A Wizard's Request... (Twilight, Merlin)

[Mizan Asim]

((OOC: Sorry I'm late with this, I'm at my parent's house for Christmas and don't have much free time.))

Mizan yawned as he watched the gates into the city swing open. He had to admit, walking through them was a lot better than climbing over them. Until he recently joined the RGRC, that had been his only entrance into the city. Sometimes living in a gummi ship was a bit problematic, but at least it was free.

Mizan walked through and smirked when he checked his watch. He still had plenty of time to get to Merlin's house, where his first mission awaited. He supposedly had a partner on this one, someone outside the RGRC that the higher-ups thought would be helpful. Mizan took all the help he could, and would try his best to get along with his partner.

Continuing his leisurely pace, Mizan soon found himself outside Merlin's. Frowning, he checked his watch; he still had thirty minutes. Sighing, Mizan sat down against the wall beside the wizard's house, preparing to wait until his partner arrived or the thirty minutes had passed.

He should have brought a book.

[Twilight]

Kiwi had been a little frustrated when the shopkeep had neglected to give him more detailed directions, but it helped that there was only one eccentric old wizard living in Radiant Garden. Seeing the new construction around town was a little off-putting for him. He hadn't been to Hollow Bastion since before it had been reclaimed by its citizens about a year or so before; the last and only time he'd visited the world, it had been overrun by Heartless, to the point that he'd been forced to retreat after only a few hours, giving it up as a lost cause. He still wasn't sure why it had been such a stronghold for them, or how they'd been apparently driven out for the most part.

Still, he could hardly complain. He was looking for munny at the moment, not answers - or at least, indirectly, a place to stay and a meal ticket, for the time being. When he'd run out of work to keep up his tiny broom closet of a room in the Traverse Town hotel, the inkeeper had mentioned that there was a group looking for able bodies in the newly-resurrected city. And so he'd managed to squeeze one more trip out of the battered old Alpha, finding himself approaching a rather innocuous-looking door. He'd seen a wizard's house before in Traverse Town - briefly he wondered if the two were related - and was a bit disappointed by how mundane this one seemed by comparison, built in the same relatively simple style as the rest of the buildings crammed up against it.

Someone was already waiting by what he hoped was the right door, a man - no, by his youthful face he couldn't have been much older than Kiwi himself - who towered over the pale-eyed boy; the huge sword strapped over his shoulder left little question that, no matter his age, this was a warrior.

Kiwi hesitated, then pulled back his hood and slipped his hands back into his pockets, letting his expression fall into one of casual boredom, his voice carefully neutral until he could get a feel for this stranger. "Am I late?" He certainly hoped not. Way to make a good first impression. Unfortunately Kiwi had found long ago that messing with time magic tended to have strange effects on nearby timepieces, and had never gotten into the habit of wearing one.

[Mizan Asim]

Mizan never was one to stay in one place for very long, so he soon stood and leaned against the wall. Not much later a teen about as old as Mizan rounded the corner. The way he moved suggested that he was a speed type fighter, befitting his size. He hesitated, as if surprised to see Mizan, then removed his hood. Mizan had never seen light green hair before, but this hardly fazed him.

What did catch him off guard, though he did not show it, was the teen's eyes. His eyes showed many battles, many losses, and many hardships. It came as no surprise that, when the teen asked if he was late, his voice was emotionless and distant. Clearly he had lost someone dear to him, and kept away from others to prevent a possible repeat. The similarities between Mizan and this stranger were glaringly obvious.

It was then that Mizan realized that this teen must be his partner. He also had asked a question. Mizan checked his watch; it was still 5 minutes before the meeting time. He decided to be as friendly as possible, so his new comrade could be more comfortable. "Nope, you actually got here early. I'm Mizan Talec, formerly of Calderat, now a member of the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee. It looks like we're partners." He held out his hand in greeting.

[Twilight]

"Call me Kiwi." He didn't elaborate further, but at least this Mizan didn't seem to be the surly sort. The silent brooding hero type could get a little annoying to deal with sometimes. "Ah, partners..?" Kiwi raised an eyebrow. "Sorry, you've got me at a bit of a disadvantage, Mizan Talec. I was just told I could find work here; I didn't really get any details. What's this... restoration committee?" Although from the name, he could make a fairly reasonable guess. He hadn't heard of Calderat, and wasn't sure if the boy was referring to a world, city, or organization.

[Mizan Asim]

"Just Mizan, please. Sorry about the confusion, I thought Merlin explained things to you, also. The Radiant Garden Restoration Committee, or RGRC, is a group devoted to bringing this world back to its former glory, as well as protecting it and any friendly worlds from the Heartless. I just wish my world had known about them."

Mizan's eyes darkened as he remembered his destroyed home, but he continued nonetheless. "Having just joined up myself, that's all I really know. I just needed a source of income and the chance to help people is a nice bonus. I don't even know what type of job we'll be doing, though it will most likely involve fighting. Whatever it is he wants done, he believes will be easier with two people, so we were chosen."

Mizan glanced over at Merlin's door, then at his watch. The watch had somehow stopped, so he put it in his jacket pocket. "The time should be up, so I'll go ahead and knock." He walked over and did just that.

"Could be a bit before he answers, so I'd make myself comfortable." With that, Mizan returned to leaning on the wall.

[Twilight]

Kiwi supposed he should have expected a wizard to have the foresight to know he was coming. "I look forward to working with you then, Mizan. So you've met Merlin before?" he continued as they waited for someone to answer. "Any idea if this job will involve combat?" It seemed likely, if two of them were needed. Kiwi didn't relish fighting - he avoided it when possible, though that was rarely the case with the Heartless still rampant - but he was always prepared for it.

Kiwi had yet to see Heartless in Radiant Garden, but he could sense their ever-present darkness at the edges of his perception. They might not have been numerous on this world anymore, or at least not around the town itself, but they certainly hadn't deserted it. The townsfolk didn't seem too nervous about the threat of attack, and he'd heard something about a security system, but Kiwi kept himself alert all the same. As Mizan replied, his half-lidded eyes were searching the nearby alleys and rooftops for possible angles of ambush or escape. It had become such a habit that he hardly noticed he was doing it anymore.

[Mizan Asim]

Mizan nodded once to Kiwi's first question. "Yeah, I've met him once before, when I joined the RGRC. I don't know too much about him though. As to whether combat will be involved," Mizan shrugged here, "I'm a warrior and a pilot, so it's either fighting, something off-world, or both."

He noticed the way Kiwi's eyes moved across the surrounding area. Most likely this was a habit for him, as he didn't seem to notice what he was doing. Mizan had done the same before he got familiar with Radiant Garden, and still did it when he entered a new world. "Know the area" was one of the first things a warrior learned for themselves.

Mizan checked his watch again. He was becoming restless, having stood there for 30 minutes. From what Mizan had heard of Merlin, he was fond of showing up exactly on time - usually with a bang - and two minutes still remained. Mizan hoped what he heard was right.

[Twilight]

((Quick question: Is your character's name pronounced My-zan, Mih-zan, or Mee-zan?))

Kiwi had been worried about this job taking him off-world; that Mizan proclaimed himself to be a pilot took a significant weight off his shoulders. He shrugged at the boy's comment. "They might just need a strong back and a vessel to move some equipment or supplies around. You've got your own ship?" Hopefully they wouldn't be forced to use the Alpha. Even in more capable hands, he had doubts about whether it would survive another takeoff, let alone the landing.

[Mizan Asim]

((It's pronounced Mee-zan.))

Mizan returned his companion's shrug. "Maybe, although you'd think Merlin would just teleport it there. Yeah, I've got a ship. She's called the Alyson, and she's build for speed and combat." Now very bored, Mizan sat down and leaned against the wall casually. He hated waiting.

[Twilight]

Years of honing mental discipline had granted Kiwi a decent well of patience, but he could tell Mizan was starting to get a little restless as Merlin still hadn't made an appearance.

"Wizards are known to be pretty eccentric. Do you think it's possible he's forgotten about us? Maybe we should just... go inside?" he muttered uncertainly.

[Merlin the Wizard]

(I'M REALLY SORRY FOR THE DELAY! I saw that Mizan knew why I was gone for a while, but the reason why I'm just now posting is I had makeup work to do, and other places that had stuff needing to be done, with not a lot of desire to post rp wise.)

Merlin was late. He hated being late, it made him look bad. The reason for his lateness was not his fault however, as he had been attacked by Heartless. If it wasn't for the Claymores he doubted he would've been able to defeat them all. How he hated Heartless.

A cloud of smoke appeared in front of the two waiting men, and once it dispersed, the old magician was standing before them.

"Sorry I'm late my boys, but those confounded Heartless attacked me while I was readying something for Leon." Merlin muttered something to himself and then continued.

"Ah yes, I suppose you are wondering just why you are here. Well there's a simple explanation for that." He looked the two over. They were both a bit young in his eyes, but they had a certain feel to them that caused Merlin to dismiss his reconsidering hiring these two for the task he was about to face.

"I am supposed to fix the whole in the bailey wall, and I need some strapping young lads much like yourselves to keep those infernal Heartless, and the occasional Nobody or two off me while I use my magic." He pulled out his wand.

"Now then my boys, what do you say?"

[Mizan Asim]

Just as Mizan was about to answer Kiwi, Merlin finally made his apperance in his usual flashy way. Mizan immediately stood up, all impatience gone. He noddded as Merlin explained what he wanted. It didn't involve piloting, but there was some fighting to be had.

When the wizard was finished, Mizan took one step foward. "I'm ready, when do we start?"

[Twilight]

Merlin certainly looked the part of a wizened old sage, but his demeanor was almost childlike in his enthusiasm. Kiwi nodded, his voice serious. "I'm up for it." Though he wasn't sure what a 'bailey' was. Or for that matter why Merlin was just as worried about people of no consequence as he was about Heartless. The way he'd said it, it was almost as if it'd been with a capital N. He'd have to ask the wizard what he'd meant later. "Ready to go when you are."

[Merlin the Wizard]

(Sorry about the delay, I've been fairly busy)

Merlin waved his wand, and the three disappeared. Moments later they reappeared in the Bailey, and Merlin made his way to the whole in the wall.

"Come now, we haven't a moment to waste!" As he said this he pointed his wand, and cast a spell. Bricks one by one began to slowly float up and reassemble themselves in their original place.

But now they were not alone. Twenty Heartless had begun to make their way into the area.

[Twilight]

((What kind of Heartless are we facing here? Just Shadows?))

Kiwi was unfazed by the sudden teleportation - a common enough way to get around on Omega - but was dismayed when a small horde of Heartless made an almost immediate appearance; he'd been hoping for a little time to prepare defenses. Raising his arms, he let his shadow swirl to life underneath him, wisps flicking up at random. Glowing blue runes spun around his outstretched fingers, forming into the shape of a clock face; larger symbols mirrored them on the ground at the head of the advancing swarm.

"Slowra!" At his spoken command, there was a flash as the magic took hold, reducing the half-dozen Heartless caught in his spell to a crawl and breaking up the horde as the stragglers had to push past their suddenly sluggish fellows. He glanced at his new partner. "They're all yours, Mizan!" He remained close to Merlin's side, prepared to keep the swordsman from getting overwhelmed and fend off anything that got past him.