Research endeavors
The day finally arrived when Ventus was to head to Radiant Garden. That morning Aqua made an important announcement: She had managed to successfully restore her armor. That meant she was now finally free to go to other worlds if she wished. She could come with them. But after some discussion she decided it was best for her to remain and continue to oversee Kairi's training. Even so she promised to show up for a visit very soon.
Ventus gathered a suitcase of his belongings and once ready headed outside to meet the others. After saying his goodbyes they were off. Not long after that they made it to their destination: Radiant Garden. For Terra and Ventus both it had been more than ten years since they had last visited this town. But the place was much as they remembered it, having been fully reconstructed by now. Yet in the back of their minds they knew that everyone in this town had aged a decade's worth, while they remained exactly as they had been back then. Thinking about that brought the strangest feeling. For Elrena and Lauriam on the other hand this was their first time here.
Elrena whistled. "Nice looking place. And hey, for once a town with actual living breathing people in it. I was starting to worry we had run out of those."
As Terra and Ventus were leading them towards the castle, her eyes were repeatedly drawn towards the several shops and stalls that were around. Several times she stopped to examine something that caught her interest, then had to hurry after the others when she realized they had gotten ahead of her.
At the gates of the castle they found two people standing guard.
"Oh. It's you two." Lauriam said in greeting. "Er… I'm sorry… I'm not actually familiar with your Somebody names." He added, slightly embarrassed.
"That's alright. I do not think we were ever aware of your human names either. My name is Dilan, and this one is Aeleus. Now that we have done so, perhaps you wouldn't mind telling us yours?" Dilan said.
"I'm Lauriam. And her name is Elrena." Laurian replied.
"And you must be Terra." Dilan said.
"And Ventus I see. We meet again." Aeleus spoke up for the first time.
Ventus frowned. "Again?" Then it dawned on him. "Oh, that's right! I remember now! You were here when I came looking for Mickey."
"It was the King you sought? But yes, you came here, and then we unfortunately had to block your path. And then you had to run off to fight that Unversed creature that appeared." Dilan said.
He and Aeleus exchanged glances. "We… regret that we were unable to assist you in your battle. But we had a duty to this castle and our lord." Aeleus said.
"It's fine. We managed on our own. That time at least." Terra said.
"So you were in town as well that day?" Dilan asked.
"I was. As was another friend of mine. I doubt you met her." Terra said.
Aeleus then cleared his throat. "You are all expected. This way please." He said, motioning them inside.
"Well… Aeleus still seems to be the strong and silent type. Dilan is feels more approachable than Xaldin ever was. Though he is being really formal. Almost stiff. Is that just his guard persona or is he really like that as a human?" Elrena said to Lauriam in a hushed tone, careful not be overheard.
"It's… so weird. They're… right there, basically the same as I remember them. And yet everything is slightly off. Different. Unnerving really." Lauriam replied.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. Seriously an uncanny feeling." She echoed. "I wonder if this is how others feel when they see us again? The ones who were familiar with our Nobodies I mean?" She then pondered.
After a while of walking they found who Elrena guessed was the Somebody of Zexion, working on a computer.
"Ienzo! Ventus has arrived. As have others." Aeleus said, confirming her suspicions.
Ienzo lifted his head from his work, and smiled. "Ah, Ventus. I'm glad to see you again. Welcome to Radiant Garden. Yen Sid had told us to expect your arrival, but we weren't sure when exactly you would be coming."
"Yes. I do remember our first meeting quite well, young though I was." He said to Ventus's surprised expression. "And I see you are not the only reunion today." He added, turning his eyes to Lauriam and Elrena.
"You need not look so grim. In this castle we are rather fond of second chances, given the histories of everyone residing here. I know we have had our difficulties in the original Organization. And in the days leading up to the Keyblade War we worked on opposite teams. But seeing as we are all human now I think it would be in all our interests to let bygones be bygones and work together on our shared goals." He said to Lauriam and Elrena's wary expressions.
Lauriam took a moment to think about it. Then he visibly relaxed. "That… is exactly the approach we have been pursuing in our dealings so far. You'll find us readily willing to agree to that."
"And seeing as we are all human now… maybe we can treat this as our first meeting. While we may carry some of the blame over what our Nobodies did… we are not them." Elrena joined in.
Ienzo smiled. "Well, said. And I agree. And as such I welcome you two here as well. But it is not I that you have come to meet."
"Aeleus, Dilan, I believe I can take it from here. You can get back to your duties." He said. The two nodded and left the way they had come.
"Right this way then. I shall take you to see Master Ansem." He told them, motioning for them to follow.
"Ans-?" Elrena repeated, momentarily startled. "Oh, wait, right. I get it. Different Ansem." She quickly added, calming down. "Heh. I keep forgetting there are two of them. Always end up thinking about Xehanort's heartless first when someone brings up the name."
Ienzo chuckled dryly. "For me it's the other way around. It has led to some rather absurd mental images."
"And well… I'm quite sure that most of us here can't look at you without thinking of Roxas." He added to Ventus.
Ventus gave a short laugh. "We get that a lot."
"From the way you spoke earlier… I gather you have already been informed of our past? Of myself, Elrena and Ventus? Lauriam asked as they continued further into the castle together.
"Naturally." Ienzo said with a nod. "Yen Sid informed us of the situation. And it was quite necessary for us to know too, given how you would have us help Ventus."
"And I must say, it was a most fascinating discovery as well. The age of Fairytales is a time period we know almost nothing about. I would love to interview all three of you if you are willing. There is so much we could learn from you." He added.
"I… suppose I could, if there is time." Ventus said.
"Splendid. Truly splendid. I understand of course that helping you must take priority. And that those events might not be entirely pleasant for you to revisit. But I still think it would be of value and that it would be important to preserve it. Share what you are comfortable in sharing and we here would consider it a great boon." Ienzo said.
"And what of you two? Would you be willing to do the same? Always good to have more than one perspective to draw from." He asked of Elrena and Lauriam.
The two shared a look. "We might be persuaded to do that. But in return we would ask to be allowed to search this town for my sister, Strelitzia." Lauriam said.
"Ah yes. Your mission. I have heard of it. I believe Master Ansem will allow that, provided you won't be too disruptive to our people. And if you are looking for assistance in your search then I believe I have just the thing to offer you." Ienzo said.
"Our town keeps thorough census records of all people that have resided here. If your sister was ever a permanent inhabitant of this town it ought to have been documented. In return for an interview I would be more than happy to arrange you full access to our archive."
"So… information for information? That does sound like a fair deal." Lauriam said.
"Good. Then it sounds like we have an agreement." He said with a smile. Then his expression turned serious. "Xehanort… was also a meticulous note taker in the time he was a researcher here. And… there were a number of experiments performed here involving human subjects here during that time."
"Human subjects?" Lauriam repeated, frowning.
Ienzo bowed his head. "Yes. We were studying the nature of hearts and the darkness within them. First under Master Ansem, then under Xehanort when he deposed of him. I'm not surprised you don't know of it. Both of you only came involved when we had already moved to the Castle that Never Was, and our focus had shifted."
"You will of course be given full access to what records we have of that research. Those we have at least. His most sensitive projects he kept to himself. But hopefully we will be able to verify that Strelitzia was not among the subjects." He added.
"What… did you do here?" Ventus asked.
Ienzo was silent for a moment. "I was very young at the time, as you know. But… mistakes were made. I won't deny it. We seek to atone for those misjudgments now. But hopefully we will be able to use our knowledge to do some good. Like with you."
"Hrrmm.." Terra hummed, sounding concerned.
They arrived at anther door, Ienzo had them stop. "I would ask you to wait for a moment. The Master is in a meeting." He said.
"My Lord, I truly must protest this situation!" An all too familiar sound came from the other side of the door.
"Even, I do understand what the reasons for your concern are but given everything else that is going on it hardly seems the most…" Another voice said before being cut off.
"Our stores in the castle have been pilfered! And not just bulk items like food or spare parts. Several pieces of high end research equipment are now missing. Some of them are entirely irreplaceable. I do not believe this is something that should be just ignored with a shrug." Even continued to argue.
"Very well then, what exactly has been stolen?" Asked Ansem the Wise, a mild exasperation in his voice.
"High end research equipment, like I said. Essence filters to separate different types of energies. Scanning systems designed to monitor and analyze hearts, and the light and darkness therein. Containment devices for loose hearts as well. Some fabrication machines that could be used to construct other pieces of technology and advanced compound materials. Many of these items would have been useful in our upcoming examination of young Mr. Ventus, which is exactly the reason I was able to discover their absence in the first place."
"Wow. Sounds like you're having your own headaches here today." Elrena commented in a hushed tone.
"Indeed. And I must say Even's concerns are not entirely unfounded. Not just for the theft itself, but the fact that someone was able to carry it out." Ienzo said, keeping his voce equally low. "For their value the items he has listed were kept in a secure environment. Your everyday thief would not have been able to obtain them. And while the stolen materials have unquestionable financial value, the selection seems to have been too targeted for our thief to have taken them purely to sell. Many equally valuable objects were left untouched."
"So a good question to ask would be… who?" Terra said, scratching his chin.
"A better question would be… why?" Lauriam said.
"And there is also… how?" Ventus echoed.
"…Yes… exactly so." Ienzo said.
"Our research activities have mostly been suspended. Do the materials we have lost prevent us from carrying out the tasks that remain?" Ansem continued meanwhile on the other side of the door.
A pause.
"No… I cannot say that. Enough remains to continue. But admittedly this may slow down our efforts somewhat. To say nothing of the larger implications…" Came Even's response.
"And knowing you I trust you are already taking steps in response to this incident?" Ansem asked.
"Naturally. I am reviewing our safety measures to find any weak points that someone might have taken advantage of. But it will take some time to procure results, particularly as soon there will be other duties for me to attend to. I would also suggest posting a guard specifically for our research and storage areas. But I have been at a loss on where to find one. Aeleus and Dilan already have enough to do as it is. I would suggest Demyx, but… the lad's motivation does not seem to extend beyond being a glorified errand boy." Even said.
Elrena snickered until an elbow from Lauriam silenced her.
"I shall take over in going through our security protocol. That should take some weight off your shoulders. And it's my duty as the master of this castle." Ansem said. "As for the guard you wished for… perhaps you could approach the Restoration Committee? Even if they were to be unable to assist us directly, perhaps they could at least help to improve our automated systems?"
"The thought has passed my mind as well. But the Committee is understandably wary of dealing with me given my past associations. I thought perhaps you might be willing to speak with them? As the ruler of this town your word would carry more weight with them than mine would." Even said.
"Hmm. I am still at times skeptical if should still be known by that title. But I shall seek to set a meeting with them, to see if they can be persuaded." Ansem said. "But I believe for now that will have to be all."
Ienzo took that as his que to knock on the door and open it.
"My lord, our visitors have arrived." He announced and stepped aside to let the others through.
Ansem stood up from his chair to greet them, smiling. "Ah. Here you all are. Welcome. We have been expecting you. But please, do take a seat."
Ventus, Terra, Lauriam and Elrena sat down on chairs before Ansem's desk, while Ienzo and Even chose to stand on the sides. Elrena and Lauriam exchanged looks with Even as they sat down. There was undeniable iciness between all three of them. No one in either Organization could be considered their friend. Considering they had all been Nobodies the notion would have been rather absurd anyway. Yet between them and him the animosity had been among the most apparent. They had already agreed to a truce with Ienzo, and that extended to Even as well. But it would likely take some more time for them to get over themselves with him. They would try though, since that was what they had asked from others. Still, given what they had learned from Ienzo…
One had to hope that Even too was sufficiently different as a human. And that his research efforts would remain ethical this time around.
"I do not see Aqua among you. I take it she chose to stay in the Land of Departure?" Ansem asked as he sat back down. "I have hoped to speak to her for some time, given that we have shared some ordeals. She is well at least I hope?"
Elrena almost, almost blurted out what had been going on with Aqua. The troubles she had been having with her darkness. Someone dubbed *the Wise* might have been able to offer some help in managing that situation. Particularly as he had been in the Realm of Darkness before. But one look at Terra made her shut her mouth. He had made it clear he wanted to respect Aqua's wishes not to speak of this, and had given no indications he had changed his mind. And things were still so fragile with the Guardians. To go against Terra's wishes at this early stage could ruin what she and Lauriam had started to build with him. She felt she could not take the risk, for several reasons. So she held her tongue.
"She is well. She sends her greetings and regrets she could not be here to meet with you today, but Kairi's training takes up much of her time now. She did write to you however." Terra said, producing a letter out of his pocket.
Elrena stopped herself just short from shaking her head with disapproval. Aqua certainly had him firmly wrapped around her little finger. Like that wasn't obvious enough. She had after all convinced him to go into the Dark Realm with her, though he must have had his reservations. And had convinced him again to keep her condition a secret, though Elrena quite suspected he felt differently about the whole matter. And now she supposed this applied to herself as well, since she was compelled to stay silent too. And she definitely thought silence was the wrong plan.
Then again, maybe she was overreacting. If Kairi really was the solution they needed, then there would be no need to involve the people here. Elrena kept secrets too. If Aqua was not going to end up worse for it, then she was certainly welcome to keep hers. Yes. Maybe her initial reaction had been a hasty one. Maybe it was better to wait and see if the people in this castle were truly needed before divulging anything. She hated how quickly she was willing to accept that reasoning…
Ansem had taken the letter Terra offered, opening it and briefly looking through the text.
"I see she has not forgotten our shared experiences either. I must write to her in response." Ansem said. "Will you stay here for a while, Terra, so I can read her letter properly and can pen my reply?"
"Of course." Terra said.
"Now then, I understand that you've come here because the heart of a being of some sort has been discovered within Ventus's heart?" Ansem said.
"Yeah. It's a… Darkness… from the age we came from." Ventus said.
"A Darkness? Yes, Yen Sid did refer to it in the same manner. But I must confess I am not entirely certain what he means. I presume this creature would be different from a Heartless?" Even asked grasping his chin in thought.
"Entirely." Lauriam confirmed. "For one thing when we faced this entity it lacked a physical form altogether. But in this time it was known as Vanitas. We discovered that the one that fought in the Second Keyblade War had been sent forward in time, and the one from the past was able to return to Ventus's heart."
"Vanitas? How very unexpected. I had no idea the lad had such significance. Oh, if only I had known. Such discoveries that might have been made…" Even said.
"Uh, Naminé said this creature has a heart like that of a Princess of heart, but of pure darkness instead of pure light." Terra supplied.
"A being born directly of the darkness, but possessing a heart of its own like any living creature? That is truly extraordinary. I do not believe any other entity related to darkness that we know of can be said to have such qualities. And based on what you say it may fulfill a role similar to that of a Princess of Heart, only for darkness." Even continued to ponder.
"I must say, your arrival here is a most welcome gift for me Ventus. I have longed for some time a new project to pursue." He added.
"Okay, and that's not a creepy way to put it at all." Elrena said with sarcasm. She didn't at all like how he smiled without it reaching his eyes. It made him look far too much like a shark ready bite, and made her feel very uncomfortable.
"I had thought your work on the replicas had kept you busy enough?" Ienzo wondered.
"Oh, of course. There has been work there." Even said, waving his hand dismissively. "But my most important breakthroughs there have already been made. As you know currently my efforts on the replicas are focused on optimization. Trying to make the process of creating them faster and cheaper without compromising quality, that kind of things. But while that has its uses I would hardly call it furthering scientific knowledge. This will offer much better opportunities."
"I sincerely hope you are not about to get carried away with this. For one thing this Darkness is not something you toy around with out of curiosity. It's dangerous in a way I'm not sure you appreciate. And we did not come all this way to deliver Ven here as your specimen. He is our friend, and what we want is a safe and sure way to get rid of the Darkness trapped in his heart. Anything more would be unnecessary. And quite frankly, unwelcome."
Even scoffed. "You do me wrong. I was not planning on anything sinister. And if I display enthusiasm it is because I have been presented with a mystery unlike any other. Any scientist worthy of their name would feel the same way. And we would do well to learn more of this Darkness. I believe that was even the mandate Yen Sid gave us."
"But not at any cost. You say you have no sinister plans. But Ienzo here made mentions of experiments carried out in these halls. Of mistakes that were made. Not the kind of things I like to hear about when we are supposed to leave Ventus in your care." Terra said.
"Guys, guys. There's no need for this kind of talk. We're all on the same side here." Ventus spoke up, trying to diffuse the situation.
"That could be, Ven. But we want to be sure." Terra said.
"These are… valid concerns, given the history here." Ansem said. He stood up. "Let me promise it then: Ventus will come to no harm here. I shall make sure of that personally. And we will do our best to satisfy any concerns you might have."
"We send you the findings from our works, details of all the tests we carry out. Anything you disapprove of will be stopped immediately. You will be welcome to check up on him at any time, to make sure he is being treated appropriately. And you Ventus will in turn be allowed to come and go as you wish. All we would ask is that you be available often enough for us to do our work effectively." He detailed.
"And if you wish to have proof of our current conduct I would point out that our efforts brought back Roxas and Naminé. And we assisted Sora in different ways as well. Furthermore Kairi spent an entire year under our care. And to the best of our knowledge she has not voiced a single complaint about that time." Ienzo said.
"That sounds good enough to me. I trust you." Ventus said. "I hope the rest of you can too." He added to the others.
After a pause there was a chorus of nods.
"Very well then. We have set aside a room for you during your stay here, Ventus. And since you'll need to wait for me to write a reply to Aqua, we will have one prepared for you as well." Ansem said.
"As for you two, what are your plans now?" He asked.
"They wish to search the town for Lauriam's sister. And then I offered them a chance to look in our archives for the same reason." Ienzo explained.
Ansem nodded. "I see. I will permit your search. But I do not wish for any trouble to be caused to the people here."
"That is not our intent. We merely want to have a look around and ask a few questions from those willing to talk with us. And once we are done here we will be on our way." Lauriam said.
"Good. Then Ienzo, would you please show them to their rooms, then return so we can begin our preparations." Ansem said.
"Of course.
Once Ienzo had shown them where their rooms were he went on his way.
"I think I finally figured him out." Elrena announced once he had left.
"Figured who out? Ienzo?" Ventus asked.
"No. Even. You know I was rather surprised by his sudden defection from the Organization. To my mind it didn't fit in with his character. And he first went through the trouble of becoming a Nobody again and joined back into the Organization. But I think I finally get his motives." She explained.
"I've heard he changed sides because he wished to atone." Terra joined in.
"And that might well be a part of it. Haven't heard anything in particular that would make me think it could not be. But after hearing him talk just now I think the real reason was that he wants to keep doing his research." She said.
"I think that's the thing that matters to him most. More than any person does at any rate. Staying with the Organization would have been a lose-lose proposition for him, regardless of how the war turned out. He might have figured that switching sides would give him the best chance to keep doing what he loves to do." She elaborated.
"That's an… interesting observation." Terra commented.
"I thought so. And it might be a useful bit of information down the line. Now we know what keeps him loyal. Just give him important studies to do and he'll be happy as a clam" She replied.
"Now then. Since it might be a while before you see each other face to face I imagine you'll want to spend some time together. But you won't be needing me for that. So if you don't mind I think I'll be visiting town for a bit. There are few things I'd like to check out." She added.
"Weren't you already supposed to do that later today?" Terra asked.
"Oh, sure." She said with a shrug. But this is a different case. Something for me."
"Okay then. We'll meet you back here in that case?" Lauriam said.
"Sure. See you later, Terra, Ven." She said.
"See you." The two replied.
Once she had left Terra looked at Lauriam. "Any idea what she is up to now?" He asked.
"Not this time. But I doubt it's anything bad." Lauriam said.
"Now then, let's make sure everything is in order
Lauriam, Ventus and Terra ended up conversing for quite some time. Eventually Lauriam realized that Elrena had not yet returned and decided to go look for her. He found her just entering through the castle gates, getting past the doors with some difficulty because of the things she was carrying.
"Elrena! There you are. I was starting to wonder what was taking you." He said.
"Oh, Lauriam. Yeah, I was on my way back. I hope I didn't keep you waiting." She said.
"So, what is all that then?" Lauriam asked, pointing at the bags she was now holding.
"Oh this? Well I just figured there were some really nice stores in town and I had some leftover cash from that whole business of gathering those potion ingredients. So I decided to do a little shopping. You know, spruce things up a little. I might need to wear this coat while we're travelling from world to world. But I thought it would not hurt to have some more casual wear for other times." She explained.
"I see. So it's clothes then." He said, peeking into one of the bags. "It reminds me of what you used to wear." He commented.
"Well, yeah. That style always was to my liking. I just upgraded a few things, since I'm not a kid anymore." She replied.
"Hey, maybe we could pick up something for you too while we're here? You could use an alternative look too, so you don't look like a cult member when you're not on duty." She then suggested. "Oh yeah, and no need to worry, I already checked. These black coats appear to be really adept at accommodating whatever else one might be wearing. Couldn't even tell the difference when I tried. So you can just wear the coat over anything else we get you."
"I don't know. We have a lot to do here. We might not have the time…" He said hesitantly.
"Oh, come on. It won't take more than an hour." She said. "Okay, maybe two hours."
He gave her a long look.
"Okay, okay, fine. Three hours. But that's the upper limit, I swear! Just humor me a little, please? I won't even make you carry anything, I promise." She persuaded.
Lauriam sighed. "I… suppose there is no harm."
"Yes! He agrees!" She said, grinning. "So, shall we go then?"
"I'd best inform the others here first. They'll want to know we might take a bit." He said.
"Okay, sure." Elrena said. "Hmm. In the meantime I think I'll go put these on. As soon as I can find a place with a bit of privacy that is. I'll come find you after."
"Don't make me look too hard though." She then jested before going on her way. Lauriam went in a different direction, finding Ienzo after a brief search.
"Lauriam, good. Terra and Ventus said you might be around here." He greeted. "I was just coming to tell you our archives are ready for you. We can start anytime you like. Or did you wish to conduct your search first?"
"Actually… we may have to postpone that. For a little while. There is something else I was asked to attend to. I expect it to be about… four hours." Lauriam said.
"Ah. I see. And since I saw Terra and Ventus only a short while ago… would it be too much to presume she is the reason behind this most recent rescheduling?" Ienzo asked.
Lauriam grimaced. "No sardonic remarks, please."
"Perish the thought. But do try to enjoy yourself in that case. It could prove to be a very pleasant evening out for you two." Ienzo said.
At first Lauriam thought Ienzo was being sarcastic and was about to fire right back. But then he realized that was not it at all. He merely seemed… amused by this turn of the events.
"Well, I suppose I should do my best to enjoy this. It might not even be that hard to be honest. I just did not expect to be roped into this with no warning at all." Lauriam said.
"And truly, I can think of worse people to go on a crazy shopping spree with." He added in his mind.
"That's the spirit. And not to worry, our records will still be here waiting for you upon your return." Ienzo said.
"Right. We'll catch up with you in a bit." Lauriam said, then left to search for Elrena.
Several hours passed in the shopping and several more in searching the town for signs of Strelitzia. Once they were finally able to return Lauriam and Elrena spent some time with Ienzo, giving the interview they had promised and examining the castle records. Sadly in the time they had available they did not find any mention of Strelitzia. But since they had gone through only a fraction of the available records Ienzo promised to keep at it while Lauriam and Elrena carried their search to other worlds. They stopped to give their final farewells to Ventus and Terra, and then they were off again towards their next destination.