vehicle. All attention turned to see an upcoming stadium. It seemed to be shape like an ocean wave, starting at a point and expanding both horizontally and vertically while curling back in towards itself, ending high in the sky, appearing as if it was just about to collapse on itself. The whole building seemed to be made of a finely smoothed and polished black wood, likely the same as Arachnus' amazing disappearing throne. Furthermore it was massive, large enough for the trio's island to fit in it.
"Holy crap," Riku muttered.
"Honored guests, I'd like to introduce the Soundwave Concert Hall," Arachnus said.
"You guys seem to like going over-the-top with your architecture, huh?" Kairi stated.
"Not me personally, no. Silk Tower should have been a clue to that. But, who am I to stop the creative talents we have here?"
The vehicle began to descend towards street level by the stadium where a red carpet, and thousands of spectators, were eagerly waiting.
Arachnus sighed. "And here comes the peanut gallery," he muttered.
"You knew they would arrive, Master," Weiss stated.
"I did indeed. It does not, however, mean I have to enjoy their presence."
"Paparazzi?" Kairi asked.
"Worse, although they will be there as well. I'm dreading the tabloids. I wonder what those little vultures will dream up this time."
"I'm guessing you don't have a good experience with them," The King commented.
"Such is the problem with fame. If you soak it up you are perceived as a narcissist. If you avoid it, like myself, you are perceived as having something to hide. The last time the works of those mudslingers caught my eye was their allegations that the maids were not my employees but my sex slaves."
"You're kidding," Sora said, an incredulous expressions on his face. "You let them say that?"
Arachnus chuckled. "I'm no tyrant. If they wish to make such lies about me, so be it. I can't control what people do for income. Besides, from what I understand, it's a rather lucrative industry. It seems people enjoy reading these works of so-called 'journalism', even if they don't believe a word of it."
"So, uh, are they all here for you?" Goofy asked.
"Not just me, but you as well. True, it is rare that I come down from my tower to events like these, but even so we're practically asking for it. This world's ruler and perhaps the most well known denizens of the Realm of Light including the King and Queen of Disney Castle, the chosen hero of the Keyblade and one of the Princesses of Heart, in addition to their friends? And to top it off attending a performance done by the two most popular entertainment talents this world has seen? Any photojournalist would have to be insane to miss this opportunity."
"Well, you've got a good point there," Daisy admitted.
As the vehicle landed the sound of the clamoring reporters outside could be heard as a loud roar, even through the closed doors and windows of the limousine-esque vehicle.
"A word of advice," Arcahnus started, "unless you want them to leech on you for hours I'd suggest walking by without answering any questions. Be friendly if you'd like, but just keep walking."
At that point Vert and Aoi got out the gummi ship and began to make their way around to the door facing the concert hall. Vert handed one of the valets the keys to the vehicle while Aoi opened the door. The roar of the crowd exploded into an almost deafening scream as the blinding lights of cameras began to fire off without any sings of stopping. Arachnus exited first with Weiss in tow and upon leaving the vehicle joined with Vert as well. The three continued down the red carpet seeming to ignore the crowd. Next were King Mickey and Queen Minnie who responded in a friendlier manner to the crowd, waving and smiling back, but still continued onward without stopping. Following them were Donald, Goofy and Daisy. Goofy remained his happy-go-lucky self and waved enthusiastically back to the crowd while Daisy mimicked the King and Queen's behavior of acting friendly but reserved. Donald, however, was stood proud and grinned from ear to ear as he walked along the red carpet, soaking up every minute of the attention he was receiving. Finally came the Destiny Island trio, who were immediately followed by Aoi who closed the door once they had exited the vehicle. Aoi imitated her fellow coworkers and ignored the crowd. Sora, Riku and Kairi did their best to put on a smile and wave back, but the atmosphere was overwhelming. The walk up to the doors of the theatre, which thankfully were closed behind them, was nothing but an uncomfortable blur.
"God, who'd ever want to be a celebrity if you have to deal with that everywhere you go?" Riku muttered.
"A bit much, isn't it sir?" Aoi commented with a smirk.
"We're not used to anything like this, especially considering we're from a calm little island chain," Kairi explained.
"Well you'll be happy to know that you won't have to deal with the same thing on the way out," Vert assured them.
"Well then, let the final preparations begin," Arachnus said. "Aoi, escort Sora, Riku and Kairi to their seats please. Vert. please do the same with Donald, Goofy and Daisy. Weiss, tell Pietro to make his final preparations. Your majesties, if you'll please follow me."
Weiss disappeared through a dark corridor while everyone else split into one of three different paths. Sora's group headed to the right, Donald's went left and Arachnus' went forward. The Destiny Island trio followed Aoi up a long carpeted staircase leading to a door.
"Enjoy the show, and the view," Aoi said with a grin before opening the door. The three were surprised to find they actually had their own private balcony seats, sitting stories above the stage and everyone else. The rafters and lighting equipment looked almost with jumping distance. "If you need anything just press the buttons on your chairs. I'll be going now Sir Riku, Sora, Kairi." Aoi gently closed the door behind them.
"Why did she only call you 'Sir'?" Sora asked with a smirk.
"Does someone have a crush on Riku?" Kairi teased.
"Shut up," Riku muttered in response.
The three sat down in the cushioned chairs that had been prepared for them and gazed at the sight before them. Below them was the widest and tallest part of the theatre was the stage itself, which stretched from end to end horizontally and extended forward about a quarter of the way of the entire concert hall. It was fully exposed with no curtains obscuring any of it, and was covered with several different seats arranged in a particular manner. At the center of the front of the stage but a few feet away from the front row of the crowd was a small podium, likely where Pietro would be conducting. There were around 100 or so chairs arranged closely around it with one positioned directly to the right of it. In the back, touching the walls, were two wooden bleachers extending upwards far enough for four rows of people, likely able to seat 20 persons in each row.
After observing the stage their gaze soon turned to that of the crowd below. Even being as high up as they were they could notice something peculiar about the audience. What they expected to see were some extremely high-class citizens dressed in expensive clothing and have particularly snooty looking expressions, maybe a few well dress middle-class people mixed in. Although those kinds of people were present there were also people dessed in much more casual and, in some cases, gaudy clothing, ranging from emo, goth, rockers, costumes, and in some cases what could only be described as beachwear. By the looks of things this performances like these didn't exclude anyone. It remained to be seen whether this was something that was exclude to Thomas' shows or something that was done all throughout Nightlife.
Looking more at their own level, they saw two other balconies. The one farthest from they held Donald, Goofy and Daisy while the one closest to them, which was also in the center, contained the King, Queen and Arachnus.
Suddenly, the lights began to dim and the chatter of the crowd died down. The show was about to begin…
Sorry this took so long everybody, but a lot of shit got in the way.
Ok, so, lots of talking in this chapter, lots of explanations, but I've done my research. All the stuff about the four realms has been confirmed to be true, everything else I've made up myself but based heavily on the cannon of the series. The "Seers" came as an explanation to "how do the villains know when to show up?", as for the "power of the worlds" that's my name for all of the "dues ex machina" moments in the series, when something beneficial that doesn't seem to be orchestrated by anyone just seems to happen. The heart composition of the residents of Nightlife and the process by which it is achieved is of my own creation, something I thought long and hard about.
As for the rest of the dialogue it's a bit… well I don't want to say "random", I did give it some thought, but it was kinda thrown in to A) make everyone seem more human, B) make the transitions from place to place seem more smooth, and C) fill in time. I hope you enjoy it even if it is essentially pointless.
Finally, I would like to make a possible apology in advance for the next chapter, when I write I try to describe the way it happens in my head. But now I'm going to attempt to describe in words not only musical performances but the music itself. Some of these songs will be sung in languages I know virtually nothing about while others have no signing at all. Needless to say this is probably going to be my most ambitious chapter in the entire story. If it doesn't work well, don't worry, it won't be happening (at least not in the same way) again. If it does, great, thanks for telling me. As for the songs themselves, all of them will be real songs, and I'll list them in the author's comments at the bottom of the chapter. However, some of the songs I've chosen I've yet to find on youtube, but I did download them from iTunes. I'm sorry about that, but I thought long and hard about which ones I wanted. Anyway, with any luck, the next chapter will be done by early February.
Later!