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Finding more about them..; Closed
Topic Started: Dec 2 2009, 11:08 AM (1,231 Views)
Noel

Noel was in Heaven's City on a business trip. As the Team Leader of the Official Net Battlers, Noel had to make sure the internet, as well as the real world were in order. After the appearance of those strange black creatures, known as the Heartless, Noel had a lot of work to do. He needed to research all the available files on them, he needed to travel to other countries to tell the other leading commissioners of the ONBs what was happening and in what danger their world was and many other things.

He came to Netopia mainly because he wanted to see for himself if the Heartless had spread themselves over this country as well, and if they had, he would need to make a plan how to get rid of them. It seemed that the peace of his world was once again collapsing and he needed to establish it.

Noel Aramis was outside the headquarters of ONB center in Heaven's City. He was watching people go in and out of it, but he didn't really see them. His mind was processing everything that had happened in the last few days and he tried to connect it together into a logical conclusion.

"BusterMan, do you think Heartless are in Heaven's city as well?" Noel asked as he pulled out his Personal Terminal to speak with his Navi. BusterMan, Noel Aramis' Navigator shrugged as he looked at his operator. "It's possible, I'd say. Remember that Leon told you the Heartless flood the worlds pretty quickly. I think there's a chance they had been here even before us."

Noel sighed. Putting his PET back on his knees, he looked up into the air. It seemed another long battle was ahead of him.. And just after he had thought he was finally on vacation.
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Beka
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As she stepped out of the Gummi Ship port, clutching the pack with her few belongings close to her chest, Yumi looked around at her unfamiliar surroundings in wonder. She still couldn't quite believe she was here. But the circumstances leading up to this trip had been perfectly real, and were still vivid in the girl's mind, although as she reflected on them now it was still with a sense of disbelief.

The Arcadia mission she had just been on had made her realise something important. She had been underestimating her own abilities. She had gotten caught up in the security Jameson had offered her, and used him as a crutch, instead of standing on her own two feet. It wasn't right, and she had no longer felt justified in mooching off her mentor's kindness. As such, upon her return, she had had a long discussion with the detective. In the end, they had agreed that it was time for Yumi to set out on her own for a while, get a feel for facing the world with only herself to depend on. That very same afternoon she had bid goodbye to her friends Nozomi and Jameson and left their apartment, headed for a Gummi Ship bound for destination:unknown.

Now here she was. Wherever 'here' was. The sign at the port had said Heaven's City, which was a name the girl had never heard before. As she slowly began to move through the bustling metropolis, she began to piece together what she was seeing with the snippets of information Jameson had provided her with. Finally, she was fairly confident that she had landed in that strangest of worlds, the EXE universe. For a moment, she panicked that she had become absorbed into a computer program without realising it; but she soon was reassured that she was in fact in one of the 'regular' parts of the world, where humans were humans instead of program codes.

Relieved, Yumi decided to explore her surroundings a bit more thoroughly. The buildings around her were of medium size, and had the feel of offices or official places of business. Although it was only early afternoon, she thought she had better start asking around to get her accommodation for the night sorted out. This city was huge, and she had no idea where she could find a motel or the like in the middle of a business district.

Noticing a friendly-looking brown-haired man standing near the entrance to one of the buildings, Yumi thought she may as well go over and introduce herself. He was clearly a native of this world, and it was important to make friends when travelling alone in an unfamiliar city, in an unfamiliar world... Walking over to the stranger, she smiled up at him. "Hello! My name is Yumi. Sorry for the intrusion, but I'm new in town, and was hoping you could help me out a bit?" With any luck, this man would actually be as friendly as he appeared, and would be able to point her in the right direction.
Edited by Beka, Dec 2 2009, 09:01 PM.
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Lawman
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Compared to the small town that is ACDC town, Heaven's City was huge, certainly up there with metropolises like London. That was the first thing that crossed the mind of the Briton redhead that is Selene Frostfire as she weaved her way through the sea of pedestrians. Selene hadn't returned to Traverse Town immediately following Arcadia's last crisis response at EXE, although that was back at ACDC Town. For the most part, Lavender had no quarrels with the Briton not reporting back to headquarters; after all, with the Arcadian link the aeromancer could contact Arcadian operatives no matter where they are - as long as they are able to show up on time for missions or crisis response operations, it was fine by her.

And so this marked the beginning of Selene Frostfire's visit to Heaven's City; having traveled from ACDC Town the day before. With no calls from Arcadia HQ thus far, the young Briton took it as a chance for her to chill out and take a break from the 'saving Hyakuji' routine that everyone's been so caught up with thus far - having been to other worlds on Arcadia business, she'd had her eyes opened to the wonders of the multiverse, and wished that she could see them in her own free time.

Selene raised her forearm over her head as soon as she alighted from the bus, shielding out the glare of the afternoon sun just long enough for her eyes to get accustomed to the sun after having spent time inside the shady, air-conditioned interior of the bus. The Briton couldn't help but whistle; the city certainly looked more impressive when viewed on foot as compared to looking at everything through the bus windows; she was no architect, but being an heiress to a business conglomerate like Frostfire Industries the Briton had been exposed to a wide spectrum of industries from an early age, and as such her scope of interests were often far broader than what her peers gave her credit for - did they think all that interests her were music, poetry, and other 'artsy' stuff? Shouldering her bag, Selene left the shelter of the bus stop and into the sun, taking some time to explore the streets of the ultra-modern metropolis.

For a little over ten minutes now the Briton had been staring at a collection of mobile devices at a store window - palmtops, smart phones and gadgets that she couldn't even guess what they were. Clearly this place was way ahead of her home world in terms of technology, and the devices for sale were lightyears ahead of what Frostfire Info-Comms have developed. Selene sighed; she really thought of getting herself one of these futuristic devices - while not exactly a technophile, the Briton was still more tech-savvy than most and saw the importance of staying up to date in terms of information technology.

Another time, perhaps, the redhead thought as she turned away from the store window, ready to continue down the pavement, (and thus far, aimlessly) lazily looking around the sea of faces while walking at a leisurely pace, until a familiar sight caught her eye, forcing her to a dead halt. "Sorry!" Selene apologized as she lurched forward, someone having bumped into her from behind, probably not expecting her to stop suddenly in her tracks. The man who bumped into the Briton merely continued on past her, but not without looking over his shoulder to shake his head a bit. Hey, it's always nice to see a familiar face around these parts... The Briton thought, a slight smile crossing her face. Well, not really familiar - she'd known Yumi when Jameson introduced her at the first gathering of Hyakuji students at Traverse Town, but all she had was a name and a face, having not really gotten a chance to be formally acquainted with the other girl seeing how they've really only seen each other during Arcadia-related business. But what was she doing here anyway?

"Hello, Yumi-san!" Selene called out from across the street, pausing briefly for the traffic lights to change before taking a brisk walk across the street towards where the brown-haired girl was. "Nice meeting you here!"The Briton then looked at her, and the brown-haired young man she had just approached.

"Oh, good afternoon sir," The Briton nodded, giving the two of them a sunny smile as she acknowledged the young man, before taking a step back and letting the two of them pick up from where they left off.
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Noel

Noel had just been wondering what was the best thing to do at this point, when his thoughts were disrupted by a voice. A voice of a young lady, in fact. He almost fell off the branch, when he looked up to look into her eyes; she was simply gorgeous. As she introduced herself, he blushed profusely, having to look in another direction to hide the redness of his cheeks.

He didn't know why she had such an effect on him. There was something about her, something Noel hadn't seen or felt before. She just seemed... different than the others. He could not say why he got such a feeling, because it simply appeared and he could not explain it no matter how hard he tried. Finally looking up to answer her question, he was just about to do so, when another girl appeared beside the first one.

It seemed like they knew each other, from the way the newly-arrived girl spoke to the other one. Looking at the other girl, hearing her greet him, Noel somehow got the same feeling he had gotten with the first girl. Did that strange feeling of.. difference have anything to do with emotions inside him? But Noel did have a girlfriend and other girls usually didn't affect him just like that in that manner.

No, it was not a feeling of affection, but more.. a sheer difference. If he compared them to other girls.. even other people that were around them, they definitely sticked out. He didn't know how he knew that, but he was certain he had the right feeling about them.

Feeling that it was the time for him to finally say something, he blushed once again, looking at the first girl: "Uh.. hi.. My name's Noel. I.. well, I just arrived here myself, I'm not from this city," he said. "I would have pointed you to a hotel I'd be staying in, but the problem is I'm probably just going to sleep in my own office.." he said sadly, truly giving an impression that he was really sorry that he couldn't help her.

"Maybe you should try asking at on of the Information stands scattered around the town?" he suggested. BusterMan, who was inside Noel's PET rolled his eyes. His Navi knew Noel was not too skillful at talking to girls, but he figured out his operator could have at least offered to check if there were any motels close for her. The PET lightly vibrated in Noel's hands as BusterMan shook it to give his operator a sign that what he had said may not have been the right thing.

Noel instantly realized what his Navi had tried to tell him so subtly. Looking up at the girl, he quickly added: "Of course I could check on the internet for you if there are any hotels nearby." Another blush reddened his face as he looked from one girl to another, not knowing what else to say.
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Beka
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Yumi felt herself taking an instant liking to this young man for whom blushes seemed to come as easily as breathing. She could tell that he was shocked at her appearance - in a good way - and she was flattered by the attention. What girl wouldn't be? At any rate, it took him a while to compose himself, but just as it seemed he was about to respond to her introduction -

"Hello, Yumi-san!" a familiar voice called out from across the street. The girl's head swung around in surprise. The last thing she had expected to find in EXE world was a familiar face! Yet sure enough, pausing briefly for the traffic lights to change before taking a brisk walk across the street towards her, was none other than a girl Yumi recognised as Selene. For a moment she had wild notions of Arcadia sending operatives out to spy on her, perhaps at Jameson's behest - but she quickly dismissed the notion as ludicrous.

"Nice meeting you here!" The Briton continued. "Oh, wow... Selene, right?" Yumi had really only seen the other girl at Arcadia meetings, from a distance, but she had seemed nice enough. It could be good to take this opportunity to get to know her a bit better. Plus she was someone Yumi knew she could rely on in a tight spot, always useful in an unfamiliar environment such as the one they were currently in. Yumi returned Selene's smile as she acknowledged the stranger Yumi had encountered, smiling brightly at them both. "Oh, good afternoon sir."

Meanwhile, the man seemed to finally find his tongue, along with a fresh blush. "Uh.. hi.. My name's Noel. I.. well, I just arrived here myself, I'm not from this city." Yumi was surprised to hear he wasn't quite as local as she had thought. Still, it was obvious by the device Noel carried in his hands that he was a native of EXE world, no matter what city he came from. Perhaps he hadn't realised just how foreign Yumi and Selene truly were? Did people here even know about heartless, or the multiverse?

Noel was pressing on with what he was saying, oblivious to her internal monologue. Now that he had finally found his voice he didn't seem to be able to stop - and he seemed truly apologetic. "I would have pointed you to a hotel I'd be staying in, but the problem is I'm probably just going to sleep in my own office.. Maybe you should try asking at on of the Information stands scattered around the town?" Yumi was slightly disappointed, but she didn't mind too much. Finding a motel on an information board was surely just another way to prove her independence, right?

She didn't have much time to ponder the matter, however, as Noel seemed to think better of his suggestion. Looking up at her, he quickly added, "Of course I could check on the internet for you if there are any hotels nearby." Another blush reddened his face as he looked from her to Selene, apparently speechless at last. Yumi smiled up at him, trying to make him more comfortable with her presence. It was no good if he just kept blushing and blabbering on. "Well thank you, Noel, that would be great! Because I think no matter how far out of town you're from, you're still far more local than Selene here or I could ever hope to be." she giggled a little. "We're from out of this world! Literally!" Her laughter increased in volume, wrapping around their little group and diffusing some of the awkwardness of their situation - introductions were always difficult.
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Lawman
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"Oh, wow... Selene, right?" The redheaded Briton nodded happily as Yumi acknowledged her appearance. Selene couldn't help but notice the way the young man blushed - she'd noticed it from afar when she first saw Yumi approaching him, and upon greeting him she took note of how the redness returned to his cheeks. Selene giggled inwardly at his reaction, although on the exterior the young magus merely maintained that charming, angelic smile of hers. Although the glimmer in her eyes would tell - if one were observant enough - that the Briton had allowed a couple of playful thoughts to cross her mind. For the most part however, Selene wondered if the blushing was for his part, a boyish innocence. Which certainly adds a charm all of its own.

And after a moment of silence, the boy finally spoke. "Uh.. hi.. My name's Noel. I.. well, I just arrived here myself, I'm not from this city," he introduced himself albeit somewhat unsteadily. Noel, Noel... Selene repeated the boy's name in her thoughts a few times to commit the name to memory as the boy continued; "I would have pointed you to a hotel I'd be staying in, but the problem is I'm probably just going to sleep in my own office... Maybe you should try asking at on of the Information stands scattered around the town?"

"Well, that's pretty helpful," Selene replied with a nervous smile as a comical sweat drop appeared over her temple. Well, some help that was, hmmph! Understanding where Noel came from, the Briton figured that would actually be the most sensible thing to do - if someone asks for directions to a place you have no idea how to get to, the most sensible course of action would be to refer them to a more helpful source of information, so what Noel said was perfectly understandable and forgivable, she didn't really know, but perhaps it was the way he phrased his reply that didn't quite rub the young magus the right way. But still, with a charming blush like that, Noel quickly dispelled that 'Oh, please!' feeling Selene had.

"Of course I could check on the internet for you if there are any hotels nearby." Noel offered as he turned his gaze from Yumi to Selene, his face reddening once more as he went speechless.

It was Yumi who broke the silence as she spoke, thanking Noel for his help. "Well thank you, Noel, that would be great! Because I think no matter how far out of town you're from, you're still far more local than Selene here or I could ever hope to be." The Briton nodded as the other girl spoke her piece. "We're from out of this world! Literally!" Yumi's giggle rose to a laugh.

"Does that make us aliens then, Yumi-san?" Selene asked jokingly, deciding to contribute her own brand of humor to further break the ice.

"Well, and that I suppose is part of the adventure - finding our way around the city," Selene added, nodding sagely. Sure, Noel may not be a resident of Heaven's City but the Briton figured - judging from his attire and possessions he is still a denizen of EXE no doubt, and at any rate he'd still be more informed about things around these parts than either herself or Yumi. "Oh, and before I forget, the name's Selene, as my friend Yumi had mentioned earlier; it's our pleasure getting acquainted, Noel." The Briton closed her eyes and performed a curtsy - even though she wasn't wearing a skirt at this point, having instead selected something more suitable for traveling - a denim jacket and matching jeans, along with a simple button-up shirt and sneakers; her ladylike manners standing out in sharp contrast to her utilitarian garb - but hey, old manners die hard.
Edited by Lawman, Dec 4 2009, 11:44 AM.
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Noel

As the girl, named Yumi, broke the silence after Noel's attempt to clear the mistake he had done by not offering to help them in the first place, the boy didn't instantly realize what she was trying to say. "Well thank you, Noel, that would be great! Because I think no matter how far out of town you're from, you're still far more local than Selene here or I could ever hope to be." Seeing the other girl nod, Noel looked back at Yumi as she added: "We're from out of this world! Literally!" As she giggled, it gave a pleasant chill down Noel's spine, but he was able not to show it.

"Does that make us aliens then, Yumi-san?" he heard Selene ask. That was when his mind finally started to comprehend what they were actually saying. And that's why his smile, which was supposed to show the ice was now finally broken, was not coming with such ease that it was meant to. "What are they talking about...?" was the first thought that crossed his mind. He didn't have the time to think about much else as she already continued: "Well, and that I suppose is part of the adventure - finding our way around the city."

Then, it suddenly occurred to him. They knew each other, they both looked like they didn't really fit in this scenery and they seemed to be new here.. Noel suddenly realized they were not just new to this town.. they were new to this world! He remembered Leon Ambrose telling him about the parallel world he was from and if he remembered correctly, he also mentioned there were more of them. The two girls might have come from one of those worlds, though their business, despite the fact that they seemed really nice and friendly, was unknown to Noel.

"It seems like the things are slowly changing.." thought Noel as he watched them. For now, the inhabitants of his world were oblivious to the presence of humans from other worlds, but Noel was not sure for how long the truth could be hidden from them. Leon had said that the Heartless are slowly going to swarm this world and destroy it and he needed to stop it for all costs. Were they with them?

"Oh, and before I forget, the name's Selene, as my friend Yumi had mentioned earlier; it's our pleasure getting acquainted, Noel." he heard Selene say, interrupting his train of thoughts. "No.. they can't be with them.. they're just too nice.... Then again: I have been fooled like this before. I have to be extra careful," he thought to himself as he replied: "Y-Yeah... Pleasure to meet you too."

Now, Noel was almost sure that both of them were from another world. They were actually really lucky to have come across him of all people, since he was most probably one of the very very few members of this world that has heard of other worlds before, just that they didn't know that. He was also a leader of the Team ONB, being on one of the highest positions that could be achieved in this world. His job was to protect the innocent and deal with the criminals and there were quite a few cases in his career, when he had to save the world. So far, he had succeeded every time, but now it seemed there was another threat on the rise.

But first, he needed to find out on which side the two of them were. His face had gone from a cheerful, happy and somehow nervous one, to the serious one he wore when he was working. Noel always concentrated fully on his work and that was also one of the reasons why his work was always completed the way it should be.

Looking from Yumi to Selene, he lowered his voice to a whisper as he said: "You're.. from a parallel world, right? Are you here because of the Heartless?"
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Beka
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"Does that make us aliens then, Yumi-san?" Yumi emitted a short bark of laughter at Selene's joke. "Well yeah, I guess we kinda are! How funny." Out of the corner of her eye, however, she couldn't help noticing the uncomfortable look that had appeared on Noel's face. Had she been right? Was he unaware of the existence of other worlds linked to his own? Yumi wondered briefly if she should tell him. That kind of information could really throw a person if they weren't strong enough to cope, but then again it wouldn't be long before the heartless began invading this world too. Before that happened, the denizens of EXE had to be prepared for the threat, made aware of the situation. Yumi opened her mouth to explain to Noel, but was interrupted.

"Oh, and before I forget, the name's Selene, as my friend Yumi had mentioned earlier; it's our pleasure getting acquainted, Noel." As the British girl closed her eyes and performed a curtsy, Yumi couldn't help but smile a little at her overly-formal manners. She wondered if it came from being born to a rich family, or whether all Britons maintained such strict etiquette. She was a little surprised, however, that Selene had referred to Yumi as her friend. The two girls weren't enemies, that was for sure, and they had cooperated well as colleagues on Arcadia business. But they had barely exchanged 2 words together before now, certainly not enough to be considered more than passing acquaintances. Still. Yumi shrugged indifferently. If Selene felt comfortable thinking of them as friends already, then that was fine by her. Yumi was definitely not going to be one to complain.

Yumi studied the man as he exchanged pleasantries with Selene. His face seemed to go through a multitude of emotions - although the main one seemed to be discomfort. At first he had appeared merely uncomfortable in the presence of two girls, but he seemed to get progressively more and more concerned with the whole situation. Ever since she had mentioned the other world thing... Looking from Yumi to Selene, he finally lowered his voice to a whisper and hesitantly questioned them. "You're.. from a parallel world, right? Are you here because of the Heartless?"

Yumi blinked in surprise. So he knew about the heartless after all? But the hushed tone he used, the hesitant way he glanced from one girl to the other... Yumi could tell he was extremely nervous about the topic. Perhaps he had only heard rumours, and didn't have the whole story? Or maybe he had had a bad, first-hand experience with the monsters. Yumi herself was lucky. The only time she had actually encountered those creatures of DARKNESS was her very first day in Traverse Town, when Jameson had single-handedly defeated them with hardly any effort at all. Yumi had barely had a chance to even see them before they were gone. She had felt their effects though, of course. Her home, her family, her entire world had been destroyed, lost to the DARKNESS, perhaps forever, because of the heartless. Yumi's fists clenched involuntarily at the thought.

Noel's straight-forward question unexpectedly had her doing some deep soul-searching. Was she here because of the heartless? No. Far from it. In fact, you could say she had been unconsciously running away from the heartless from the moment she had learned of their existence. All those times when she had heard cries for assistance over the Arcadian mental link, and she had merely ignored them, judging the situation best left to the hands of more experienced combatants. Yet... everyone had to start somewhere, right? And Yumi had just as much reason as anyone else to want these monsters defeated. Should she have done more to actively help out? Had she been selfish?

The thought genuinely surprised the girl, and made her deeply uncomfortable. In the end, though, she had to rationalise with herself. After all, it was not as if she had been wasting her days in idleness. Ok, maybe some of them. But for the most part, she had been actively training, day in and day out, being taught by her mentor to not only achieve a better mastery of her own power, but to fight in close quarters as well. She had been productive, spent her time wisely. Perhaps this new urge for independence was indicative of her newly earned battle-readiness. Nodding firmly to herself, she decided. Yes! Next time I hear a cry for help, or encounter a heartless... I will join the fight. Her thoughts turned briefly to Nickle, with his unrelenting desire for revenge. Yumi could never be so singly focussed, yet perhaps she could learn from his determination. His guiding motivation was no different to what she, too, had suffered, after all - loss of family. Maybe she could learn to be a warrior like him.

Err... but in the meantime. Yumi suddenly realised that Noel was still waiting expectantly for her answer. She sent a quick message to Selene over the mental link ("Mind if I take this one?), before taking a deep breath, and launching into the long-winded explanation. "Oh wow, you already know about the different worlds? That's great, I wasn't sure anyone in EXE was aware of the situation yet." Yumi smiled up at him. "Yes, Selene and I both originally come from a world that has been called Hyakuji, because of the high school that most of the survivors seem to have been from. I'm not sure why we survived and others didn't... perhaps because of our powers," the girl mused.

Suddenly catching herself, though, she elaborated. "Oh but of course you wouldn't know! Hyakuji was actually destroyed... the heartless you mentioned? They somehow managed to send our entire world into DARKNESS, along with all of our families and friends. The few survivors have seemed to mainly end up in a place called Traverse Town, which is where we've both come from now," Yumi indicated Selene along with herself. "But uh... there's several other worlds too. I guess you know that though. And... we're definitely not here in EXE because of the heartless. Or at least, I'm not." Yumi glanced at Selene uncertainly. "If anything, you could say I was a, um..." she searched for the appropriate word. "tourist," she finally finished off.
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Lawman
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"Well yeah, I guess we kinda are! How funny." Yumi shared a brief moment of laughter with Selene as the Briton made a joke about aliens. But were they really that alien? The thought certainly amused the young Briton - after all, it wasn't as if her blood was acidic or something, right? Selene giggled inwardly at the thought; although technically, being not from the EXE world she and Yumi are aliens, so to speak.

"Y-Yeah... Pleasure to meet you too." Noel replied, somewhat uneasily as Selene looked on in concern; was he feeling unwell? Did she accidentally say or do something that offended him? Being not from EXE, perhaps she was not aware of the customs of this world and had just broken a taboo without herself knowing it? Selene held her breath as Noel looked at the two of them and then asked, slowly, in a cautious tone, "You're.. from a parallel world, right? Are you here because of the Heartless?"

Selene glanced briefly in Yumi's direction as the Briton tried to read the other girl's expression - she seemed pretty deep in thought at the moment, and for a moment there Selene saw the other girl ball her fists. "You see..." Selene tried to explain, although she wondered if she should tell Noel she was among those who had been fighting off the Heartless during that incident. But before the Briton could speak, Yumi's voice buzzed in her mind as the other girl sent her a message over the Arcadian link.

"Mind if I take this one?" Yumi relayed over.

"By all means, go ahead." Selene relayed back, as Yumi took a deep breath and began her explanation.

"Oh wow, you already know about the different worlds? That's great, I wasn't sure anyone in EXE was aware of the situation yet." She began, a reassuring smile written on her face.

"The incident at ACDC Town, Yumi-san, the whole Heartless invasion there was front page news," Selene sent Yumi a message, while the Briton just appeared to be standing by the other girl's side, listening carefully. On her ride to Heaven's City she'd been hearing the news report on the radio all the while.

"Yes, Selene and I both originally come from a world that has been called Hyakuji, because of the high school that most of the survivors seem to have been from. I'm not sure why we survived and others didn't... perhaps because of our powers," she continued. Selene closed her eyes and recounted the last stand made by the students and staff of Hyakuji before they were consumed - sure, they stood a better chance against those buggers due to their special abilities, but still it didn't make sense how Yumi and herself were among those who survived, when others with far stronger powers and more skill in combat didn't. Granted, they were the ones who held the Heartless off until the very end, so could it be said that they died so the rest could live? Sadness gripped the Briton's heart as she remembered Hinata. I can't let the others' deaths be in vain... she thought as for now, she remained quiet, listening to the exchange between Noel and Yumi, nodding as the other girl mentioned Traverse Town and what became of Hyakuji.

"But uh... there's several other worlds too. I guess you know that though. And... we're definitely not here in EXE because of the heartless. Or at least, I'm not." Selene looked quizzically at Yumi as the other girl gave a glance in her direction. "If anything, you could say I was a, um... tourist."

"Well," Selene added, looking at Yumi then back at Noel. "I'm not quite here for a leisurely visit - I was among those who fought the Heartless when they attacked ACDC and I was here on a much-desired vacation after all that fighting; it was quite the coincidence Yumi and I managed to cross paths here, though." the young Briton rested her chin thoughtfully against her left hand, she recalled that the news did report on a group of heroic fighters beating back the Heartless, although the exact identities of the combatants weren't revealed - Let's know why we're all here... this should clear our suspicions. Selene thought, only far too aware of how the initial gathering of Hyakuji survivors had raised some voices of dissent and needless paranoia. If anything, she was eager to not see a repeat of the incident. But first things first, she would need to get everyone talking, to better understand each other. After all, communication is the first step to defeating suspicions.

"So, Noel... what about yourself then? What brings you to Heaven's City?" Selene asked, trying to initiate a conversation. Both Yumi and herself had opened up to Noel about their business in Heaven's City, and the Briton hoped that the young man would in turn do the same.
Edited by Lawman, Dec 6 2009, 04:00 AM.
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Noel

Of course Noel Aramis had no idea Yumi and Selene were able to communicate through their mental link. Since he had never actually encountered anyone else, that would possess any kind of supernatural powers, he thought that he was an exception. Because of that, he had never even thought about the possibilities that anyone, friend or foe alike, would actually be able to something, that was otherwise so widely accepted as unbelievable in his own world.

Naturally, if he knew of their abilities, Noel would have grown even more skeptic about their true intentions, even if they introduced themselves as the ones that were on the side of the good. They were unaware of Noel's otherwise so careful nature that simply didn't let him get attached to practically anyone, much less being able to actually trust them. Because of that, it may have been even better that Noel didn't find out they were secretly speaking to each other while talking to him, despite the fact that what they were talking about had no ill meanings whatsoever.

"Oh wow, you already know about the different worlds? That's great, I wasn't sure anyone in EXE was aware of the situation yet." Noel heard Yumi say. She was right about that; not many people in his world knew exactly what was happening. Sure the media had spread the news of the attack in ACDC town through the entire world in just a few hours, yet the information about the incident remained relatively vague. Most of the major TV Stations had been bragging about another criminal organization on the rise, while some of them had actually made up stories about the Heartless being just a new breed of viruses that was infecting the internet.

Noel had heard the majority of these rumors from the television he had been watching while flying from Electopia to Heaven's city with an airplane and since then, he had had enough time to think about the entire situation. People may have heard about this new threat, but they didn't see the whole picture. That was the main reason why they were underestimating the Heartless. Noel could be almost sure that for now, he was one of the rare inhabitants of the planet that actually knew a bit of what was actually happening.

"Yes, Selene and I both originally come from a world that has been called Hyakuji, because of the high school that most of the survivors seem to have been from. I'm not sure why we survived and others didn't... perhaps because of our powers," he heard Yumi say. He did not focus so much on the last statement, even though he probably should have. What she said about the world they came from, seemed much more important to Noel at that specific moment. "Hyakuji, huh..? It seems there really is more than just one parallel world to this one. Leon Ambrose said he was from a world which seemed very similar to mine and that was the reason why he wanted to protect it so much.. Hyakuji seems to have been yet another world..."

Listening to the rest of Yumi's explanation, Noel's eyes grew wider in surprise and when she finished, he shivered lightly as what she had told him had shocked him quite a bit. These Heartless.. they had destroyed more than just a few worlds.. That was a clear indicator that they were much much stronger than he had even imagined. It somehow gave him a feeling of helplessness, something Noel had not felt for a very long time. But then again, if inhabitants of so many worlds united couldn't stop the Heartless.. how could he help at all?

As both of them explained their reasons for being there, Noel simply nodded. Yumi's explanation seemed somehow fishy, yet it was perfectly possible. It was strange that someone would come to another world on a tourist trip, especially in dangerous times like that. Yet, Noel had to remind himself that he was being too paranoid once again - he would have to get to know them a little better before he'd be able to tell if what they were saying was really true or not. It was sad, that otherwise such a friendly and nice boy was having so many problems with trusting the others. Yet, if only the two of them knew what he had gone through, they would have probably understood him.

"So, Noel... what about yourself then? What brings you to Heaven's City?" Selene asked. Noel tried to smile, knowing that his formerly serious attitude may have scared them, or maybe made them uncomfortable. The problem was, that it was hard to smile, when there were so many problems on his mind. "I'm here on Official business," he replied. "I am trying to find more about Heartless, so that I'll be able to make a plan. I'm lucky I found the two of you.." Noel said.

After a few seconds of thinking, he suddenly said: "Would you come to my office? It's kind of.. inconvenient to talk about such important stuff here on the street, especially since I can provide a place where no one will disturb us. Besides, I was headed there anyway."
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Beka
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"The incident at ACDC Town, Yumi-san, the whole Heartless invasion there was front page news," Selene reminded her. "Oh, right," she sent sheepishly. She had completely forgotten about the rumours she had heard about the heartless attack in this world. For someone claiming to be a detective-in-training, she was getting slack paying attention to details. She needed to step up in the future! A few hours away from Jameson and she was already slipping - she would never be able to face him again if she didn't keep her skills sharp.

When she was done berating herself, she listened with curiosity to Selene's account of her business in EXE world. She was most interested to learn that the strawberry-blonde girl had been one of the people actually involved in the fighting in ACDC town. It seemed that she had been looking for a vacation, while Yumi was merely looking... for herself. She wasn't quite sure what she hoped to find, but she knew that a new environment such as this one was the only place she could succeed.

Her ears perked up even more when Selene enquired about Noel's reason for being in Heaven's City. This was important - Selene was a known ally, but this man was a stranger. It would be interesting to see what he revealed about himself - and even more so to decipher how much was truth and how much fiction. After all, this man was under no obligation to reveal his private matters to two random women he met on the street - and he had even more cause to be suspicious of them, considering that they had informed him that they were effectively aliens, as Selene had pointed out. In the end though, Noel surprised her with his frankness. "I'm here on Official business - I am trying to find more about Heartless, so that I'll be able to make a plan. I'm lucky I found the two of you.." he stated matter-of-factly.

He seemed to think for a few seconds, then suddenly to come to some kind of conclusion. "Would you come to my office? It's kind of.. inconvenient to talk about such important stuff here on the street, especially since I can provide a place where no one will disturb us. Besides, I was headed there anyway." Yumi was impressed. Inviting them to his office was a sign of trust that she was very happy to have earned. Moreover, it was a practical suggestion that Noel had made - as he had rightly said, these matters were far better discussed in private, off the street. "Sure, lead the way," Yumi replied with a smile.

She couldn't help but wonder what kind of office would await them. Well-stocked or austere? Overly formal or casual and comfortable? A lot could be deduced about a person based on the way they organised their surroundings. Then again, this could only be a temporary office at best, as Noel had said he was from out of town. Perhaps he had rented it for the duration of his trip, or maybe his company had premises in various cities. Yumi wasn't sure what kind of work the man did, after all, or whether he was self-employed. So many things to be discovered about someone when you are newly acquainted - it was one of the reasons why Yumi loved making new friends. The getting-to-know-you stage was always so fascinating. Learning about a person's entire life, slowly earning their trust and respect enough for them to reveal the things that made who they were, and sharing your own history at the same time - those were the things which Yumi most enjoyed.

Moreover, she was slowly starting to see what her path for the future might entail. Helping Noel gather information for his Heartless problem? Well, that was exactly what a detective was good for. Surely she had learnt enough from her mentor by now to be able to be of some use. If she could succeed here, maybe that would be a vindication for her of her own ability - a proof of her independence. Perhaps then she would be able to face Jameson again without shame. Perhaps then she would feel comfortable about her place in the world once more. She sincerely hoped so. All this soul-searching business could be exhausting...
Edited by Beka, Dec 6 2009, 11:50 AM.
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Lawman
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"I'm here on Official business - I am trying to find more about Heartless, so that I'll be able to make a plan. I'm lucky I found the two of you..." Noel replied, now appearing a little more at ease; or at least that was what Selene figured by studying his expression. She was no detective or a detective's assistant, but being raised in corporate circles and spending her time with her father on his business meetings had taught the Briton a good deal about reading people, what with all the times she sat through company meetings at Frostfire Industries' boardrooms, carefully listening in on the conversations, studying the expressions and body languages of those present.

"Would you come to my office? It's kind of.. inconvenient to talk about such important stuff here on the street, especially since I can provide a place where no one will disturb us. Besides, I was headed there anyway." Noel continued after a brief pause.

"So you have an office here?" Selene asked, tilting her head slightly as she looked at the young man. "So... I guess that means you travel frequently from one locale to another, I take it? I mean, seeing how you said you weren't from Heaven's City..." The Briton gave an empathic smile at that, her expression indicating that she understood Noel's situation, or at least based on what she knew thus far. After all, before settling in Hyakuji the young Briton often followed her father and older brothers around on business trips, from the familiar scenery in Britain she would find herself all over the world due to Frostfire Industries' global scale of operations - Germany, France, Singapore, United States, United Arab Emirates, Japan, Thailand... a myriad locations flashed through Selene's mind. On the good side, her experiences made her a pretty worldly and streetwise individual - but on the down side, frequently traveling often meant she never stayed long in one place, and seldom had the time to forge close relationships, what Jameson said back at their dinner appointment at Subarashii Restaurant was most correct - her lifestyle often allowed her to know many people, but seldom gave her the chance to get close to them.

"I used to travel a lot myself too," Selene commented on Noel's bit, continuing on from where she left off. "Back in Hyakuji my family owns Frostfire Industries, a large multinational industrial conglomerate. Back in those days I used to follow my father and older brothers around a lot for business trips... he said that it was to foster in me the necessary skills and etiquette of an upper class woman by mingling more within high society and corporate circles... yes, I've seen my fair share of corporate meetings and posh receptions," the Briton smiled as she spoke, although there was no puff of arrogance or pompousity in her tone, as if to say she was just sharing part of her background and not bragging about herself - there was no point in bragging anyhow about past glories; Hyakuji was gone, and her life as a billion-dollar princess was a thing of the past. For one, that was one thing Hyakuji had trained the former corporate heiress well in - leading a life away from her white bread world as a corporate heiress. No armies of maids, butlers and bodyguards, she had to cook her own meals, do her own laundry and clean up her own quarters. While it was a little tough at first, she grew to enjoy it, seeing it as a form of freedom.

"Well, offhand comments aside, let's head to your office, shall we?" Selene asked, gesturing down the street. "I mean, it's not like that bag of mine is light... and I've been walking for quite a while now, gets the feet a little sore, you know?" the Briton chuckled nervously before turning her gaze from Noel to Yumi. But more importantly, she wanted to know what Noel had learned about the Heartless in EXE, and possibly, there might be some important things that Lavender might need to know once she returned to Traverse Town. "But, official business... so I take it you're with some sort of law enforcement agency or peacekeeping force around here?" Selene queried.

"Well, that's kind of interesting, seeing how one of Frostfire Industries' subsidiaries is a defense contractor," the Briton began to prattle on again, having found something that 'links' back to her interests; unknown to Noel, he'd just hit a hot button, and that would be anything related to businesses and corporations.
Edited by Lawman, Dec 6 2009, 12:50 PM.
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Noel

"Sure, lead the way," said Yumi shyly. Noel smiled to her to show her he had worn a serious looking face mainly because he was concerned about the problems he had, rather than because the two of them would make him uncomfortable. Of course that didn't mean that he trusted them just like that, especially since Noel was unable to trust even his friends, much less people he had just gotten acquainted to. Despite that, he usually tried to maintain a friendly and nice attitude towards completely everyone, including people he didn't really like. He liked Yumi and Selene a lot and somehow, he hoped they really were on the good side and not just making it up simply to lead him down the wrong path. But naturally, he couldn't be sure before he got to know them a bit better and that was also one of the reasons why he had invited them to his office. They'd have much more time and privacy there to sit down and talk about things and Noel was sure that by the end of their conversation, he'd be able to tell for sure on which side they really were.

"So you have an office here? So... I guess that means you travel frequently from one locale to another, I take it? I mean, seeing how you said you weren't from Heaven's City..." he heard Selene say. They were now walking from the little park in front of the Official Center straight at the main building of the giant complex, which was otherwise referred to as Netopian Official Net Battler Headquarters. "Well.. to be honest, I don't come here too often. Maybe once or twice per year, depending on how serious the problems we're having are." answered Noel as they finally reached the door. He opened them and they stepped into a large hall. There was at least a dozen of elevators on one side of the wall, while the other one hosted an enviably large water tank, filled with all kinds of decorations and sea flowers. Fish, small and big alike, were swimming in the aquarium while people walked past, a child stopping by it every once in a while, pressing his nose at the cold glass and screaming at his parents that he wants to have such an aquarium at home.

At the other end of the hall was a large counter with at least five long queues, stretching almost all the way to the beginning of the hall, where Yumi, Selene and Noel had stepped inside. While the Briton explained about the Frostfire Industries, her past life and business trips, Noel lead the two of them past the crowd forwards towards the counters. Some of the people started to complain when Noel simply walked past them, but the young ONB didn't seem to mind them at all; he was listening carefully to what Selene was telling him. "Your life surely seems very interesting.." noted Noel, hoping that they'll have enough time at some point in the future to actually sit down and talk about these things without having to worry about the world's destruction.

As they finally reached the back of the hall, Noel pushed his way through the crowd to get to the counter. Not wanting to lose them in the crowd, Noel looked back at them, yelling over the chatter of the crowd: "Follow me!" Seeing that he was probably going to lose them, he extended his hand and grabbed Yumi by her wrist, pulling her beside her. He hoped Selene would be able to follow them as well, or else they could have gotten lost in the crowd pretty easily. Finally reaching the counter, Noel realized he was still holding the girl by her wrist and he blushed greatly, releasing her hand and looking away for a second while his heart bashed against his chest. What was happening? Why was he feeling like this..?

"Sir...? Sir! You're cutting in the queue! I will have to ask you to step back to the end of the queue." he heard a woman's voice say. Looking towards the counter, he could see one of the receptionists that was near them, looking at him with a inexorable expression on her face. "Excuse me, miss," Noel said, pulling his Personal Terminal out of his pocket. Pressing a few buttons, he made a holographic projection, that projected a 3D symbol in the air. The symbol was a slowly rotating hexagon with two capital letters written on it, reading 'NS'.

Posted Image

People, that were standing around them, suddenly stopped talking and they looked at the holographic projection and finally at the one holding it with awe in their eyes. "I'm Noel Aramis, NetSavior Official Net Battler, Triumvir of the Chaos Union and Team Leader of the Buster Team. I need to get to my office as soon as possible. And these ladies are coming with me," Noel said, nudging at Yumi and Selene with a smile on his face. "E-Excuse me, s-sir.." the receptionist said, now blushing deeply in shame. "I-I didn't k-know.."

"It's ok. Just give me the key, I'm in a hurry," Noel said. The receptionist dashed beneath the counter in search of the key and it wasn't more than 10 seconds, when she was already handing the key to Noel. "Here you go, sir. Enjoy your stay," she said.

Noel nodded and then motioned Yumi and Selene to follow him. Now, as they were walking, people stepped away on their own to clear their path. Most of them just stood there, petrified, watching as he walked past them. A few tried to get to him, but it was just too crowdy for anyone to be able to get near him. Children were pointing at him and pulling their parents for their elbows: "Noel Aramis! Noel Aramis! Mommy, I wanna take a picture with him!"

As they finally reached the elevator, stepping in, Noel sighed. Pressing the button to take them to the highest floor, Selene said: "But, official business... so I take it you're with some sort of law enforcement agency or peacekeeping force around here?"

"You... You could say that.." said Noel, looking down at his feet. "Well, that's kind of interesting, seeing how one of Frostfire Industries' subsidiaries is a defense contractor," Selene continued, probably oblivious of Noel's discomfort. "L-Look, I'll explain when... when we get to my office, ok?" he said. It seemed almost transparent that Noel didn't like using the elevators. He was shifting his weight from one foot to another and he was tapping with his foot, looking around with clear discomfort in his eyes.

It seemed he felt extremely relieved when the doors of the elevator finally opened and they came on a nice corridor. Motioning them to follow him, Noel lead them towards the end of the corridor, where there were single doors with a sign on them, reading:

ONB Team Leader:
Noel Aramis, NetSavior Official Net Battler


Taking the key the receptionist had given him, Noel unlocked the doors, opening them and inviting the two girls in. Closing the doors behind them, he put the key back into his pocket before looking at the office, that was now opening to their eyes.

First of all, Yumi and Selene would most probably be taken aback already by the size of the office. It looked more like an apartment, than an office. From where they stepped in, there were three small steps down to a lower level, where there were two large, orange sofas and three similarly colored, incredibly comfortable armchairs. A neat low glassy round table stood between them. On one of the walls was a large plasma TV while the other walls were mostly decorated with colorful paintings. It seemed Noel really liked colors, but mostly his apartment was painted in lively, vivid colors.

The wall, opposite to the doors from which they had just stepped in, was made of glass, slightly shaded, so that the sun wouldn't get through directly. Because of that, the entire apartment was neatly lit and it was giving a really comfortable and homely touch to the entire apartment. Since they were on the highest level of the ONB HQ skyscraper, there was a beautiful view of the entire town, stretching out to the horizon and probably even farther.

Doors were leading to the left and right of this main room, probably to a modern kitchen or an expensive bathroom. There was also a spiral staircase left of the entrance doors, probably leading up to Noel's private quarters.

"Welcome to my office," Noel said. He smiled weakly as he searched the expressions on their faces. He knew that was probably not what they had expected. But he had all the time in the world to explain everything to them now that they were finally here. And they had a lot of explaining to do as well.

"Please, take a seat," he offered, motioning with his hand at the sofas. "Do you want me to get you something to drink?" he asked as they came down to the lower level, where the sofas were, with the most extraordinary view of the entire city, bathing in the light of the setting sun.
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Beka
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Yumi did not fail to notice Noel's warm smile at her words. Maybe he wasn't as uptight as she had thought. But the fact remained that he had every reason to be suspicious of her and Selene. Yumi was very curious to see how he would act when they were away from the prying eyes of the neighbourhood and safely in the privacy of his office. Would the walls come down, and he become more open? Or would his friendly public mask be replaced by a mistrusting face? The burgeoning detective inside of Yumi could not wait to find out.

She listened with amusement to Selene's ramblings as Noel led the way to his office. It seemed the man had hit some switch inside her which said "talk", and it didn't have an 'off' button installed. Still, Yumi soaked up the information the other girl gave out, listening to her tales of business life with her father with mild interest. She was especially interested to hear about corporate meeting and posh receptions. They certainly explained the forced etiquette which Yumi had observed earlier. It was bits and pieces like this that made up a person, gave an indication of what they were truly like. And although the two girls were acquainted from almost immediately after the destruction of Hyakuji, they had had no chance to talk before this. Yumi was keen to learn more about her fellow Arcadian, as she had a feeling their paths would be crossing a lot more in the future. Having firm allies was always a plus.

Noel led them through a little park into the main building of a giant complex, which had a plaque reading Netopian Official Net Battler Headquarters. That was interesting! Net Battlers sounded like some hero of amateur heroes. But this place looked anything but amateur. "Well.. to be honest, I don't come here too often. Maybe once or twice per year, depending on how serious the problems we're having are." Noel explained as they finally reached the door and he stopped to open it for them. The little act of chivalry did not go unnoticed by Yumi, and she added it to her mental stockpile for evaluation of his character. As they stepped into a large hall, Yumi observed at least a dozen of elevators on one side of the wall, an enviably large fish tank lining the other.

At the other end of the hall was a large counter with several long queues stretching the full length of the building. Yumi mentally cringed at the thought of waiting in those lines, thinking it would be dark by the time they reached the front. They did not seem to phase Noel in the least, however, as he pushed and weaved his way through a complaining crowd, confidently guiding the two girls to the front of the queue.

But it was far from an easy journey, and at one point it seemed as though they would become separated. Before Yumi quite knew what was happening, Noel had he extended his hand and grabbed Yumi by her wrist, pulling her beside her, Selene following close behind. When they finally reached the counter, Noel was still holding her hand. Yumi wasn't quite sure what to make of it, particularly when he seemed to suddenly realise it himself and blushed deeply, releasing her hand as if he had been burnt. What a puzzling reaction! It was almost as if... almost as if he liked her! But that was impossible, they had only known each other for 10 minutes. Yumi shook her head to dismiss the thought, putting it down to him just being shy around women.

"Sir...? Sir! You're cutting in the queue! I will have to ask you to step back to the end of the queue." Yumi's head snapped back to the counter they were leaning against as an unhappy woman's voice made it clear they weren't going to get away with queue-jumping quite so easily. Once again, however, Noel surprised her with his suave reply. Cool as a cucumber, he pulled out some kind of miniature computer from his pocket, pressing a few buttons to project a 3D holographic symbol in the air. The slowly rotating hexagon with two capital letters written on it, reading 'NS' meant nothing to Yumi, but from the woman's reaction it seemed this was their get out of jail free card. Yumi was getting more and more curious about this man she had met by such chance. Just who was Noel, to possess such an awe-inspiring clearance pass?

Perhaps he heard her mental question. "I'm Noel Aramis, NetSavior Official Net Battler, Triumvir of the Chaos Union and Team Leader of the Buster Team. I need to get to my office as soon as possible. And these ladies are coming with me." The titles were completely foreign to Yumi, but Noel was clearly a very important person in this world. Asking for, and receiving, the keys to his office, the three of them wove their way back through the crowd towards the elevators, the awe-struck reactions of the people around them confirming her impression of his status.

Her detective senses tingled once more as Selene queried Noel's employment during the elevator ride. Yumi had been wondering about that herself. Law enforcement agency or peacekeeping had not occurred to Yumi as possibilities when he had mentioned an office - her mind had jumped straight to business dealings. Yet she supposed it was perfectly possible. Sure enough, Noel confirmed it with his next words. "You... You could say that.." Yumi was impressed with Selene's guess, and looked forward to the full explanation once they reached his office.

It the meantime, however, it was almost amusing how much obvious discomfort Noel was in. He clearly did not enjoy elevator rides. The way he shifted his weight from one foot to another and glanced around anxiously, you could tell how desperate he was for the short trip to end, and his relief was tangible when the bells chimed and the doors finally opened. Thankfully their journey was just about over. Motioning them to follow him, Noel lead the way down a nice corridor, where there were single doors with a sign on them, reading, ONB Team Leader: Noel Aramis, NetSavior Official Net Battler. Clearly, they had arrived.

"Welcome to my office," Noel said. He seemed anxious for their reactions, smiling weakly at the two girls as they entered what appeared to be his home away from home. It was remarkable. A stunning suite of rooms, more like a fancy private residence than an office. The view from the windows was incredible. "Wow! This place is amazing!" she complimented.

"Please, take a seat," Noel motioned towards the comfortable-looking sofas. "Do you want me to get you something to drink?" "Thank you, a glass of juice would be great." Yumi smiled back at him, taking the offered seat. Making herself comfortable, she waited until the others were settled, and then asked the question that had been weighing on her mind since the scene in the foyer. "Noel... just who exactly ARE you?"
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Lawman
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And that settles it, Selene had to admit Noel had one charming smile as she and Yumi followed him to where his office was situated, and along the way the Briton decided to engage Noel in conversation. The Heartless, the scourge of worlds, destroyers of lives - clearly it was a bitter pill to swallow for many and she couldn't blame the young man for being grim in this situation. She'd thus far learned from the various Arcadians' report (and from her own experiences in Niwa and ACDC) that Heartless steal hearts to create more of their kind; and judging from the number of them that overran Hyakuji, God knows how many worlds have already met their end at the claw of those buggers, and that Hyakuji was probably just the latest in a long line of them. The Briton shuddered at the thought, a chill running down her spine.

"Beautiful..." Selene whistled as the three of them crossed a small park and arrived at the doorstep of a giant complex, so this was where Noel's office was situated? Given her corporate upbringing, Selene had a thing for admiring architecture, and couldn't help but stare as they walked past the plaque that denotes as Netopia's Official Net Battler headquarters. "Well.. to be honest, I don't come here too often. Maybe once or twice per year, depending on how serious the problems we're having are." Selene looked back at Noel upon hearing his voice - the Briton was apparently too busy admiring the interior decoration of the place. Problems? So it seemed he is an enforcer of sorts. Selene looked around - a spacious main lobby, stylishly-designed furnishing, a large aquarium - this place clearly had the trappings of a professional institution... and a large queue.

"Oh bollocks..." Selene groaned softly at the sight of five long queues that may as well be running down the entire length of the building. She hated waiting lines - not only would it be one excruciatingly long and boring wait, she disliked being pressed so close in a sea of bodies until you could smell what perfume the people around you were wearing, or whether or not they had showered for that matter... gross! Boldly however, Noel led them through the sea of bodies, pushing his way through the crowd, taking Yumi by the hand while Selene followed close behind, with her hand holding firmly on Noel's shoulder to ensure she didn't lose them both in the crowd, and eventually jostling their way to the front where Noel displayed another amusing moment of awkwardness over holding Yumi's hand, that boyish innocence of his really tickling the Briton. If he were a friend, she'd certainly have a teasing remark of two to make.

"Sir...? Sir! You're cutting in the queue! I will have to ask you to step back to the end of the queue." An unhappy-looking receptionist called out as soon as the trio made their way to the counter - the price to pay for queue jumping. However, it seemed that Noel certainly knew his stuff as the young man took out what the Briton thought was a futuristic PDA which flashed a holographic projection of a hexagonal emblem bearing the letters "NS". Selene wondered what it meant, but no matter what it meant, it certainly did the trick as the receptionist's reaction took on a complete turnaround. Already, there were surprised gasps as well as astonished looks as some members of the crowd looked absolutely awestruck as Noel received the keys to his office.

"Noel Aramis! Noel Aramis! Mommy, I wanna take a picture with him!" Some children called out excitedly to their parents as the three of them proceeded to the lift lobby, eliciting a radiant smile from Selene.

"Wow, you seem pretty famous in here!" Selene commented as she observed the crowd's reactions. It appeared to her that Noel was a celebrity figure of sorts... more like a superhero, probably, after she recalled him saying something about solving problems as they took the elevator to where his office was, noticing his uneasy expression. She couldn't help but wonder why he didn't like riding elevators - was he claustrophobic? The ride was a short one however, as they soon reached their destination floor, exiting the elevator and walking down a beautifully-furnished corridor, stopping finally at a door with an engraved plaque bearing Noel's name and credentials. "Now I see why you're famous," The Briton remarked - it does sound like a pretty high-ranking title in her books after all - standing with her hands behind her back as Noel opened the door to his office and led them in... and that was when Selene's eyes widened when she saw what was beyond the door.

"Wow! This place is amazing!" Came Yumi's positive response as Selene looked on in awe - the posh furnishing, that cosy ambience, that wonderful view of the city offered from the top floor of the ONB Headquarters - this looked more like a penthouse suite than an office!

"Hehe, no kidding!" Selene seconded as she whistled, impressed by the luxurious suite that obviously served not only as Noel's office, but most likely his home away from home.

"Welcome to my office," Noel said as he smiled weakly.

"With an office like that, it's really impressive you can retain such a modest attitude..." Selene mumbled, for one who pretty much had all the bragging rights in the world he was surprisingly humble, and the Briton had to respect that, even if she thought Noel turned out a little eccentric to her - but for her, and pretty much anyone who's enrolled for Hyakuji High, who was she to judge?

"Please, take a seat," Noel addressed the two girls motioned towards the sofas. "Do you want me to get you something to drink?" As Yumi settled for a glass of juice Selene fell silent for a while, the Briton deep in thought as her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she sat down on the neighboring couch next to the other girl. With a luxurious suite like this, could this mean... Selene suddenly perked up, a stunned expression on the Briton's face as if she just received some breaking news, then her features softened as Selene smiled.

"You don't happen to have any tea, would you?" The Briton asked - what is an Englishwoman to do without tea anyhow? And it had only just occurred to her that she hadn't had tea in a while - and instant tea mixes just won't do! "Preferably Ceylonese, but any type of black tea would do," The redhead laughed sheepishly, hoping she wasn't going too far with her request. "And please keep the tea leaves and water separate," Selene preferred to customize her own proportion of water to tea leaves; and of course, if Noel was no tea connoisseur it would also save him the trouble of trying to brew the 'perfect' mix. "And of course, don't forget the milk and sugar."

"Noel... just who exactly ARE you?" Yumi asked. Given the hero's welcome the young man had been receiving the moment he presented his credentials at the lobby, that was something that certainly piqued the Briton's curiosity.

"I mean, you've been getting quite the hero's welcome around here, you must be doing something important around here isn't it?" Selene chimed in - being one who literally spent the last 16 years of her life being around big shots, the Briton knew a big shot when she saw one, although she had to admit that in Noel's case the initial impression was misleading indeed. Still, given what they had gone through thus far it was becoming clear that there was a lot more to this young man than meets the eye.
Edited by Lawman, Dec 9 2009, 01:14 PM.
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