Is it always Halloween? (Yuber/open)

[angelous]

(Leaving this open so that others may join if they want, hope that's alright.)

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GUYS!" a man in his newfound outfit (he had changed into something much more sinister looking. He was a monster. He got to the fountain, and looked into as he was gasping for breath, and screamed again. His clothes had become scales, and his eyes were red. His teeth had all become razor sharp, and pointed, and well, his shoes were gone, and his feet were now red and webbed.

"AAAAHHH!" He took off running once more.

"SOMEBODY TELL ME I'VE LOST MY SANITY!"

As frightened as Cado was, him being no longer sane was the only explanation for all of this.

[seraph]

"Thanks for the help...not that you gave any..." the young man retorted at the peculiar man entangled among countless bandages. Pulling a slightly annoyed face, the blonde haired man turned on his heel and walked off in the opposite direction. "This place is different...to put it nicely" he said to himself whilst prodding a loose wispy spider web that dangled in front of him. He had tried to find his way to the graveyard yet was having no luck whatsoever. His usual attire was absent leaving him with a different 'style' of clothing. Clovis left arm was wrapped all in barbed wire, apparently harmless as the fake blood that was smeared all across the extremity.

His hair had been slicked back and had a darker shade to it than its usual golden colour. On his right shoulder blade there was a small dagger identical to his own stuck beneath his flesh. Of course this was accompanied by some more fake blood. An eye patch covered his left eye, which was a bit of an annoyance to his vision but he would have to live with it. Every time he took it off and left it somewhere it reappeared covering his eye once again as soon as he blinked. Mingling with the locals he had learned from a rather unsightly old woman that this town is always in a constant state of Halloween which is why visitors wardrobe was revamped upon entering this dark and dreary place.

Now back at the nexus of the town, he examined his surroundings some more. There were a few people around but nothing out of the ordinary that struck his immediate attention. At least not yet anyway. After hearing a few frightful screams to his left, his piercing blue eyes ( dulled by the worlds 'curse' ) glanced to find its source. Sure enough there was a young boy, about sixteen, no seventeen, running around scared to death. He did look like it. "I don't get these locals..." he muttered to himself shaking his head. An amused smile spread across his face that combined with the new found pale-ness of his face, looked slightly sinister. "I'd say you never had some sanity if I'm honest" Clovis remarked as Cado walked past him. All the while he stood there with a ridiculous grin on his face entertained by the whole scene.

[angelous]

Someone had replied to him. So Cado stopped in his tracks, and blinked. He turned around and saw another man whom he thought was roughly his age, and walked up to him. He just about jumped after seeing the barb wire on his arm.

"Hey! I'm quite sane! I'm just freaking out because I didn't look like this before I got here!" He looked Clovis over. And he did this by walking around the guy and looking at his outfit. A dagger in the back, dark blonde hair, an eyepatch. Lots of blood, which he assumed was real. He stopped in front of Clovis and stepped back.

"So are you supposed to be some sort of zombie pirate? Cause if that's the case, you need more of both. Where are the stitches, the pale blue-green skin? The parrot of the undead variety?" He laughed. "Sure are the silliest zombie pirate I've ever seen." He sat down on a nearby bench.

"And if you call me a merman or a sea serpent I'll, umm... punch you? Yeah that's what I'll do! I'll punch you!" He hoped the guy wouldn't take his jokes personally. Because the last time someone did, he ended up running from them. Maybe he shouldn't have said he looked more like the bride of Dracula then Dracula himself.

"By the way, I'm Cado."

[seraph]

His grin only intensified with each passing word that escaped Cado's mouth. Folding his arms, carefully avoiding direct contact with the barb wire coating his left arm laying it across the opposite extremity. However his grin was wiped clean from his face with the mention of being a zombie pirate. He tried to interject once, twice, and a third time before finally giving up. Each time he held up his left hand as a way to try to stop Cado from speaking. "He loves the sound of his own voice...as if I can talk" he thought to himself with a bewildered expression slapped across his face.

With a little frustration in his ice blue eyes, he glared at his new acquaintance as he sat down on the bench not moving any other part of his body. A few moments of quiet passed other than the background chatter of others present in the square. "Zombie pirate?" he repeated with disbelief lining his words. "I've been called a few things but..." he muttered to himself as folded his arms. A confused look was now on his face as he examined his new attire. After several more seconds he shook his head shrugged his shoulders and it was gone from memory.

Cado now opened his mouth once again, trying to be threatening to the synthesis collector but epically failing in every aspect. "Whatever..." he said in his mind with an amused tone to his usual dull 'self' voice. Next the younger lad introduced himself as Cado. Not a great name or a bad one in Clovis' eyes but he didn't really care much for names anyway. Quite coldly he simply said his name "Clovis" and then looked away as if trying to locate someone or something. Few seconds of staring went by before he turned back to the teen. "Since we've got the formalities over and done with, you wouldn't happen to know where the Graveyard is...Mermaid?" he added with a cheeky smile looking Cado up and down. He had a nack to be annoying at times.

[angelous]

Now Cado had told the guy that he'd punch him if he made any sort of merman or sea serpent comment, but he grinned when Clovis made the mermaid remark.

"Clovis? Well I think I like you Clovis! Most people would'a gotten mad at me or shut their mouths after being threatened, but you didn't." He laughed. "In fact you even found a loophole with what I said. I never said I would hit ya for calling me a mermaid!" He laughed some more, and eventually ended up clutching his sides. Once he recovered he stood up (for during his laughter episode he had fallen down, and was rolling around), and dusted himself off. He held out his hand, and quickly gave Clovis a thumbs up. He winked and then replied.

"Sure I do! It's umm. Umm..."

Ah damn it why can't I remember? I know I passed it while I was running around screaming. Better hurry up and just start walking or he might get mad.

He jumped in excitement. He wasn't sure this was the way to go, but boy he was going to try it. He turned around and started to run. He was headed back the way he had came. Mom always said, get lost in a town just retrace your footsteps. Hopefully she was right.

"This way!"

[seraph]

Confusion was clearly evident upon Clovis face as her watched the young man fall to the ground laughing a little too much. Cocking his head slowly to one side whilst raising an eyebrow he couldn't help but wonder if this person was truly all there in the mind department. "This guy has issues..." he thought to himself. Almost as quickly as that laughing fit began it was gone and it appeared Cado had returned to his normal self once again, if he truly was 'normal'. However with the thumbs up from the lad the unease in Clovis' heart was put to rest and he simply shrugged it off...like he always did.

With a little grunt of amusement he quietly said "Thanks kid" and followed him as he trotted off. The blonde man was only about 3 or four steps behind Cado who seemed to be going rather quickly for his liking as he soon broke into a run. "Hey!" he uttered mainly to himself as he too broke into a swift jog in order to keep up. Now he found himself wondering why the hell he had even asked for directions. This guy clearly seemed to be off the handle if he ever held onto it.

Increasing his speed a little bit, Clovis rather loudly asked "Can we stop running?" in a somewhat aggressive manner. This was purely down to the fact he despised putting an effort into anything save a task that meant something personally. Regardless of whether Cado decided to stop or not, Clovis did exactly that. He slowed down into a walk albeit a brisk one. Although he could tell this kid had alot of enthusiasm for...whatever it was he was doing, he knew due to his earlier antics that he wasn't from this world. "So...your not from around here either?" he asked in a more friendly manner than his last sentence. If the kid happened to be near or far he didn't seem to care either way as it was an average volume of speech.

[angelous]

Cado stopped, but it wasn't until after Clovis had begun to walk, and had asked about where Cado was from.

"No I'm not. I'm from Twilight Town." Cado had looked around, and sure enough, the gate to the graveyard was about ten feet away from him. He smiled, and jumped into the air, fist raised.

"Wohoo! I was right!" He gave Clovis a thumb's up, smiled again, then pointed at the Graveyard.

"Not that it's any of my business, but what are you doing here?" Cado frowned. Sure the guy was becoming his friend, but he probably wouldn't tell Clovis the truth, or rather the whole truth should he ask why Cado was here. It was all because of HIM. Why couldn't HE have stayed away that day? If Cado ever found HIM, he'd ask. But for now, he was traveling with Clovis.

(Yes, yes, I'm hinting at something. If you want more of an idea, check Cado's history, first sentence. I'm trying to incorporate the beginnings of his character plot.)

[seraph]

It would appear that Cado had heard him clearly as he too stopped his running soon after. Clovis, with an almost unnoticeable increase in his breathing, stood still in his usual stance with his arms folded. There was a chilly breeze present as the pair of them were now out in a more exposed place. In the distance the pale light of the moon was illuminating the purple path before them. Upon the boy's response the ice eyed man could not help but tilt his head as his brain began firing off synapses. "Twilight Town? Could be a Nobody. Well he doesn't seem like one..." he thought to himself.

Sub-consciously he prepared himself should the worst happen and Cado turned on him. However that event seemed highly unlikely judging from the lads reaction once gazing upon the Graveyard. A slight sense of embarrassment came over Clovis after witnessing Cado's little victory 'dance'. However he owed the kid thanks for showing him the way. Now as a reward for his guidance he apparently wanted answers to a question of his. "Well, I'm looking for a certain...item" he began choosing his next words carefully. He had no idea of this boys intentions which for some reason was beginning to bother him. Clovis senses something didn't feel right, the air was stagnant but not in the dirty sense.

However unable to arrive to a conclusion to this sensation he shrugged it off...again. Regaining his composure he took a few steps towards the graveyard. "Thanks for leading me here" he uttured with a grateful nod. Then he began to walk to the gates of the burial site. This feeling returned to him again however and he could no longer resist the temptation to ask. "Any particular reason your here?" he asked in a cautious manner, arms by his sides. He asked in a way that wouldn't be detectable by someone who perceptiveness was lacking.

[angelous]

"A certain item? Is this some sort of treasure hunt!?" Cado grinned. His grin got even bigger when Clovis said thank you for helping him get to the graveyard. When Clovis asked why he was here, his grin faded away.

"Hehe. Guess it's time I told the truth." Cado chuckled more halfheartedly, then finished his reply. "I'm hunting down some Heartess, polishing off some Nobodies. You know the hero stuff. I'm also looking for somebody. My brother actually." He frowned, but quickly turned that back into a smile.

"So what item are you looking for? Maybe I can help!" Cado's offer was sincere, but he mostly made it to get off the topic of his brother, and well, because he didn't want to leave his new friend just yet.

[seraph]

[Apologies for the late-ness. Got 358/2 at the beginning of the week so have been glued to it xD]

Clovis replied to his first question with his eyebrows raised. It really was a treasure hunt so to speak. "Yea, I guess you could call it that..." he stated before listening to Cado as he replied to his own question. The blonde haired man got a feeling he shouldn't have bothered being nosy due to the look that the kid had on his face. His usual smile seemed absent or more dull than it had been previously. "Me and my big mouth" he thought to himself mentally slapping his wrist. However it didn't seem as bad as Clovis first perceived.

From what he had gathered, Cado appeared to be hunting down heartless and nobodies. These entities the hunter had come across several times in his missions given to him by the moogles. They were pesky annoyances but never once had he felt his life had been in danger from one of them. However this little assumption of his would soon turn on its head as the mood plummeted even further into the more apparent issues that lay within Cado. "Hmm. He says his brother as if its a bad thing..." Clovis mumbled to himself. Whatever problems might have been there, he didn't think it was anywhere near as bad as the power struggles he was involved in on his home world.

Before he lost himself in thought of how his world was going about its daily life, he snapped himself back into the present. What had made him come out of his little day dream wasn't his shear force of will. His MAD ( Moogle Assisted Device ) had begun beeping notifying the owner of a development. Putting up his hand in an abrupt but polite way to stop Cado from speaking for a second, he rummaged through his left pocket. Pulling out the silver device it looked very much like a PDA. Pressing a few buttons he let out a little sigh. "Great...up by three points" he murmured barely audible to himself. The Heartless detector had risen from three stars to six. This meant a moderate threat in anything that happened to be lurking in the darkness. With a disappointed nod he stowed it away again and began formulating a way out of this little predicament.

Before long he answered the final question. "Well...just a few things really. Three Lucid Gems's and five Dark Stones. Synthesis materials in case you didn't know..." he answered in a warmer tone than previous. All of a sudden an idea hit him. Perhaps the pair of them could work together for the moment in order to help one another. With a cheeky grin on his face, the blonde haired man turned to Cado whilst the pair of them were almost at the gate to the burial site. "Got a proposition for you kid. You help me with these synthesis materials and I'll help you look for your brother...deal?" he asked in a forward manner but meaning no harm or insult. Clovis had a habit of coming on a little strong at times. Brandishing ones heart on their sleeve had its disadvantages.

[angelous]

Cado watched Clovis as Clovis consulted his MAD. He listened as he told Cado what he was looking for. And when Clovis made the proposition to find his brother, he frowned.

"I'm 17. I'm no kid." He would normally have yelled this at whoever called him a kid, but because the topic of his brother had come up again, he said so sullenly.

"As for my brother, part of me isn't sure I want to find him." His frown quickly vanished, and he grinned as big as he could.

"BUT..." He paused for a bit. "I'll help you look! And if we do find my brother on our journeys, you gotta promise that no matter what he says you'll hit me on the head if I start to lose focus and believe him or doubt myself." He began to walk away.

"Because contrary to his appearance, he's not human. And he's a murderer." A little food for thought had been thrown Clovis' way it would appear. Hopefully he would heed these words, and if they ever did meet this brother to which Cado was constantly referring in a negative way, he would make sure Cado stayed at the top of his game. He turned around.

"So which way first chief?"

[seraph]

Despite what Cado had replied, Clovis didn't seem the least bit interested. Lucky for the kid, the blonde man's expression conveyed the complete opposite. It was only a gesture of logic. He would get what he wanted from the kid then ditch him. Simple as. As Cado began a rather tiring explanation of the what had happened with his brother and so on, there was only one thought going through his mind. "I shouldn't have asked...". His focus returned when the kid said he would help look, and to be honest, in this light deprived world it would be beneficial to have two pairs of eyes.

One thing that the blonde man picked up on was this ill feeling for his sibling. Surely he had the image of brothers and sisters having a love-hate relationship that was stronger than most bonds nowadays. Then again he had no position to judge since he was an only child. With his arms folded and a slight posture lean to the right, Clovis gave his full attention to Cado as he noted that his brother wasn't human along with the kid hinting he had some kind of mind control powers. It sounded crazy to the hunter but still, the Heartless seemed crazy enough for him to believe anything nowadays.

Scratching his head again in a nervous manner, he reluctantly replied the words "I guess so..." in response to looking out for Cado if they should bump into his brother. He would only hold up this part of the deal if he felt like it. This kid was far too annoying for him anyway. Perhaps when time went on he would develop some kind of feelings towards him but it was too early to tell. A slight sense of guilt tugged at his heart strings. Perhaps he never should have mentioned about his brother, or even this deal at all. "Journeys? Is he planning on tagging along after this place..." he thought to himself. "Artimecion would go crazy...never mind Sierra" he finished to himself. Within a split second he believed everything would work out and shrugged it off.

Once Cado had turned back around with his 'normal' attitude, nothing but a slight smirk spread on his face. "Chief huh? I kind of like that..." he muttered to himself mostly and walked past the kid looking at the rather gothic styled gates. "Graveyard's a good o' place as any" he replied with a little more enthusiasm than normal as he approached them. Using one hand he easily pushed the slightly rusting gates asunder in which they stayed open without being held. Slipping through he cautiously looked around remembering the MAD Heartless reading. A large open space was a hotspot for Heartless activity and it was precisely these creatures that possessed the materials he needed to get his paycheck. "You know how to look after yourself right?" he asked Cado in a reference to his ability to defend ones self. Not that Clovis cared too much anyway, but he was just making conversation.

[angelous]

Cado simply nodded in agreement as Clovis decided they'd start in the graveyard. When he opened the gates, Cado just about took off, but at the last second decided doing so may not have been the best choice. When Clovis asked if he could take care of himself, Cado pulled out his gun, and drew his sword.

"I think I can manage." He grinned. From Cado's point of view it looked like this Clovis guy was starting to like him, assuming that he didn't already. He put his weapons away, but kept his hands near them as he walked into the Graveyard. Tombstones seemed to be the popular theme in this town, and the graveyard was no exception.

"I wonder if any of those monsters back in town sleep here." Not really something he liked to think about, but it was definitely worth asking oneself. He said this aloud, but he was talking to himself as he said this. His eyes were constantly scanning the area, looking for any signs of movement.

[seraph]

The kid continued to surprise him. Perhaps he had failed to notice the weapons bore by Cado due to the fact he was paying as little attention to him as possible. Either way with a sword and a gun he imagined his style would be quite versatile, much like his own. Now the pair of them were at the bottom of the sloping graveyard, the hill had a peculiar frame as it curled at the top. Despite its small size it definitely had some kind of significance to this world. Most of them had a unique landmark which was documented in the MAD files.

Hanging in the sky was the moon, alot larger than Clovis remembered being anywhere else. "Must be for effect" he mused to himself. Cado seemed a little interested in what was going on now and perhaps it was time that Clovis returned that favour. Or not. The mention of people being asleep here sent an awful gnawing into his brain allowing the paranoia to creep in. Looking around in a sly manner, his ice coloured eyes shifted from right to left. It was possible after all. What was even more strange was that despite the six star reading of Heartless, the pair of them hadn't come into contact with them at all.

Monster didn't seem to describe these people rightfully. Well they were people just a little bit different than the two of them. Clovis recalled the time he spent in Disney Castle. They weren't 'human' but still retained some better qualities than most he had ever met. "I don't think they're monsters" he said in a defending manner shifting his eyes to scan the area again. Something didn't feel right to him. The moogles really needed to install a darkness detector in the MAD. A complaint he put to the back of his mind as a rustling sound coming from behind the oddly shaped hill filled his ears.

[By the way the Graveyard we're in is the way its portrayed in KHII]

[angelous]

(I need to replay that area when I get the chance, I haven't played that area since the last time I beat kh2, which was months ago XD).

Cado thought about the whole not being monsters fact.

"I suppose when you look at it from their viewpoint they aren't. But to people like us who haven't spent our whole lives as monsters, and we'll go back to looking human once we leave. I suppose it's hard to think of things as human when they've never gotten the chance to."

I guess humanity is really something special after all. To bad he gave his up.

He would simply continue to follow Clovis for now. He seemed to know where he was going. But there was this strange feeling he couldn't get rid of. It was like they were being watched, but he couldn't see anyone or anything.

"I've got a bad feeling. And something tells me Heartless. It's just too quiet considering where we are." He pulled his sword out, and laughed.

"My sword fits in perfectly with this place!" His laugh was half-hearted, partly due to the fact that he was nervous about the possibility of an ambush at any time.