Bit late posting this, I spent most of today attempting to sleep off a migraine.
Ky is so much fun to write.
I've included visual references to each character's new outfits (or at least the closest thing to what I'm envisioning, anyway), just to give everyone a basic idea of what the gang looks like now. As a general rule, removing any ornamentation on the pictures presented is probably the best choice, as I'm not a fan of overly elaborate costumes. For Ky's, lose the mask, turn the blue to orange and the silver to a navy blue.
[spoiler]
Outside the Temple of the Frog, approximately one year after the destruction of the HalcyonXhai threw an arm over his face as he stepped out into the early morning sunlight. He'd gotten used to his enhanced, Raptor-like eyesight a while ago, but his newfound sensitivity to bright lights was proving to be something of an irritation. The tails of his
jacket rustled as a light breeze caught them, and after another moment's hesitation, he slowly lowered his arm and blinked the last of the sunspots from his eyes.
"Has it really only been a year? It feels like a lifetime since...."He stared at his hand, still not quite able to wrap his head around the fact that his bones were
hollow now. If he was being honest, it was this that bothered him the most out of everything that'd happened since Shani had dragged his practically comatose body out of the wreckage of the
Halcyon and brought him back here. Since that day, so much had changed. He'd initially fallen into a deep depression once he'd been made to acknowledge the events of that day, and it was only when the high-ranking Visions at the Temple had all-but forced him to remember his old, pre-Xhai life that he'd made any progress on putting himself back together. He'd lost his cybernetics, and his scythe...and most of his friends, too. Physically, he was probably in the best shape of his life. While his body hadn't gone through the same drastic changes that it otherwise would've done, courtesy of his artificial body at the time, he was flesh-and-blood again.
Whole. That he was faster and more agile than before was just a bonus, and his newfound -rediscovered, he had to remind himself- ability to manipulate the air around him had been a change he'd admit he'd not welcomed at first. He'd relished being able to charge into battle and simply swing away until it was over. But, that was then. He was more fragile now, and had to fight more with his head than his heart, using his powers, his
gift from a long forgotten deity, to compensate for his lack of strength and durability.
"Honestly, I'd probably have never coped if Shani and the others hadn't been around to help me...."He'd readily admit that it was the presence of his friends, those who he knew had survived anyway, that had kept him sane while he rediscovered himself. Saden and Leo had suffered just as big a system shock as he had when their curses had been lifted. Saden in particular had a great deal of trouble acclimatising herself to the fact that she was
alive again. Things like remembering to eat, and sleep, and generally take care of herself, all things she'd forgotten or stopped caring about when she'd been resurrected as a zombie all those centuries ago. Leo, too, had changed. That her curse was lifted before her sword was restored meant she'd had the opportunity to pass on, to finally achieve the peace she'd more than earnt. That she'd chosen to
stay, to bond herself to Saden despite knowing she'd never find rest until the day her comrade fell in battle, meant more to Xhai than he could put into words. He only hoped he was still capable of returning the loyalty she'd shown in choosing to remain at his side. His carefree, nonchalant attitude was long gone now, replaced by a burning rage that he'd had to work extremely hard to keep in check. Shani had been a godsend in helping with that, not just because of the calming aura she emitted simply by existing.
"Heh....I'd be lost without her...."He'd had his doubts about her when they'd first met, when she'd snuck into his room and basically started stalking him. Since then, though, they'd spent pretty much every moment of every day together, and they'd become...close. There was no intimacy between them (even though they'd both privately consider taking that extra step), but all that time, both then and over the last year when she'd helped him get a grip on his new body and mindset, had definitely changed their dynamic. He felt more comfortable being himself around her, and she had reciprocated that, to the point where she'd even made a concerted effort to be friendlier to her other allies.
And Ky.....
Xhai shuddered. He tried not to think about Ky.
A series of awkwardly timed thudding sounds signalled the approach of his closest friend among the group. Shani's unique method of travel had gotten her some strange looks from the others, and he'd admit that he'd found it a little unsettling at first, but now it was just part of who she was, just a quirk. Like Saden's seeming inability to get angry, or Ky's inability to pass anything with breasts without trying to hit on it. He was interrupted from his musings by the back-to-back sounds of a wet slap and a muffled squeak. Opting not to turn around, he instead called over his shoulder "I might've gotten used to that, but it's still creepy as hell, y'know?"
Shani hopped past him and turned to meet his gaze, a sheepish grin on her face. "Sorry about that....I had to skip breakfast to make sure I had everything. And, well...." She stopped to wipe her mouth with the back of her
sleeve.Xhai held a hand up. "It's fine, really." He smiled. "You still have better table manners than some people I could mention." It was that point he spotted the travel bag hanging across her back, over her rifle. "So, how many bottles are you carrying?"
She tilted her head, mentally totting up the numbers. "20, I think. You know where we're headed, but I don't wanna risk drying out before we get there."
Xhai nodded. "Fair enough. Were the others far behind you?"
Before Shani could respond, another voice drifted down the entryway to reach their ears.
"....C'mon, babe. I'm wearing armour,
you're wearing armour. We're practically
made for each other!"
Saden strode past the the two, her expression unreadable. Catching herself before she went too far, she returned to them and pinched the bridge of her nose in one
gauntleted hand, a note of frustration creeping into her tone.
"I hate to ask this, but could either of you convince that idiot to stop flirting with me before Leo tries to kill him?"
Ky had already joined the group by this point, and his head ticked to the side at Saden's question, as though something had just occured to him. "Leo? Oh, that's right, there's
two of you in there....Wait, would that technically make it a three-way?" He grinned, and turned to Shani. "You want in on this, too? I've always wondered what else you can do with your tongue."
Saden's hand twitched towards Leo's sword, sheathed at her side, and Shani responded with a flat look before meeting Xhai's bemused gaze. "Can I shoot him? Please?"
Xhai made a show of considering it, even as Ky's expression changed to one of mild panic. After a moment, he shook his head. "Sadly, I'm going to have to say no. He has his uses, though I'm damned if I know what they actually are."
Ky shot him a toothy grin and a thumbs up. "' 'Atta Bro! I knew you'd see things my way."
Xhai shrugged. "Never said that. Just said you're more useful alive right now." He took a deep breath to compose himself, Ky's antics having briefly distracted him from the matter at hand. "Right. Everyone ready?"
Shani and Saden both nodded, though Ky looked a little uncomfortable. "I
may have been a little distracted at your little strategy meeting last night. What are we doing now?"
Xhai blinked. He'd expected that response, but even so....
"Okay, just so
everyone-" He shot a pointed look at Ky, who was too busy admiring his reflection in one of his
armguards to notice "-is on the same page, I'm going to go over the plan again. We all want to pay DrWilyII back for everything he's done, but that isn't important right now. I....I know, somehow, that our friends are still alive, and we
will find them. So, the first thing we're going to do is head to the small town on the edge of the desert. From there, we get a train to RPM City, find a place to call home, and start looking for leads. We find our friends, and THEN-" He gave a humourless smile "-THEN, we start finding ways to make that bastard regret the day he decided to [tornado fang] with us.
Nobody hurts the people I care about and lives...!"
It was Shani's hand on his arm that forced him to calm down. "It's okay, Xhai. We get it. We're
all pissed off about what happened....some moreso than others. We're with you all the way."
Saden nodded, Leo's voice echoing alongside her own. "Agreed. That madman WILL repent for his evil, and we won't consider stopping until he has."
Ky chipped in "Hey, ah, not to....ruin the mood, or anything, but what happens if we run into Typhon or Luna?"
The group fell quiet at that, and a gloomy silence pervaded the air until Xhai spoke up again, his voice calm once more. "I'd hope they'd be willing to talk, but we'll cross that bridge if and when we get to it."
Ky shrugged. " 'Kay. I get first crack at Big Red, though. Got some stuff to say to him."
Xhai nodded. "Fair enough. Let's get moving, shall we? If we make good time, we can be in town by nightfall."
With that, the group set off, eager to grasp the future with both hands.
Luna yawned as she staggered into the mess hall. Typhon looked up from the card-game he'd been playing with Aile-bots #22 and #24. "Tired?"
Luna shook her head. "No, I slept fine. I just.....you ever get the feeling you're forgetting something REALLY important?"
Typhon nodded. "All the time. I really should be more consistent with my resupply periods."
Shaking her head, Luna frowned. "That's not what I meant.....mm, y'know what? Forget it, it's probably nothing major anyway."[/spoiler]