They were in their room, each on their own respective beds. Terra was laying down facing the ceiling and Ven was sitting down, throwing a ball against the wall. Aqua was sitting down as well, watching as Ven's ball rebounded and returned to his hands.
"How should I know," Aqua sighed, "There's nothing to do around her--"
She was cut off by a muffled ringing sound in the room. A phone. Aqua and Ven looked at Terra, who was scrambling around inside his pocket for his cell. He found it, flipped it out and open, and placed it to his ear.
"Mhm...yea...alright." Terra conversed.
He flipped shut his cell and placed it back in his pocket. He stood up, gaining Aqua and Ven's attention.
"They want to see us at briefing," He announced, "Didn't say what it was about."
Aqua's eyes dimmed. She knew something was wrong, it was not normal to be calling for a mission briefing this early in the morning. She could sense Terra felt the same. In complete contrast to the both of them, Ven's eyes lit up.
"Briefing?" He exclaimed, "That must mean they're going to send us on a mission!"
Terra nodded at Ven and headed for the door. Aqua followed behind him, motioning for Ven to tag along behind her.
--
As they walked down the hallway, there was an awkward silence between the three. Ven had realized that Terra and Aqua were sensing the worst, and his voice spoke in disappointment.
"This isn't good, is it?" He groaned.
Terra and Aqua both nodded silently. Aqua put her arm around Ven's shoulder, comforting him. She thought she was over exaggerating by doing so, but it seemed to make him happy.
They reached the briefing room quickly. The entrance was rather nice, a large door with a single golden handle. The handle was carved into an intricate keyblade, providing a visual treat as you entered. Terra grasped his hand around the handle and pried the door open, allowing Aqua and Ven to enter before him. He followed close behind.
The briefing room wasn't anything special. It was one of the more dull rooms in the temple, with blan colored walls and no windows to be seen. In the middle of the room a long black table extended from one wall to the other, and chairs were evenly spaced along the sides of it. Too large, glorified chairs stood at each end. At the far end of the table, a man sat comfortably in one of the large chairs. He was wearing a uniform similar to Terra's. His hair was jet black and combed back and a nonchalant look covered his face.
"Welcome." The man greeted them. His voice was monotone.
Terra, Aqua, and Ven each took a bow of respect. The man nodded in appreciation.
"Please, sit down." He ordered.
The three migrated over to the chairs on the side on the table. They each slid a chair out from under, sat down, and them scooted themselves back in. Aqua kept her arms on her lap, while giving a polite smile to the man. Ven looked down at the ground, twiddling his thumbs at his knees. Terra folded his arms over the table and looked at the man with a serious face.
"Why have we been requested?" Terra questioned, a slight annoyance in his voice.
The man tilted his head sideways, resting it on his hand. He focused on Terra.
"You act as if this is not an honor, Terra," The man accused, "To be given such a mission as I am about to bestow, you should be glad."
Upon hearing the word 'mission', Ven raised his head in interest and turned to look at the man.
He exclaimed, "What kind of mission?"
"Settle down, Ven." Aqua whispered.
"No, no," The man interjected, "It is good that he is excited. That is just the type of attitude I expected from all of you."
He shot a glare at Terra. Terra turned his head away in shame, bestowing an awkward silence on the room.
"If I may ask, sir," Aqua began, interrupting the silence, "Just what is our task to be done?"
The man directed his gaze from Terra to Aqua.
"I am glad you have asked, Aqua," He answered, "Your task is one of utmost importance. Master Xehanort, you may know him, and his apprentice have suddenly dropped out of contact with us. We have no knowledge of his whereabouts, nor of what he is doing.
The man placed his elbows on top of the table and folded his hands together.
"While it may be a simple search party mission, we advise that you proceed with caution, as the truth of Xehanort's disappearance may define a larger problem. Understand?"
The three nodded. While Ven couldn't sit still with excitement, Aqua and Terra looked at each other in dismay. They both agreed mentally that the man wasn't telling them the whole truth about the scenario.
The man continued, "While I was hesitant to assign this particular message to you three, your Master heavily suggested that I do s--"
"You've heard from our Master?" Terra cut him off, "What news of him do you hold?"
The man paused for a moment, insulted by Terra's interruption. Regardless, he answered his question.
"You're master," He replied, "Was last heard from in the Enchanted Kingdom, consulting with the residents there about classified information."
Aqua thought about questioning what the information was, but saw it was for the best not to.
Instead, she asked, "When are we to leave on our mission?"
The man pulled some papers from his pocket, reviewing them.
"'Terra --, Aqua --, and Ventus -- have been confirmed for departure on Mission #299234 as of the 4th day of Eversun,'" He read from a piece of yellow paper, "'Said participants are to depart promptly on the 5th of Eversun at 1300."
Terra, Aqua, and Ven all turned at the same time to look at the clock that rested on blank wall behind the man. 1200. They were to leave in one hour.
They reached the briefing room quickly. The entrance was rather nice, a large door with a single golden handle. The handle was carved into an intricate keyblade, providing a visual treat as you entered. Terra grasped his hand around the handle and pried the door open, allowing Aqua and Ven to enter before him. He followed close behind.