When You're Strange
Chapter 8
A Conversation Starts When the Chapter Ends
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The guest followed Pietro through the chrome colored halls of the Dreadnaught before finally coming to a hatch styled door.
"Dreadnaught requesting access to Silk Tower," Pietro said, pressing a finger to his ear. "This is Pietro with guests."
A barely audible "Request granted" could be heard to those who listened hard enough. A hole opened up in the tower, as if it was actually alive. Darkness extended from the building, forming a tunnel until it reached the hatch door. Once it had, Pietro finally opened the hatch.
"If you could all follow me please," requested Pietro. Everyone hesitated for moment until they saw that the dark mass tunnel was indeed solid. As soon as the last of them had reached the solid ground of building floor the tunnel receded, merging back with the building and once again becoming a solid wall.
The hallway they were now in was completely black. The ceiling and walls were made out of some sort of stone while the floor was made of black wood. Its shiny veneer was shown by the only thing that adorned the walls, humble candles providing an eerie sort of light and atmosphere to the hall. Pietro motioned for them to follow and they obeyed, staying closely behind. They had only walked for a few minutes when a dark portal unexpectedly opened in from of them. It dissipated instantly and in its place was a young woman. She was roughly Riku's height and was thin and slender. Her skin was flawless and both it and her hair were a ghostly white. Her eyes were thin and sharp, and seemed to hold little if any emotion in them. Like everyone new to the group, her irises glowed amber. Her head was slightly round, this feature being emphasized by her short hair that seemed to closely follow the curves of her skull. Judging by her appearance, she couldn't have been older than her early 20's.
Perhaps most eye-catching though was her outfit: a particularly fancy version of a classic maid's outfit. A white button up collar extended to her small breasts before extending outward just short of her shoulders. The rest of her torso was covered by a black long-sleeved shirt, which ended with white cuffs. Around her waist was a white apron that ran nearly all the way down a black skirt, which stopped just beyond her knees. Black stockings ran up past the bottom of the skirt and she wore black high heels. At the edges of any white part of the outfit was a poofy lace. This lace was also seen around her shoulders and her white headband.
Pietro seemed surprised to see this girl, unlike his guests who were simply caught off guard by anyone suddenly appearing in front of them.
"Greetings, Pietro," said the maid in a voice devoid of all emotion.
"And hello to you as well, Weiss. What brings you here?"
"I am here to escort the guests."
Pietro looked surprised. "But why? I was told that I would be-"
"The master has requested that you attend to the preparations for this evening immediately. I will take over from here."
"Ah yes. I was wondering when I was going to get the chance. Very well, I leave them to you." They both made a slight bow to each other before Pietro disappeared through a dark corridor. The woman turned her calm, blank gaze to the guests.
"Greetings to you all. I am Weiss, head maid of Silk Tower. I report and receive orders directly from Master Arachnus. I will be escorting you the rest of the way. If you could follow me please."
Without waiting for response she turned on her heel and walked down the hall, not waiting for the group to catch up. After several moments of silent walking, Goofy broke the ice.
"Um, Ms. Weiss?"
"Just Weiss, please," she said without turning her head. "What is your concern?"
"Well, uh, I was just wonderin' why this here place is called 'Silk Tower.'"
"I'm afraid I cannot give you an answer, honorable guest Goofy."
"Uh, just Goofy is fine," he responded, slightly embarrassed.
"Why can't you tell us about the name?" Donald asked, slightly suspicious.
"I have been requested not to, honorable guest Donald."
"How come?"
"I…"
Weiss paused, both in speech and movement. As she stood there silently she seemed to be thinking intently, as though Donald's question was one she could never see coming.
"I… I did not ask," she finished weakly. "I apologize. Perhaps the master wishes to keep such information as a surprise."
The rest of the group exchanged glances with each other, some worried, some suspicious, some just plain curious. Without a word Weiss continued forward and everyone else did as well. After some more distance she made a sharp left and headed up a flight of stairs, stopping before a wooden door. Once everyone else had caught up she opened it.
The change in lighting was so abrupt that everyone had to shield his or her eyes for a moment. Once that passed, everyone was flabbergasted at the stark difference between the room and the hallway. The room was enormous, as if a small garage could've fit inside of it, roof and all. The walls practically looked as though they were made out of gold, and shone just as brilliantly due to the candle chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Near the edges of the floor, ceiling, and around the doors there was a pure as white wooden trim with an intricate golden floral design flowing across it like a vine. The floor was beige colored polished wood that shone nearly as bright as the walls. There were several very comfortable looking seats, all wooden, with indigo colored cushions. In other words, the room looked very regal.
"This is the main guestroom and common area, better known as the Golden Room," explained Weiss after they all had worked they way inside. "It is in the exact center of Silk Tower, and nearly all passages lead to here."
"So are the walls made of gold?" Riku asked.
"Of course not," Weiss answered. "The paint is."
Riku turned to Weiss after she answered. On her face he saw what could possible be a grin. It was far too subtle for him to tell.
Maybe she was trying to make a joke?
"So, is this where we're going to meet him?" Sora asked.
"No. You will be meeting Master Arachnus in his private quarters, as he requested. We are just making a brief stop in order prepare."
"'Prepare?'" Kairi echoed. "Prepare how?"
"I believe Pietro mentioned something about new garments to you."
The three islanders nodded. Weiss nodded in response and clapped her hands twice. Two dark corridors appeared near the center of the room. As they disappeared two female figures took their places. Both were dressed identically to Weiss with minor alterations to suit their sizes and figures.
One was about half a foot taller than Riku and bore shapely features. Her skin tone was fair and bore no imperfections of any kind. Her face was triangular and her chin was pointed, though not nearly to the extent that Odd's was. Her hair was a lime green color and came down in bangs, stopping just above her pencil thin eyebrows. Behind her head it ran down to her lower back, flowing beautifully, and her headband kept it away from her ears. Her eyes were sharp, but not piercing, and she wore a soft smile on her face. Her appearance made her look to be in her late 20's.
The other girl, by contrast, was particularly small, barely reaching Donald's height. All her features were petite, and her chest looked almost flat. Her skin was a bit whiter than the other's, but was by no means pale. Her head was rounded and her sky blue hair seemed to spiral clockwise from the center of it. Her bangs ended at the top her wide, charming and almost innocent eyes, and stopped at the base of her neck behind her head. Her smile was cheerful yet properly reserved at the same time. By her tiny frame, one would have guessed she was barely in the double digits, early teens at the latest. It seemed almost pointless to mention that both of their eyes were glowing amber, as it seemed that could be said for everyone as of late.
The two newcomers looked to their right, as if expecting something that should be there. After a brief pause Weiss clapped her hands once again. There was still no response. The tall woman sighed while the smaller one politely giggled.
"HONG!" Weiss called, somehow yelling in a tone that still seemed devoid of emotion.
Finally, in the exact position the three maids had been expecting, a dark corridor opened and out stumbled another maid. Her eyes were closed as she let out an impressive yawn. Her hair was miffed, and her outfit ruffled. However, what was most eye catching was that her collar was completely unbuttoned, showing her pink bra underneath. The guests blushed, the tall maid rolled her eyes, the short maid did all she could to suppress laughter, and Weiss' disgust and frustration was clearly visible on her face.
The new arrival yawned again before speaking, still not opening her eyes. "Sorry. How long 'till they arrive?"
"They're already here," the tall maid answered with a smirk.
"How here is 'here'?" she asked, still not aware of her surroundings.
"Perhaps you'd like to check for yourself?" Weiss suggested.
The girl finally opened here eyes and, upon realizing the situation she was in, screamed while covering her chest. She quickly spun around, frantically buttoning up her collar.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THEY WERE HERE!?" she screamed.
"We did!" the small one managed to squeeze out between giggles.
"YOU DIDN'T SAY THEY WERE HERE HERE!"
After finishing with her collar she smoothed out her skirt, adjusted her sleeves, centered her headband, ran her fingers through her hair and took a deep breath to regain her composure before finally turning around.
Her height was equal to that of Kairi with a slender physique. Her face was slightly rounded and her skin was healthily tan. Her eyes were wide, showing off the most amount of emotion of any of the newcomers the group had met. Her smile was wide and cheery, though still showing noticeable signs of embarrassment. Her hair was strawberry red with bangs that came down to her eyelashes near her forehead and near her ears they actually began curl in towards her face, enough to follow the contour of her cheekbones. In the back it was cut short enough to see her neckline.
She nervously scratched the back of her neck. "Heh. Um… Sorry about that. Everyone needs a nap every once in a while, know what I mean?"
"No, but I'm sure Sora does," Riku said as he turned to his friend with a smirk.
"Oh, har har," Sora responded, giving Riku an annoyed look.
The newcomer giggled, then her eyes widened in realization.
"Oh! You're Sora?"
Sora nodded in response as she strolled over. She quickly scanned him up and down.
"Wow! You're pretty handsome!"
"Uh… Th-thanks…" Sora managed to stutter out. Donald and Goofy smirked while Riku snickered. Kairi, however, was not amused and the slightest hint of a glare began to form on her face.
"Well, time's a wastin'! Let's go!" the new arrival proclaimed while tugging on Sora's arm. Sora immediately broke free of her grasp.
"W-What are you doing?"
"What are you doing?" she asked in response, the slightest look of frustration on her face. "Weren't you listening to them before?"
"Whuh?"
"Ugh," she groaned rolling her eyes as she grabbed his arm again. "If you can't pay attention, then I'll explain when we get there." She began to pull him again, receiving the same response as last time. She turned back to look at him and was now noticeably upset.
"Uh, Hong-?" the small maid spoke, but was quickly cut off by the red haired girl.
"I know what I'm doing, Aoi!" she shot back. "And you!" she turned back to Sora grabbing him by the collar. "You're taking too long!" A dark corridor appeared just inches behind her. "In you go!" she shouted as she hurled the confused Keyblade master into the portal before jumping in herself.
"SORA!" Kairi shouted. Riku, King Mickey, Donald and Goofy all brandished their weapons, glaring at Weiss.
"What the hell's going on!?" Riku asked, practically screaming.
"Ahem."
Everyone turned to the tall maid, who had made the sound.
"Madam Weiss, if I may take the responsibility of explaining?" she asked in a very polite tone.
"Please do so."
The maid made a short bow to her superior before clearing her throat and turning to the guests.
"You needn't be alarmed. I assure you there is no need for weapons. I am Vert and next to me is Aoi. The one that made off with your friend is Hong."
"Nice to meet you. Now give a good explanation as to why I shouldn't run my weapon through your chest," Riku demanded.
"It's not what you think," Vert insisted, raising her hands in surrender. "No one is being kidnapped, there is no ambush, no double cross, just a case of miscommunication and misunderstanding."
"I'm waiting," said Riku, stepping forward until his keyblade was only a foot from her face.
"I believe Madam Weiss mentioned something about new garments before summoning us, correct?" Riku nodded. "We were called forth to assist you with that. The outfits prepared for you could be a bit of hassle to manage. Each of us, that is to say Hong, Aoi, and myself, were to guide the three Destiny Island residents to separate rooms where we would assist in preparing you for tonight before we would regroup once again to meet to with Master Arachnus."
"And your friend?" Riku asked. "What's the deal with her?"
"Well… Hong is-"
"Brash, impatient, and unpredictable." Riku turned to Aoi who looked to Riku with a smug look on her face. "If someone doesn't do what she wants, and doesn't do it quickly enough, she makes them do it. I'm guessing Hong thought we had already explained what Vert just said, so the way she saw it Sora was holding everything up. So, she took action." She chuckled lightly. "Hopefully, she has the sense to explain that to Sora."
Riku shifted his gaze back to Vert. "That's really the best you can come up with?"
"It's the truth," Vert assured him. "I swear it."
"And how do I know this isn't some hastily thrown together lie to get us off guard again?"
Vert's sharp eyes hardened as a smirk began to form on her lips. "Because I wouldn't need to resort to such tricks if I wanted to destroy you. Don't think for a moment I'm harmless."
Riku and Vert stared each other down for a few moments, neither changing their expressions. Finally, Riku dismissed his keyblade.
"You may not be harmless, but if you're lying to me it won't matter."
Vert eyes softened but her smile widened. The rest of the guests cautiously disarmed themselves and relaxed.
"If you are quite ready we can continue," Weiss stated. "Aoi has been assigned to Riku while Vert shall assist Kairi. The other guests shall make themselves comfortable here with me."
"Before you ask, yes, Hong was supposed to help Sora," Aoi stated.
Riku strolled on over to the small maid and folded his arms as Kairi cautiously approached Vert.
"Well?" Riku asked, waiting impatiently, "You gonna do your job or not?"
"Y-Yes, sir," Aoi stuttered, the slightest shade of red appearing on her face. She quickly turned towards the hallway and began to walk, with Riku close behind.
"Kairi, if you'll follow me please," Vert asked the Princess of Heart, turning towards the opposite hallway.
"Hold on. Why aren't we headed the same way?" Kairi asked, raising her eyebrow.
"I'm sorry, Princess, but we didn't think to put your wardrobe in the men's quarters," the maid answered with a smirk. Kairi blushed, slightly embarrassed before quickly continuing on, leaving the wary Disney Castle residents with the only remaining maid.
"Well then," everyone turned to Weiss as she spoke up, "Does anyone like tea?"
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"So… She didn't say anything?"
He shook his head.
"Nothing at all?"
Once again, he shook his head. She sighed.
"Oh man. I am so sorry. I… Oh jeez. I figured that since I was late that she had already told you everything." Hong sighed and hung her head. "The old lady's gonna chew me out for this one."
"It's fine. Really," Sora tried to assure her. "Um… Maybe if you just tell me what you're supposed to do and get to work this can all go over a lot smoother."
"Uh, yeah. That's probably a good idea." She took a deep breath and smiled. "Ok. So, um… My name's Hong. Me and my friends, Aoi, that's the little girl, and Vert, that's the other one, are supposed to help you get ready for tonight."
"So, what, you're gonna dress me up?"
She giggled. "When you say it like that you make it sound like I'm playing with dolls. I'm just gonna help you get into an outfit unlike anything you've ever tried before."
"How do you know I've never worn anything like it?"
"Well I don't know for sure, but something tells me you're not rich enough to own your own island. And I get the impression that you've never dressed up for royalty before."
"Well… you got me there."
She smirked. "Thought so. Well, take 'em off."
"Wh-What?"
"Your clothes. Off with 'em."
"Um… Can you… You know?"
"Come on, hun. This isn't the first time I've seen a guy in his underwear. Now hurry up so we can get on with this."
Sora's face began burning red. "Uh… I really don't feel comfortable with this…"
Hong sighed. "Great, we've got a shy one," she muttered. She pushed Sora onto the bed and began to undo his fly.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"
"My job," she answered calmly, practically ripping off his pants. As Sora pulled down his shirt as far as he could Hong folded is pants ands stuffed them into a dresser. She turned back to him and placed her hands on her hips. "Now, can you take the rest off yourself or do I have to do that for you, too?"
Sora just stared dumbfounded for a moment, then meekly went to work on his shoes. Hong smiled and headed toward the closet. As Sora lifted his shirt over his head Hong approached with an outfit that, sure enough, was unlike anything Sora had ever worn before.
"Now then," she smiled, "let's give this hero a little class."
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Kairi kept her eye closely on Vert, not fully believing her story but still willing to give her a chance. She gazed around the room that would be her quarters for the next few days. It wasn't particularly extravagant, but it wasn't normal by any standard. The walls were painted a deep dark maroon color, giving the room a warm yet secretive feel. The floor was covered with a carpet of the same color, as were the bed sheets of a rather comfortable looking queen sized bed. There was a wooden desk that was polished to a mirror shine, as was everything else wooden including the chair, the bed frame, the closet, the dresser, and the door. The room was lit by a somewhat dim ceiling fan. Kairi pretended to be looking around the room but was keeping an eye on Vert by using the mirror hanging above the desk.
"So then," Vert began. "How do you want to look?"
"What do you mean?" Kairi asked, turning her full attention to the maid.
As she spoke she approached Kairi. "Listen, when it comes to formal evening wear there are three ways a woman can look. She can be cute as button, dark and alluring, or elegant and beautiful. So the question is…" Vert trailed off when she had gotten right next to Kairi. She leaned in close and whispered in the girl's ear, "How do you want Sora to see you tonight?"
Kairi took a few steps back in surprise. "H-How do you know about that?" she asked, flustered.
A playful smirk formed across Vert's face. "I didn't. Not until you got here. But I could tell, just by watching you two. Whenever either of you moved you got closer to each other, inch by inch. Something tells me you two didn't even realize it." Kairi looked down, trying to hide her blushing cheeks. "How far along are you two?"
"N-Not far," she admitted.
"Well then, maybe you'd like to use tonight as an opportunity to change that. But you still haven't answered my question," Kairi looked up to the maid once again. "Cute, elegant, or sexy?"
Kairi looked at herself in the mirror, perhaps harder than she had ever looked at herself before. She knew Sora loved her and nothing she wore would ever change that, but suddenly she began to look hard for anything she thought might be an imperfection on her body. She began to notice things, real and imaginary, which could make her appear even the slightest bit unattractive, being incredibly judgmental of her body and especially her face.
Then she suddenly cast off all these imaginary fears and concerns, realizing once and for all that none of them mattered. She looked fine the way she was, Sora had told her that he thought so numerous times, and she knew he wouldn't lie. With renewed confidence in herself she realized what she really wanted out of this. She was going to use this opportunity to make Sora see her in a way he never had. Keeping Vert's three descriptions in her mind she tried to discern which of the three she looked like right now. How did normal everyday Kairi look like?
Cute, she thought. I look cute. So how about-?
"Elegant," she finally answered. "I want to look elegant."
"Positive?" Kairi firmly nodded. Vert smiled and led the girl to the chair in front of the desk. Kairi sat down while Vert pulled out the drawers, which happened to be filled with makeup kits. "Then let's get started."
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Riku adjusted the sleeves on his new shirt as Aoi tied the tie around his neck. Because of the difference in height between them she had to stand on the chair so she could reach his neck. After she finished she hopped down and picked the blazer up from the bed and handed it to him. Riku took it, putting it on and then going to work on buttoning it up. Once he had finished she gave him the hat and as he put it on she folded the handkerchief and then gently placed it in his shirt pocket. She stepped back and gave him some room. He turned to the mirror making a few adjustments on the sleeves, tie and hat before he found himself pleased with how he looked.
"Not bad," he muttered to himself. "What do you think?" he asked, turning to the tiny maid.
She gazed upon him, almost in a daze. "You look amazing," she muttered. Her face flushed red upon realizing what she just said. "Uh, I mean you look handsome! NO! Uh, I mean, you, uh…" she cleared her throat before continuing, "You look very distinguished, sir."
Riku smirked. "Thanks."
He gazed in the mirror once again. The outfit was unlike anything he was expecting, but he was by no means displeased with it. He wore a black oxford shirt tucked into black slacks. The dress shoes were also black with white straps covering the laces. The black blazer covered a thin white tie and atop his head was a black fedora with a white trim. Topping it off was the white handkerchief sticking out of his shirt pocket.
"If I may be so bold to ask, sir," Aoi started.
"Yeah?"
"Does our guest trust us yet?"
Riku's smirk vanished from his face. "I… I trust you a little bit."
Aoi looked upset and hung her head. It almost looked like she was on the verge of tears. Suddenly Riku felt like he was being a colossal jerk. Sure he hadn't seen Sora yet and he had no idea what was happening to Kairi or anyone else, but as far as he knew nothing had happened that would make him think that Vert's story had been untrue.
"Tell you what," Riku said. "You make sure Sora and Kairi show up and we can forget that there was ever a problem."
Aoi's face brightened. "That won't be a problem, sir." Riku nodded and smiled in response. "If you're quite ready, then we can head back to the Golden Room."
Riku nodded and the maid opened the door for him. He waited for her to close the door and lead the way back to the common area. The walls of the corridor leading there was a calming shade of green lit by hung candles, enough to illuminate the hallway as good as any light bulb. As the two continued on one of the doors to the rooms opened. From within came two voices of different genders.
"Come on, let's get moving already!" said the female voice.
"Ok! Just don't rip my arm off!" complained the male voice.
Wait. That's…
Hong pulled Sora by the arm, who staggered along behind her. They headed toward the common room, not noticing they weren't alone in the hallway.
"Hong!" Aoi called.
Both spun around to see who had spoken.
"Aoi!" she replied with glee. "So you're done too, huh?"
"Yup."
Riku stared at Sora's outfit for a moment, then began to keel over with laughter.
"That's what you're wearing!?" he asked before continuing his fits of laughter.
"What?" Sora asked. "What's wrong with it?"
"Nothing. The only problem is that you're wearing it!"
Riku managed to stifle his laughter. The outfit itself was very nice, but it just didn't seem to suit Sora. The coat was black with a red trim along the standing collar and cuffs. It was held together at the center with four large gold buttons and a tight black belt around the waist with a golden buckle. The bottom of the coat covered the waistline of black trousers that bore a large red stripe down either side. The outfit was topped off with well-polished black shoes. The outfit looked very professional, starkly contrasted by Sora's wild spiky hair.
"You look like a bum in a suit!" Riku added.
"That's a bit harsh, sir," Aoi commented. "I'll admit it doesn't suit him, but it doesn't look bad."
"Yeah?" Hong asked, stepping in. "Personally I think it suits him fine. A real nice touch for the big hero."
Aoi gave her a hard look in response and smirked. "Well I think that you're just trying to add a nice icing onto an Ok cake. Riku's outfit, however, looks like it was made for him."
Hong's expression now mimicked her coworker's. "Please. Anyone can look good in a zoot suit."
"Are they… Are they arguing over which one of us looks better?" asked Sora.
"No. I think they're arguing over who dressed who better," Riku answered. He cleared his throat, drawing attention to himself. "Ladies, if you remember we a have a group of friends waiting for us."
"Oh! Um… yeah. Well, uh…" Hong answered, both her and Aoi wearing the same embarrassed expression.
"If you could follow us, sirs," Aoi requested politely. Both maids turned on their heels and walked down the hallway and the two boys followed.
"They remind me of someone," Riku whispered.
"Oh yeah?" Sora whispered back. "Who?"
"Us," he answered with a smirk. Sora smirked back.
The four quickly made their way to the Golden Room, the guests noticeably happy to see the four present and accounted for. The King, Daisy, and Weiss were all holding tea cups.
"Wow Sora! I hardly recognize you in that outfit!" Donald commented.
"That better be a compliment, Donald," Sora replied with a smirk. He quickly scanned the room. "Hey, where's Kairi?"
"You know us ladyfolk, tiger. Always takes us longer to get ready," Hong answered with a smirk.
"It's not entirely her fault, "Aoi replied. "Vert's a bit of a perfectionist. She can spend hours mussing over the tiniest thing. Don't worry, they'll both show up." Her gaze shifted to Riku before adding, "I promise."
Just then the distinct sound of footsteps came from the adjacent hallway. Everyone turned to see Vert approaching out of the shadows, wearing a particularly smug look on her face.
"Ladies and gentlemen," she began, stepping to the side. "Kairi."
The clicking of footsteps came from the shadows. Once she had entered the light nearly all eyes widened. Kairi's hair had been pulled back into a bun aside from the bangs in the front, which were carefully parted in the center so that they fell to either side. Her face bore the slightest touch of make up and there was the noticeable addition of blush on her cheeks. On her eyelids was mascara and eyeliner, and her lips bore red lipstick. Around her neck rested a necklace made of a peculiar thin black chain, and at the center rested a small pure black gemstone. Her dress was pitch black with golden jewels arranged on the skirt to give the image of a vine with flowers. From the waist up to just below her collarbone the dress was made of some sort of material that gripped her figure. There were no straps and no sleeves. Her skirt extended down to her ankles, barely showing her black high heels. On both arms were black silk gloves that ran all the way up to her upper arms. On the backhand of each glove was a golden outline of a rose. Kairi stepped forward and made short twirl before stopping.
"How do I look?" she asked.
No one said a word. Although she hadn't specified, everyone knew who the question was addressed to. All eyes turned to Sora, who just stared dumbfounded. He looked as though he was trying to respond, but the words just wouldn't come. After a few moments, Riku took action.
"'Scuse us," he said and pulled Sora by the collar. He pulled Sora in close enough to whisper and turned away from everyone. "Dude, I swear, if you don't make a move on Kairi tonight I'm gonna consider her fair game."
Sora looked to his friend with shock, followed half a second later by anger. "We're together, you know that."
"Yeah, well you haven't really shown it. And another thing, I may not be the 'date guru,' as you put it, but I know enough about girls to know that they'll give up on any guy, even the one they think they're in love with, if that guy doesn't make a move."
Sora's eyes widened in fear. Before he could respond Riku simply nodded. Sora gathered himself and nodded back. He turned and approached Kairi slowly, trying to think of what say. All eyes were trained on him, and it seemed everyone was holding their breath. By the time he had reached her he still hadn't come up with anything. Kairi patiently waited for his response. After a few more moments of thinking, Sora finally sighed.
"I… I honestly can't think of what to say…"
All eyes immediately turned to Kairi. Interestingly, rather than a disappointed reaction, Kairi seemed particularly pleased with Sora's reply. She leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
"And the fact that you can't says more than you ever could," she replied with a grin.
The room began to breath again. Sora blushed and scratched his head in embarrassment.
"Heh. I mean, I sure didn't expect you to come out dressed like this," Sora added. "You look amazing. Really."
Kairi giggled. "Yeah, well I'm not the only one who showed up in an outfit that no one was expecting," she said giving his collar a tug. "After disappearing I didn't expect you back looking like a professional something-or-other."
"Oh!" Hong exclaimed. She rushed forward to Kairi and bowed apologetically. "I'm so sorry about that! It was totally my fault! I just assumed-!"
"It's ok," Kairi insisted. "Vert gave an explanation and, obviously, it turned out to be true."
Hong sighed. "So, no hard feelings?"
"Not with them, at least," Weiss butt in standing right behind the now terrified maid.
"I'm gonna get punished, aren't I?" Hong asked in a barely audible voice.
"Not exactly."
"What does that mean, Madam?" Hong asked, still too afraid to turn around.
"Master Arachnus requested that I choose one of you to perform a task later. I believe you have just volunteered."
"Yes Madam. Absolutely. Totally volunteering."
"I thought so." Weiss walked towards Riku, allowing Hong to sigh in relief. "I trust that the end result of this event is satisfactory."
"Yeah. Everything turned out Ok."
"I am pleased to hear that."
Weiss waved a hand signaling for the three maids to leave. All vanished instantly through individual dark corridors.
"Now then. If you are all quite ready, I shall take you to the master now."
The room suddenly felt of a much more serious tone. Weiss guided them to a particularly large wooden door at the opposite end of the Golden Room. After everyone had entered inside Weiss entered and closed the door behind her. The room was small and dimly lit by florescent lights overhead. Also the room had no other passages leading to it other than the one they had just gone through. Weiss placed her hand on a pad near the door, causing it to momentarily light up. As she removed her hand a whirring sound could be heard and the room began to move. It was at this point that everyone realized they were in an elevator. After a few short moments the elevator stopped. Weiss opened the door to a hallway identical to the one when they first arrived. She led them down the twists and turns of the passage until finally reaching a pitch-black wooden door with a golden frame and a doorknob made of a fist sized black gemstone, similar to the one Kairi wore around her neck. Also, the door was peculiarly concave, extending outward towards them in a semi-circular manner.
"One thing before we enter," Weiss said. "I must insist that after you all enter please stay as close to the door as possible. If the master would like to be closer he will ask you to approach or approach you himself. Also he may not face you immediately. Please be patient."
Before anyone could make a comment or question she opened the door and stepped inside. The rest of the group followed, obeying her instructions as best they could. Weiss closed the door and moved herself to the front of the group.
The room was perfectly circular and everything in the room was designed around that shape. Two red wooden bookshelves rested on either side of the room, built to follow the shape of the curved walls. Across from the door was a red wood desk, also made to follow the contour of the walls, with a single florescent lamp resting on it. In front the desk was the only thing that wasn't circular, a chair. However, calling it simply a chair wouldn't do it justice, as it was more like some elaborately maverick throne. It was made out of a pitch-black wood that extended at least eight feet tall. The design made it look like a black flame, spikes of wood twisting and turning as they rose. The lamp was the only thing lighting the room, and there were no windows.
"Master, the guests are here," Weiss stated. A snap of the fingers was heard and the lamp turned off. With another snap eight torches aligned around the room lit, giving the room a dark and secretive feel. Still, it was brighter than the single lamp.
"You may approach, Weiss," said a mature commanding voice coming from the chair. Rather than taking a dominating tone, the person seemed to be expressing a more lighthearted tone, as if he was particularly amused. The maid did as she was told and stood to the chairs left, turning to face whoever was seated.
"I assume things went well?" he asked.
"There was a small disturbance, but it was easily corrected."
"'A disturbance?' Let me guess. Hong?"
"Yes sir."
The man let out a chuckle. "That girl. I assume you gave her a proper punishment."
Weiss nodded.
"Nothing too harsh, I hope?"
"Not at all. I simply assigned her to the task you asked to have performed."
"Ah, yes. That should work out just fine. She may be a bit of a hassle, but she always does an excellent job in the end. And you? I trust you made our guests comfortable."
"I…" Weiss stopped. She turned to the group by the door and stared for a moment before turning back to the chair and hanging her head. "I do not believe I did an acceptable job. I tried my best, but was unable to engage in 'small talk.'" Weiss bowed apologetically. "Please, forgive me Master."
A hand reached over and gently lifted her chin. "That's all right, my dear. There's no need to feel ashamed. I know you're not a particularly social person. I would never chastise you for that."
"B-But you asked me… You said you expected me to improve my social skills."
"In time, my dear. I asked you to improve but a week ago. I didn't expect a change so soon."
Weiss made no response. She stared at her master, the look of disbelief on her face.
"Please stand, Weiss."
The maid obeyed her master's request. She smiled, subtly but still enough to be noticeable.
"Thank you, Master."
There was a short pause, likely where the man in the chair nodded to her.
"You may step back now."
Weiss nodded and obeyed. At that instant the chair burst into dark flames and disappeared. All that was left was the one who was sitting in it. The figure was now standing, but his back was still turned to the group. Even still, everyone was surprised at what was standing in front of them.
"When Pietro had informed that all of you were arriving, I thought he was lying," the figure commented, still not facing the group. "I was positive that some, if not most of you, would be too suspicious to accept the invitation. Please, allow me to formally reward your trust."
The figure finally turned to face the guests. What shocked them the most was the size and apparent age of the man, or rather boy, that stood before them. His stature was equal to that of Kairi and his build almost nonexistent, possessing small features that were almost feminine. His hair was a dirty blonde color, but it held a noticeable shine and appeared to be very silky despite the fact that it was cut short, barely enough to have bangs down to his thin eyebrows. His head was slightly triangular in shape and his skin was noticeably tan. His eyes were sharp and yet soothing at the same time, and his mouth was formed into a haughty yet still respectful grin. Although there was no doubt his irises would be amber and retain a glow just like everyone else, his deserved special mentioning because of how strong they radiated. If one was to guess his age, they probably would have thought he was barely a teenager. Even more unsettling was that this boy was the source of the mature and adult voice that they had been listening to but moments earlier.
His outfit was peculiar yet regal at the same time. All the colors were such a dark shade that they were almost black, not counting the garments that were black. He wore an indigo coat with coattails that extended from his waist down to his ankles, not that that was a particularly long distance. The coat was kept open showing a red collared shirt underneath, held together by several black buttons. The collar was popped up and it extended a good three inches forward beyond his chin. Around his neck was a black floppy bowtie held together at the center with a silver clip in the shape of spider. His pants were also the same color as his coat and on his feet were black and somewhat pointed dress shoes. On both hands was a black glove with a red spider outline on the back.
"I am Arachnus," stated, "ruler of Nightlife, owner of Silk Tower, and, not to gloat, but I am often considered the face of our kind. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintances, and an honor to have you all here."
"Y-You're Arachnus," Sora stuttered.
"That is what I had just said," replied the boy matter-of-factly.
"But you're kinda-"
Kairi elbowed him gut, cutting him off.
"Shut it!" she said between clenched teeth.
Surprisingly, Arachnus roared with laughter. "I assure you, my dear, that isn't necessary. Speaking of my physical stature or my appearance is not taboo. I would much prefer you all speak freely." He cocked his head to the side. "So you're Sora." Sora nodded in response. "I see the descriptions of you're appearance were fairly accurate."
Sora groaned. "Let me guess, that I looked like a hedgehog?"
"Uh, no I was told-"
"Porcupine then?"
Arachnus raised an eyebrow but made no response.
"Echidna? Cactus? Starfish?"
Arachnus smirked. "Is such a description normal? I was simply told you were a young man with blue eyes and brown spiked hair."
Sora just stared for a moment then hung his head with embarrassment. He had just made a complete fool of himself. Riku did his best to stifle a laugh with little success, Kairi giggled, Donald and Goofy both chuckled and the rest smirked.
"I see that you three are wearing the outfits I prepared," Arachnus stated, changing the subject. "Do you like them?"
"Yeah. They're really something," Riku answered.
"I'm glad to hear it. I designed them myself. If I may say, I think you all look great in them… especially you." On that note he walked over to Kairi, scanning her up and down as he went. "I see Vert took no liberties in preparing you for tonight. You look simply ravishing."
Kairi was caught off guard and wasn't able to respond. "May I?" he asked extending his hand. Kairi hesitated a moment then extended her own. He gently took it, bending over to give the back of her hand a quick kiss. Kairi blushed; She had never been treated like this before. Riku snuck a quick glance at Sora and saw he was slightly flustered by this turn of events. Riku rolled his eyes.
If this turns into a love triangle this whole arrangement can go straight to-
Right then Kairi screamed in terror. Everyone was taken aback, even Arachnus.
"On your shoulder!" she shouted.
Arachnus took a moment to understand what she meant, then looked to his shoulder. On it sat a brown and furry tarantula. Arachnus sighed and chuckled, gently picking up the creature in one hand and stroking it with the other.
"I must apologize," he said. "I spend so much time with my pets I often forget they are not a particularly revered species."
"'Pets?'" Daisy asked, rather disturbed at the thought. At that moment everyone realized where the tower had gotten its name.
"No no! I don't have a problem with spiders," Kairi lied. "I was just surprised is-"
Arachnus held up his free hand and Kairi quieted. "I understand what you are trying to do, but as I said before I would much prefer if you spoke completely candidly. I assure you I will take no offense unless offense was meant." He then turned to the maid. "Weiss, I will be taking them to the conference room now. If you could prepare some tea."
"What kind?" she asked.
"I fancy Earl Grey this afternoon."
She bowed and disappeared through a dark corridor.
"'Afternoon?' But it was dark when we got here," King Mickey stated.
He chuckled. "I see we have much to discuss." He brought the spider closer to him and began speaking to it. "I have to go now, Marion. Go back to your brothers and sisters. He raised his hand and the spider as high into the air as he could. The creature let out a single thread and jumped towards the ceiling. The group's gaze followed it and then froze. Above them, the entire time, was a massive funnel web on the walls, leading upward far beyond where they could see. Within it where thousands of spiders of all shapes and sizes. If that wasn't enough beyond the darkness there were eight yellow eyes glowing at them, each the size of a fist. The only comfort that could be found in the situation was that the no doubt massive creature was so far above them that the torchlight did not reach it.
"If you'll follow me, please," Arachnus said, managing to slip by the group and open the door while everyone else flabbergasted. "I believe you'll find the conference room to be much more to your liking."
He began the walk down the hallways and everyone immediately followed without a word, more than happy to exit the room. The door closed by itself behind them, startling the group for a moment before they continued. Once they had caught up to the peculiar lord he opened the door to their destination. The room was similar in color and style to the hallways that led the guest rooms. The room was painted the same green color and was lit in a similar manner. In the center of the room was a long rectangular wooden table with enough chairs to sit everyone present and more. In front of one of the edge seats was a cup of tea. Arachnus quickly sat himself down and took a sip. After a content sigh he asked everyone to take a seats.
"Would anyone else like some?" he asked, motioning to the cup. They all shook their heads and promptly seated themselves. "Very well. Now rather than simply listen to me ramble on and on… any questions?"
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
20 pages. 20. FIRCKIN'. PAGES. HOLY SHIT. Man… Five character introductions, so many unique different settings, costume changes, and that's just for starters! To think, if I wrote this the way I wanted to I would be merging with the next chapter, adding a good ten pages at the very least! Still, I'll admit, this was fun.
I'll admit I wasn't using all my free time to finish this since my last update almost four months ago. I know that kind of thing is expected over summer vacation, but I got REALLY distracted. What do I mean? I mean over the course of this time I beat Final Fantasy I and II: Dawn of Souls for the Gameboy Advanced, Final Fantasy III for the DS and I've been playing God of War 2 (on Titan Mode) and Punch-Out! for the Wii. However, my time playing these games wasn't completely unproductive. If anyone wants an in depth review of FF I head to my deviantart page (I go by the same name there as I do here).
First of all, about the title. This is me running out of ideas and resorting to make a lame joke. Hopefully we'll never see this again (unless you maybe got a chuckle out of it).
A personal shout out to kingdommad, BlackRose2009, and for not only giving me a review a review on my story so far but also adding it to each of their respective KH communities. Even though I asked, it still feels good. Unfortunately you won't be able to find them immediately because you'll first have to change the fiction rating to either "all" or "M." (Also, BlackRose, yes I would be more than happy to be part of your staff. Just don't expect a lot very soon).
Anyway, about the outfits. I tried my best but my descriptions may have not been adequate enough, so here's a brief description of where I got the ideas from:
All the maids: Basically every sexy French maid outfit out there. The difference being that there's no cleavage showing and the skirts are long enough that it makes it rather difficult to get a panty shot (I'm sure the girls appreciate that).
Sora: I wanted something that Sora probably never would've worn in a million year because he is, at heart, a beach bum. To this end I wanted to class him up as much as possible. I wanted to give him more imperial styled outfit but I couldn't find a picture of what I was looking for to save my life. Instead, I went more along the lines of a Marine evening wear (the kind of outfit you see in all those commercials) minus the hat, sword, and medals.
Riku: Zoot suit. 'Nough said. If you don't know what that is look at the Jim Carrey movie The Mask (if you've never seen it, boy are you missing out).
Kairi: Let's be honest here, Kairi is adorable. Everything about her screams "cute," and yet she's one of the Princesses of Heart. So I figured "why not make her look like a princess?"
Arachnus: This outfit kinda came to as I was writing it but there were three things I knew I wanted from the start. 1. A floppy bowtie (yes that is actually the official name for that style. It's from the Victorian era. Look it up). 2. Gloves with spiders on them. 3. Some kind of coat. The exaggerated collar, the coattails, and the color all came on the fly. If I had to site my main inspiration, I'd have to point to Alucard from Hellsing.
Anyway, for those of you looking for action I'll say right now you won't see anything of the sort for at least five more chapters. For those of you who want drama, romance, comedy, and even some slight sexual content (M rated people) stay tuned. You won't be disappointed (unless I just happen to lose all my skill as a writer during that time).
