04 && UNDESERVED MEETING

[✖STRIDE✖]

When they arrived at the enormous "house" and knocked on the door an NPC Butler type character opened it and offered them to come in. They followed him up a whole flight of stairs and down several corridors before another door was opened to lead them into a very homely study. Papers floated everywhere except for a few tables in the corner of the room. One of which sat a male of normal height, dark hair, and medium tan skin. His avatar looked very mexican to say the least, although the outfit he showed off was not mexican at all. His sorcerer robes were made of a fine rich silk, symbolistic through the use of many colors. The bottom of his robe was a shimmering black that faded into nothing, seeming to vanish into thin air near his shoes. Almost as if you tried to touch it your fingers would pass straight through the material. The black shifted into many cascading oranges, yellows, pinks and reds, as if a sunrise were plastered onto his very clothes. His cinnamon brown bangs embraced around his face and a thin ponytail was cast over his shoulder, reaching down to his lower chest. He sat with his back to the door at a rounded table with a tea tray on the top and a tea cup in his fingers. Under the table lay a very small black dragon with glittering scales and a small mythological feline creature that was not seen often within BOW.

Sitting over at a slightly bigger square-like table were three other males Two of them seemed to be complete opposites. The one being a bigger and buffer male, while the other was a rather short cat-eyed character, upon his face a rather sly grin. The shorter male was dressed in a ninja type outfit. The problem was, it glowed. If this was a ninja, then he probably wasn't very good at sneaking around with the clothes that he wore. They also has special colors. Yes colors. The outfit didn't stay just one. It shifted from a cool blazing blue to a hot light green and through a bright raging yellow. Other softer colors were mixed in, but it was as if the lower part of a bomb fire was being experimented on using different chemicals to purposefully change the color. His scarf, headband, and belt were of a blackish crimson, symbolizing the hot coals of a dying fire. The male's hair was a jet black that stuck up like a fire licking at the sky. His skin was also slightly darker with eyes very similar to the clothes he wore. Seeming to shift colors depending on his thoughts and feelings.

So... These are the bata-testers I've heard so much about. I'm assuming, since Brights said that Jade himself was. Why wouldn't his connections be also? Stargazer walked into the room with his normal cloak slipped over his head. Just because these characters were of great importance, didn't mean that he was going to show them all his secrets. No way. If anything, he couldn't trust them even more then normal. Of course he had his own connections and had contacted them to also arrive at the meeting. He wasn't going to tell the rest of them that now though. This was his wild card. All in due time. They didn't think he would just fall into their laps did they? He would join their little team, but not by himself. No way. He wasn't going to just sit in with the big hot shots and get trampled all over.

"JAADDEE♪~ The guests of honor are here!" Said the glowing one known as Blaze as he stood up from his chair and pranced over to Lilly and gave her a big hug. "Heya Lills! How ya doing? You look gorgeous as usual! ♥"

Stargazer raised an eyebrow at the sound of Blaze's voice. Geesh... guy sounded very... What was the word? He shrugged to himself not really caring.

[maka albarn]

All the way to Jades' manor, Lilly had felt nervous. Now, as the NPC held the door to the study open for her, that nervousness increased tenfold. After thinking for a minute, she finally decided that introducing Stargazer to her friends was what made her uneasy. Jade was helping Stargazer as a favor to her (and because the quest interested him). She had tried to warn Jade about Stargazers' sometimes abrasive personality, but he seemed to dismiss her comments. Apparently, the information was nothing new to him.

There were four people in the room besides Stargazer and herself. One, a magnificently robed figure with cinnamon hair,  sat with his back to her. A tea tray rested on the table in front of him: the sweet scent of steeping herbs wafted through the room. Jade sat at a table nearby, studying a piece of parchment. The Architects' avatar looked almost exactly the same as Jade did in real life. Dark, bushy hair. Narrow glasses. Average height, serious expression, grey eyes. There was a great deal of contrast between his stooped position and plain tunic, and the appearance of the player sitting next to him.

This player was tall, with a strong but slim build. His expression was open and expectant as he sat waiting, shoulders straight, watching the door. He wore battle gear of blood red and pale gold. Whoever forged his armor must have been one of the best smiths in BOW: it was strong, graceful, flexible. Over his shoulder, Lilium could see the hilt of a sword, inlaid with white gold and set with a single ruby. A short red cloak fell in folds from two arrow-shaped gold clasps on his shoulders. Two broad strips of rich red cloth covered his sides, extending from the belt at his waist to below his knees. One of the most unusual things about the guest (other than his clothing) was his hair. It was blond, thick, and longer on one side than the other. Locks of hair fell over the center and right side of his face, brushing the bridge of his nose and covering his right ear. On the left side, his hair was several inches shorter. Lilly hadn't met him, but she knew who he was. Red Dragon. Blazes' older brother. And to his right, looking like a firework spark..."JAADDEE♪~ The guests of honor are here!"

Before Lilly could say hello, Blaze traipsed over to give her a hug. Yeah. Somehow Lilly got the feeling Stargazer and Blaze might not get along. "Thanks! It's good to see you, Blaze." She grinned. "I like the shade of green on your ninja outfit."
Jade stood. "Lilly, good to see you. You must be Stargazer. It's a pleasure to meet you. Let me introduce my other guests. This is Sirius, Lore-master, and the only Dragon-tamer in BOW. This is Red Dragon. Ace solo player, excels in combat. And the colorful person standing next to you is Blaze, Dragons' brother and an excellent player in his own right. I am Jade." He gave a short bow. Dragon gave a sweeping one.
"Everyone, this is Stargazer." For a second, Lilly said nothing. Then, "Well, I think I'll leave you to your meeting. It was a pleasure to meet you, Sirius, Red Dragon. Good luck on your quest, everyone." With a bow, Lilly turned to go.

[✖STRIDE✖]

"I like the shade of green on your ninja outfit."

Pulling away from Lilly and looking down at himself he gave a little bow towards her. "You always know how to flatter me beautiful! ♥" His bow was deeper then Jade's but much less dramatic then his older brother's. More charming and light. He simply placed the palm of his hand over his heart and bent at his waist. If Stargazer could roll his eyes, he would. Instead he settled for shake of his head in irritation. What a spoiled brat.

But when Lilium announced her leave, the atmosphere of the room shifted, and not for the better. A darkness fell over the room, at least for a few of the characters within it. Blaze frowned slightly, and took a nervous step away from the cloaked figure beside him. Over at the little round table with tea pot and sugar cup Sirius put his cup of tea down and glanced over at Jade with a knowing look. Sirius was not nervous about the cloaked figure being able to Take all four of them out. Especially with the Fire Brothers there with them. But attempting to make a team with someone they had never met and who probably didn't even really want their help was going to be a huge waste of time if the one who had asked for the team to come together was just going to leave.

But before anyone could make another movement or sound Stargazer made a stunt of his own. One second he was next to Blaze and the next he was standing behind Lilium with his fingers grabbing hold of the piece of cloth at her shoulder. "Don't leave. You owe me an adventure under my terms. You got me into that mess in the Hearts Kingdom with the Black daggers and your just going to leave me with a group of strangers I can't trust. You Owe Me." His voice was low and a bit menacing, but it was only loud enough for Lilly to hear, unless one of the others had super hearing, which he doubted they had considering their classes and elements. But there was a hint of absolute fear within his voice. If he was here with them then he wasn't going to be there alone. Especially when they were top notch, basically Rank Ten noble players.

Of course he had meant to place his hand on her shoulder, more as a sign of respect, the way she had done with him. But with her moving away from him and his lack of sight, it wasn't as easy as he had originally thought. So he settled on grabbing her clothes in that area instead. If anyone would know better, this was Stargazer begging. He was absolutely terrified.

There was a short pause before a sharp form of laughter broke the silence. Sirius then took a sip of his tea and spoke with a crisp confident tone of voice. "So the rumors I've heard are true about your blindness Stargazer. Silly how a little slip of the fingers can give you away."

Stargazer flinched slightly at the lore master's voice and let go of Lilium's shirt. With a swift movement he was standing directly behind Blaze with his full attention on Sirius. Blaze gasped and took a step forward out of the shock of Stargazer's speed. Even as a Ninja he had never achieved a speed like that. He only knew of one other who could run faster then that.

"Oh Lore Master Sirius, my bad, I seemed to have forgotten to acknowledge you. Though it seems that the rumors are true about you being a Smartass." Stargazer's voice had changed dramatically. From being low and menacing to being smooth and mocking.

Sirius snorted in reply. "Why thank you Ace Rouge. I'll take that as your Peace offering." He said, turning back to his tea to begin to once again ignore the situation. But there was no way Stargazer was done.

"I'm sorry its so late, but I'm still wondering why you are considered the Lore Master here when Four-eyes over there is the one with the glasses. So perhaps he should be the Smartass."

With that Sirius put down his tea cup with a CHINK and began coughing, chocking on the liquid he had just inhaled. When he was finished he spun in his seat and opened his mouth to say something when suddenly Blaze stepped in. "Hold it hold it guys! Look Stargazer. You look a little bit like a cornered cat with your fur standing on end and your ears held back. Chill out a little bit. We aren't here to intimidate you. We are dear friends of Lills here and heard about your quest through her. She wants to help you out and thinks you'll have a better chance of finishing it with a bigger team. We are here simply for adventure. Ohkay, I do admit that what Dear Sirius here said was way over board and was down right inappropriate. But I swear that we are really here to hold out our hand in friendship and a share for adventure. Besides. We've already decided that you were going to be the leader of the quest anyway. I mean you are the one who started it and are simply meeting us a long the way."

Stargazer listened to the Fire Elementalist intently for a moment. Sure, he felt intimidated. If that was obviously apparent then Sirius was obviously pulling a test. Perhaps he knew that Blaze would step in. Or he really didn't like Stargazer. But now the truth was out and that was not ohkay.

"Wait... Your blind?" Blaze's voice cut into the assassin's thoughts.

[maka albarn]

Lilium could feel the atmosphere in the room change as soon as she finished speaking. Blaze moved away from Stargazer. Sirius and Jade glanced at each other. It only took Lilly a few seconds to realize what was wrong. She had made a mistake. True, she didn't intend to join in on this quest, so her presence may seem superfluous. But she was the only person in the room who knew Stargazer at all. In a way, this meeting happened because of her. At the very least she should have stuck around until everyone was comfortable around each other. All of a sudden, Lilly felt a hand grip her coat.

"Don't leave. You owe me an adventure under my terms. You got me into that mess in the Hearts Kingdom with the Black daggers and your just going to leave me with a group of strangers I can't trust. You Owe Me."
As far as Lilly was concerned, her debts were paid. Sure, the Black Dagger incident disrupted his questing plans. But she had more than made up for that by introducing Stargazer to Jade. And that accident didn't require such a long, time-consuming commitment to atone for it. The unreasonable demand only reaffirmed what Lilly thought she saw: Stargazer was afraid. Across the room, Dragon noticed his haste and wondered at it. Before anyone could really respond, Sirius laughed, and made a statement that no-one in that room could have dreamed up.

"So the rumors I've heard are true about your blindness Stargazer. Silly how a little slip of the fingers can give you away." Lilly froze, stunned. Jade looked at Sirius in open shock. Red Dragon's eyes widened. Then his expression hardened and he looked at Stargazer with dark eyes.

"Oh Lore Master Sirius, my bad, I seemed to have forgotten to acknowledge you. Though it seems that the rumors are true about you being a Smartass."

Lilly was too confused, too off-balance to pay attention to Stargazers' quick reply. Stargazer, blind. Was it possible? From the first time she met him, she had been struck by his swiftness and controlled movement. All at once, compassion and guilt surged through her. Now it was starting to make sense. His unusual confidence when they traveled in the dark. His super-sensitive hearing. His remarkable observation of his environments. The past few hours played through her mind. How must her insistence on "blinding" him with a flash have made Stargazer feel? It was like a cruel joke, a slap across the face.

Meanwhile, Dragon watched Stargazer. So. This Ace player was blind. An unmistakable tragedy. Dragons' sadness was unaffected, sincere. But it was eclipsed by admiration. This boy (Dragon though of him in those terms, even though they probably weren't much more than a year apart) hadn't let his blindness keep him tied down. No indeed! Despite it, despite his perpetual trek through darkness, Stargazer had become one of the best players in BOW. Then and there Dragon made a decision. He was going to be Stargazers' friend.

"Wait... You're blind?" Jade turned to Stargazer and leaned on the table, lacing his fingers together. "That is irrelevant. Listen, Stargazer. What Blaze said is true. We don't mean to intimidate you. We're just here for the quest. I wouldn't blame you for walking out right now, but I ask you to consider staying. With your permission, I would like to lay out my plans for this team, at least let me tell you what i know so this isn't a complete waste. we have enough ability and experience here to make a remarkable team. what do you think?"

[✖STRIDE✖]

"That is irrelevant. Listen, Stargazer. What Blaze said is true. We don't mean to intimidate you. We're just here for the quest. I wouldn't blame you for walking out right now, but I ask you to consider staying. With your permission, I would like to lay out my plans for this team, at least let me tell you what i know so this isn't a complete waste. we have enough ability and experience here to make a remarkable team. what do you think?" There was a very long pause within the room. Blaze glanced back and forth several times from Stargazer to Jade and back. The boy's choice would decide the entire moment. If Stargazer decided to walk out of the room then Blaze knew that he, Jade, and Dragon would probably be dealing with an overreacting Sirius for the enormous waste of time. Especially when Jade went through all that trouble trying to wake him up. He didn't know Sirius all that well. He knew Jade a whole lot better. But they were all Beta-testers together and so knew a lot about each other.

Sirius on the other hand watched the Blind rat in complete distain. Seriously, if anyone knew any better, then he probably was going to turn around and walk out making this whole ordeal a big waste of his Saturday morning. But on the other hand. What an ally Stargazer could be if they could get this small group in together. A small grin crept onto his lips. There was a reason he had beheld the assassin's greatest secret. Simply because it would have been a great problem to the team if they hadn't have known. It wasn't that Sirius was super smart and wanted to show off, although sometimes it paid off to see someone's blubbering reaction. But Stargazers nickname of Smartass simply wasn't all that far off. That was why it hadn't bothered Sirius and in fact he knew so. He just wasn't sure how it was going to be a good idea to group together with him. How that was going to work with a blind loner as a group leader. It probably wasn't and he was intrigued to see how well it was going to work. If Stargazer turned around and walked out right now, he knew there was going to be freedom from the potential headaches of the inevitable.

Stargazer was completely quite for almost five minutes. A long time for him to come up with a response as he was so used to making one up on the spot. But they already knew the score and the situation. This was not going to be a decision that would be easily made. The time would be spent well. While Stargazer knew the Lore Master's weakness was wasted time and questions, and he knew that if he just walked out right now he would piss the man off simply because he decided to expose his lack of sight to some of the most powerful players in the game. However, he also knew that Sirius was expecting him to walk out so that he could give him pain and essentially expose him as a coward. There was also the question of Lilly. Out of anyone in this room she was the only player he knew. He hadn't asked correctly earlier. But he was afraid to ask appropriately. Neither did he want to apologize for his ill mannered actions.

After several long and silent minutes Stargazer made a movement. He lifted his hand and took the hood off his head to reveal shaggy black hair and unemotional, empty black eyes. Around his neck was a sly black ferret-weasel type creature known as a ferris. It made no movement but it was clearly alive and obviously watching everyone around it. In that moment Stargazer turned to Lilly and gave a very slight bow. One that was even smaller then Jade's. "Look I know this is a terrible way to ask in front of everyone Brights, and I know i was an all out jerk a few moments before, but I want to............. urg... I want to apologize and ask again.... correctly. You have fulfilled your part of the deal in which I seriously am grateful. But... I know you do not exceed our levels, but still I would be honored if you would join the ranks of my.... our quest. I mean you did kind of stumble into it and it is the least I can offer you for getting me out of that terrible cave in which my tracking skills did not work." His voice was very rusty compared to those of Sirius, Blaze, and Jade. Not that he had heard dragon speak yet, but he was sure his as well. He wasn't used to asking for favors or apologizing in front of others. But mostly it was done to embarrass Sirius. Although the part about his apologizing, while he wanted that to be on the Lore Master, it was completely and entirely genuine. "Please..."

[maka albarn]

jade waited for stargazers' answer. one stupid comment from sirius. that was all it took to put the quest in jeopardy. it didn't surprise him that sirius had spotted stargazers' blindness. and he understood - at least in part - why sirius announced it: blindness in a team leader was something the team should be made aware of. but this was just a game. he wanted the team he helped build to beat this quest as much as anyone. was one quest worth exposing someone's close-kept, painful secrets? perhaps. but not like this. even he, jade, frowned on sirius's lack of sensitivity. Sensitivity? Lack of consideration, for Stargazer and for the team. jade looked at sirius, eyes narrowed. The rest of this meeting would be conducted in the shadow of that brazen announcement. If the meeting happened at all. building a team with these players might be impossible now. it all depended on how stargazer handled this revelation of his blindness.

Three minutes. Four minutes. It seemed like everyone in the room was holding their breath. Tension and a sense of waiting seemed to fill the room, ready to flare out like a charge of electricity. Jade looked at Lilium. She was standing by the door, one hand on the hilt of her rapier, locks of hair half-hiding her face. All of her interactions with Stargazer seemed insensitive now. Lilly knew this was irrational. She hadn't known he was blind. She had always treated him pretty well. But her insistence on blinding him, and their conversation in the tunnels below Heart City left a bitter taste in her mouth. But the fact that he was blind, and the horrible way in which Stargazers' secret was stripped from him, created something akin to camaraderie. Lilly wanted to see Stargazer succeed now, more than ever. The feeling was vague and half-formed, but Lilly simple wished Stargazer well.

Stargazer reached up and took of his hood. Everyone was a little startled to see a ferris across his shoulders. The thing was so quiet even Lilly hadn't noticed it was there. Stargazer turned to Lilly. He bowed, just a little. Jade sat up straight. One way or another, he had a feeling they were about to learn whether they had all come for nothing or not. Lilly waited silently, hiding her surprise.

"Look I know this is a terrible way to ask in front of everyone Brights..." Lilly listened to Stargazers' entire apology without speaking. Apologizing didn't come easy to Stargazer. She hadn't often heard him say thank-you without sarcasm. But now he was apologizing in front of everyone. Not only was he apologizing, he was asking for a favor. It wouldn't surprise Lilly if there was some hidden motivation behind this speech (not allowing Sirius to run him off, maybe) but she could see that his apology was sincere. And, at that moment, the thought occurred to her: perhaps she and Stargazer could become friends. Not just amiable acquaintances. Not just collaborators. Friends.

"Please..."
Lilium nodded. "I... accept your apology Stargazer. Alright. I'll join the team for this quest. Since you know my abilities aren't on the same level as yours." She gestured to indicate the other players in the room. In his seat at the table, Jade felt his shoulders relax. Beside him, Dragon shifted in his seat, suppressing the urge to gather Stargazer, Lilly, and his brother in a crushing hug.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Jade smiled and said, "Well. I guess we can proceed with our meeting then."

[✖STRIDE✖]

"I... accept your apology Stargazer. Alright. I'll join the team for this quest. Since you know my abilities aren't on the same level as yours."

Stargazer visibly relaxed and a smile touched his lips. His eyes peering into her but looking beyond her, as if there were some beautiful scenery behind her. The presence of Lilly comforted him, despite his mistrust of most people. He seemed amused that he heard her hand move slightly, and decided that she had gestured at him, but it didn't bother him at all. He knew that it took people a lot of getting used to while being around someone who was blind. They would make simple mistakes for a long time before they finally got it into their brains. Stargazer always found those moments to be amusing.

There was a sigh of relief from Jade as Stargazer was sitting down at one of the empty seats. At the other table Sirius had visibly relaxed as well and went back to finishing his tea. While this meeting was merely going to thoughts, ideas, and set ups, Sirius would mostly only give input when he had some. He wasn't one for big meetings. "Well. I guess we can proceed with our meeting then." Jade had said. Blaze went and sat back down next to his brother and flashed him a satisfied grin.

Stargazer allowed a short pause before speaking again. "Four-eyes, I am sure you have some brilliant plans and ideas. But there is something important I would like to discuss before we move on into deeper water. There are 12 gems of the lost crown that I have heard about and from what I can tell from the three I've found each one has a special test set up for one person to win. We need more hands if this is going to work. I have a couple friends that I want to invite into my..... our quest. Two of them are actually beta-testers like yourself. I'm not sure if the third one is or not, but their levels are all matching of our own. They are of different elements and are much more.... Tolerant of me. If you are all up for me inviting them."

There was a pause. Blaze glanced at his brother, but honestly he didn't really care. Sirius on the other hand put his cup of tea back down on the table and allowed a deeply irritated sigh to escape his lips. More problems.

[maka albarn]

Stargazer and Lilly found seats at the square table. Then Stargazer spoke. "Four-eyes," (Jade raised his eyebrows slightly. Lilly shrugged at him as if to say, "get used to it.") "I am sure you have some brilliant plans and ideas. But there is something important I would like to discuss before we move on into deeper water. There are 12 gems of the lost crown that I have heard about and from what I can tell from the three I've found each one has a special test set up for one person to win... I have a couple friends that I want to invite into my..... our quest."

Jade dropped his face into his palm. He sat still for a minute, suppressing a groan, messaging his temples with his fingertips. Jade liked a certain amount of order. This meeting had played out so smoothly in his minds' eye: introductions, some productive discussion, a chance to see what this Stargazer guy was like in person. Frankly, Jade wanted some control over his own meeting. Three unplanned potential team members. Three of them. Well, it could be worse. It made sense for Stargazer to bring his own people on his own quest. But Jade preferred to know who would be at his meetings BEFORE they showed up and this was a bit of a wild card. CLUNK. There went Sirius, thumping down his cup and letting out a sigh of disgust. Well. At least Stargazer invited high-level Beta testers. Jade just hoped they weren't ego-centric, abrasive jerks. Bah. The Ace solo-player probably had the sense not to invite problem-players. This whole thing was probably a power play, to make sure the meeting wouldn't be conducted entirely on their terms. Fine. Jade sat up, sliding his hands over his knees. "Alright Stargazer. You're quest leader. Any players you want to invite should be here. I probably should have asked about this before I set up the meeting. But before they show up... I'd like a little more information on them. Could I have names, and their respective elements?" There was a short pause. "It does make sense to start with more than six members. Whoever gave you your information knew what they were talking about. The Management designed 12 gems for 12 players. 2 gems for each element. Eventually, we'll need a guild of 12 players." Red Dragon leaned forward with his elbows on the table. "Jade, if I may...?" "Of course." "I don't think it's necessary to begin this quest with a team of 12. From what you've told me, Jade, some gems are easier to capture than others: we can start with those. As we capture gems, our successes will attract powerful guild members and solo players. Word about LC and our victories will get around, and we'll have a our pick of the best." Jade slid a piece of parchment into the middle of the table. "And it is possible to collect at least one gem with a high-functioning team of 5 or 6. A contact from Hearts kingdom (fire elemental, high rank), tried to get this gem on his own. Failed in the end. But he described everything to me: I made this map, built him a tower for it. White marble. One of my better works."
Jade stopped, and looked at Stargazer. "We can discuss this in a minute... When will your friends be here?"

[✖STRIDE✖]

"Alright Stargazer. You're quest leader. Any players you want to invite should be here. I probably should have asked about this before I set up the meeting. But before they show up... I'd like a little more information on them. Could I have names, and their respective elements?"

At Jade's voice Stargazer almost laughed, but held his emotions and reactions in check. Instead a simple smile slipped onto his lips. Although, he didn't get any time to actually respond to the question, but all in due time. Things were at least going better then they were, the meeting inevitably started in chaos and would inevitably end smoothly once Stargazer gained a bit more in control.

"It does make sense to start with more than six members. Whoever gave you your information knew what they were talking about. The Management designed 12 gems for 12 players. 2 gems for each element. Eventually, we'll need a guild of 12 players."

Then Stargazer frowned. Wait... guild? No... That was not what he agreed to. Though it was possible Jade had simply Misspoke, so he didn't say anything against it for the moment, but he would definitely keep his ears open for that word to come up again.

"I don't think it's necessary to begin this quest with a team of 12. From what you've told me, Jade, some gems are easier to capture than others: we can start with those. As we capture gems, our successes will attract powerful guild members and solo players. Word about LC and our victories will get around, and we'll have a our pick of the best."

"And it is possible to collect at least one gem with a high-functioning team of 5 or 6. A contact from Hearts kingdom (fire elemental, high rank), tried to get this gem on his own. Failed in the end. But he described everything to me: I made this map, built him a tower for it. White marble. One of my better works."

Stargazer listened to the two strategize. It was interesting to know that Jade and the Red Dragon not only knew each other, but also seemed to work well together. Then there was a small pause and Jade turned his attention back onto the lone shadow. "We can discuss this in a minute... When will your friends be here?" This time his voice made Stargazer chuckle.

"You are really nervous about them aren't you. See me and wonder what kinds of friends I have. Well, just take Miss Brights here for example. Don't worry, my plan isn't to over run. Maul is another Shadow like me, but she's not like me. She's more on the quiet side, along with her brother who is a Water Elementalist. I don't know much about the girl who travels with him. Only that she is high leveled and a Water user like he. They are not anything YOU guys should be worried about. And their probably going to be even less noticeable then I." He laughed again, but not in a cruel way. "The should be at the door now. They contacted me right before we stepped into the room. I tried asking in a way that wouldn't be overwhelming for you, but I've already had this planned from the beginning."

"Why would you tell us that, Stargazer?" Sirius asked, turning from his place at the table on his own. "If it was your plan all along, why would you tell us that?"

Stargazer didn't physically react to Sirius's voice, except he did smile. "Why not? I'm being honest. You know, just in case you get the impulse to speak out loud about my private thoughts again."

Sirius growled. Then leaned back and sighed. "Alright, alright Stargazer. I'm sorry that I exposed you like that. It was terribly wrong of me." At that, Stargazer frowned. He really had not been prepared for Sirius to apologize. With a personality like his, he hadn't even imagined it. Even if it was forced. "Listen, Its too early in the morning for me. I'm kinda at the end of the waking up process and I was taking my anger out on you."

Stargazer paused for a moment. "Yeah ohkay Smartass. You are forever forgiven." There was a short lapse in time where there was silence but then both boys laughed. Sirius really didn't care much that Stargazer called him a Smartass. He actually found it amusing. It just seemed that they had pretty similar ideas in humor.

[maka albarn]

"You are really nervous about them aren't you... I tried asking in a way that wouldn't be overwhelming for you, but I've already had this planned from the beginning."

Jade had already resigned himself to the fact that these people were coming. Learning that they were at his door already wasn't worth more than some mild annoyance. Jade (and Lilly) wondered how long they'd been standing outside. Whatever. A more pressing question demanded some thought: did Stargazers' friends know that he was blind? if not, the secret would have to come out sooner or later. their ignorance could cause problems mid-quest, especially when the rest of the team knew what they didn't. Sound didn't travel through that heavy door: unless one of them had high-level tracking capabilities, they couldn't have overheard Sirus. Well. He'd just wait and see how the meeting progressed. In the back of his mind, Jade took note: Stargazer used "Brights" as an example of the kind of people he chose to be his friends. Did this mean Stargazer wanted Lilly for a friend? that seemed legitimate, considering the way he had insisted on her coming along. Jade turned his attention back to the situation at hand, filing that observation away in his memory.

"Why would you tell us that?..."

"Why not? I'm being honest. You know, just in case you get the impulse to speak out loud about my private thoughts again."

"Alright, alright Stargazer. I'm sorry that I exposed you like that. It was terribly wrong of me." Jade listened to his friend speak, expressionless. Sirius did the right thing. He admitted that he was wrong. Dissolved tension in the group. And all on a Satruday morning. "Listen, Its too early in the morning for me. I'm kinda at the end of the waking up process and I was taking my anger out on you."

Red Dragon listened to this speech without the detached, unemotional analysis of Jade. The Lore-masters' callousness had roused Dragons' displeasure, a feeling which had only grown as time passed. Now, Sirius was apologizing, and Dragon leaned back, his indignation cooled and replaced by approval for Sirius's frank admission of wrong.

Stargazer paused for a moment. "Yeah ohkay Smartass. You are forever forgiven." For a moment no-one spoke. Lilly waited to see what would happen, glancing at Sirius. Jade smiled the ghost of a smile. Then, both Stargazer and Sirius burst out laughing. A shadow which had tainted the room ever since the revelation of Stargazers' blindness seemed to lighten, to twist and dissolve like wisps of smoke when a spring breeze blows through. Dragon smiled broadly: when he heard good hearty laughter, it was difficult for him to keep from joining in. Laughter seemed to brighten the room, make the candles burn a little brighter.

"Okay. If you two are done laughing, I'm going to let our guests in." Jade pushed his chair back and walked to the door, taking the smooth copper handle and twisting it to reveal the hallway beyond. Three players stood on the threshold: two female, one male. Everyone's' attention was immediately drawn to the person called Kiku. Jade tilted his head back and looked at him. The top of Kiku's head almost brushed the door frame. Everything about him - from the way he stood to the breadth of his shoulders - gave an impression of strength. His sleeves were split from elbow to wrist, revealing long arm guards of polished silver. Looking at his face, even Lilly found Kiku hard to read: he examined the room with serious eyes, closed off, taking everything in without speaking.
Next to him, looking like Kikus' shadow, stood a girl who drew almost as much attention as Kiku did just by contrast. Kiku stood almost two feet taller than she. He wore white: Mal dressed in black, excepting a white and silver broach at her throat and the silver buckles on her boots. Dark hair cut short framed her face, with her bangs falling low over her hooded eyes. She was slight and only just as tall as Lilly. Yet, despite her size, Lilly could see why this person was a high-ranking player. Maybe it was the way she carried herself: relaxed, confident, calm. There was something about her demeanor that was almost defiant or cynical, as if she held everyone at arms' length, waiting to see if they were a decent sort and not keeping her hopes up.
The third girl stood half-hidden behind Kiku's massive frame, but the glimpse that Lilly caught of her showed one thing. She was truly beautiful.
"Ah. Stargazers' friends, I assume. Welcome. I am Jade, the host of this meeting. Please, come in. Then we'll all be properly introduced." Jade side-stepped, making room for the three new team members to enter.

[✖STRIDE✖]

as the new team members walked into the room stargazer couldnt help but flinch. Of course he had heard their progress much sooner then the others had, but at the same time, this was his first time keeping his hood completely off his head in front of anyone. To be honest, part of the reason he took his hood off was because he wanted to be dramatic. Now that they were here he couldnt stop his virtual heart from pounding so loud he could hear it roaring in his own ears. As they walked in, stargazer was extremely quiet. Blaze noticed it quite easily, but he ignored it, figuring that stargazer wouldnt appreciate the annoyance, and instead stood up to greet their guests.

The last of the three was a girl by the name of Alyss. She was quite different from the other two, being a bit more open and bright. Her demenor was completely opposite from that of her two companions. She had beautiful platinum blond hair the was let down with a short braid made at the end of her locks, the longest strands cutting off at the small of her lower back. She wore a short female warrior's kimono, taking on the image of a samurai despite her blond hair, pale skin and sea blue eyes. Strapped to her back were two sheathed katana swords. The weapon of the samurai. These particular swords were very rare, being won through means of a high level quest.

At the sight of the water elementalist, blaze blushed furiously and took several steps back into his seat. Alyss smiled at Jade with an almost irrisistable smile before she gave him a little bow and said, "Thank you for having us Jade. We apologize for any inconvenience we have caused you. We know we came on such short notice. But we are excited to be here." With that she moved deeper into the room and went to get a chair next to lily.

Both stargazer and sirius were quiet. Both for quite different reasons. Sirius had only caught a glimps of the newcomers and he was already nervous about all the people already involved. Sirius was not much of a people person. In fact, he did not fit into a crowd well at all. Stargazer was nervous about the conversation that was to come. There would have to be more talking about his lack of eye sight and about his leadership skills. These were places that were never really comfortable for him.

[maka albarn]

"Thank you for having us Jade. We apologize for any inconvenience we have caused you. We know we came on such short notice. But we are excited to be here."
Jade nodded, "Don't apologize. You're Alyss, right? Please, make yourselves comfortable." As Alyss took a seat next to Lilly, Jade noted the two katanas she wore. Quest weapons. Hard to obtain. Whoever this water elementalist was, she knew the game and played with skill.

Red Dragon half-bowed in greeting, sneaking a sly sidelong glance at his brother when his head was down. Blaze was definitely blushing. Dragon flashed him a brief, mischievous grin that only Blaze could see, then straightened. Lilly edged her chair to the side a little to make room for Alyss, smiling as she took a seat. A gnawing feeling of nervousness filled her stomach. Lilly got the feeling that Alyss, despite her gracefulness and winsome manner, would prove a powerful ally in battle. Candlelight glinted on the two katana scabbards on her back. With such high-level players on the team, it was hard to stem her doubts about measuring up. And on top of all that, Stargazer's hood still lay across his shoulders. Who knew if Mal, Kiku, and Alyss were aware of his blindness? Somehow, that didn't' seem likely. The thought of Stargazer dealing with another revelation of his sightlessness was painful. He must feel exposed and uncomfortable, Lilly thought. Well. This can't get any worse for him than it has been already.

"Alright. Now that everyone has taken their seats, I think we can begin."
Jade turned to Mal, Kiku, and Alyss. "As you all probably know, I'm Jade. This is Lilly, she's a Light elemental. Red Dragon, Fire elemental. Blaze, also a Fire elemental. And that's Sirius, our Lore Master."
Mal nodded. "I'm Mal.This is Kiku, my brother, and Alyss."
"Good to have you. Now, since Stargazer is quest leader, and I have no idea who knows what, I think it's fitting for you to introduce the quest (unless you'd prefer otherwise). Stargazer?"

[✖STRIDE✖]

As everyone was introduced Stargazer felt uncomfortable. He dropped his sightlessness to the table and kept himself quiet. Despite his snarky personality, Stargazer was obviously not used to such a big group of people. Even the people he knew, didn't know him. He didn't greet them, and didn't even speak as they came to sit at the table. When Jade mentioned how he was the quest leader and should explain the quest to everyone present, it wasn't a surprise that his body became tense. This was a new one for him despite his real life birthright. It wasn't just in the game that he was blind. This caused him to be held in rooms himself a lot. Never in a big crowd. He wasn't even allowed to be out when his parents had guests over.

So the fact that he was given the title and the honor of Quest Leader meant nothing to him. In fact, he rather he didn't have that honor. He'd rather look for the gems himself. Though he wasn't about to just give up just because a bunch of people wanted to join him. He couldn't get them by himself anyway. He had been unsuccessful at other plot changing quests, but this time he wasn't going to loose. He was going to beat the game and no one was going to stop him.

Then he looked up from his daze and slid his empty, sightless eyes over the gang. He knew where everyone was, who they were, and how they were holding themselves. He knew that Lilly was nervous compared to the other members of the team, who were a mix of excited, energized, impatient, and ready to go. He could even see Blaze glancing over in Alyss's direction every now and again.

"Just to get the shock done and over with, and I know for you guys, shock is more like a step off the curb," He was speaking to Kiku, Mal, and Alyss who never really got surprised around him. "I'm Blind. Can't see, was born that way. YES I am blind in real life if anyone was wondering." Taking a deep breath he moved on before anyone could fully react to his voice. He felt Alyss shift slightly, but nothing more came from her end.

"Now the quest may sound simple enough, go find the gems of the Lost Crown and save the day. But we have absolutely no idea where most of those gems are and they are heavily guarded by tricks and tests. I've tried to get them on my own, but was less then successful. Since there are 12 gems, each person should be responsible for one at the very least. Getting to them is what is going to cost us the most man power. I am a big picture seer. YES, despite my unfortunate blindness, me and Silhouette (the ferris) make a great team in seeing the overall picture. I will be the scout. From what I can tell four-eyes and Flamy here have a better idea of what is up ahead. They will be better suited to divide you into your places and tell you our first destination." When he said the name Flamy he motioned his hand in Red Dragon's direction. This time Blaze caught on pretty quickly and was the first one to start chuckling uncontrollably. He could hardly breathe the nickname was so funny.

Sirius snickered, but otherwise kept his thoughts to himself, and Alyss glanced at Mal in a "did that really just happen?" kind of way.

[maka albarn]

"Just to get the shock done and over with..." Lilly listened, going tense like a tightening wire. In some ways it was a relief to have Stargazer tell his friends about this up front: now the cloud of upcoming revelations wouldn't hang over the rest of the meeting. At the same time, for whatever reason, Lilly felt a surge of nervousness. "YES I am blind in real life if anyone was wondering." Then Stargazer continued before anyone could respond. Kiku's expression never changed. Mal's eyes widened slightly, and she grew more serious, but she said nothing. Whatever her thoughts were, she kept them to herself and let Stargazer change the subject.
"From what I can tell four-eyes and Flamy here have a better idea of what is up ahead. They will be better suited to divide you into your places and tell you our first destination."

Wait. Flamy? That stopped the flow of the meeting in its' tracks. Lilly rolled her eyes. Mal exchanged a look with Alyss then leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, and smiled a crooked smile. "Flamy. I like it."
Jade smiled a little, and waited to see how Dragon would react to Stargazer's nickname. The player's reactions to Stargazer (and each other) in this meeting would tell him a lot about whether or not these quests would be a waste of time.
"Wait a minute. Flamy. As in... I'm Flamy?" Dragon pointed to himself, looking around as if for confirmation. Blaze sat there chuckling. "What does that even mean?" Mal asked, still smiling. Dragon looked up thoughtfully, "Well, if you change the pronunciation of the "a", the nickname would be "flay-me", so this name is probably a reference to my element. and gear. besides, it's a made-up word. you make up a word, you can do whatever you want with it." Jade smiled more broadly. Dragon's good naturedness made him a perfect target for ribbing: even if something stung, he didn't flare up or lash out. Oftentimes he could see the humor in the joke. "And", Jade thought, "sometimes he just doesn't get it. Sometimes, Dragon's just completely oblivious."

"Well," Jade said out loud, "Dragon and I can explain what we know. First..." Reaching under the table, he pulled out the piece of parchment he had put away when Stargazer and Lilly arrived. When the parchment lay spread out in the center of the table, everyone immediately recognized what it was. A map, skillfully drawn. Kiku leaned forward to get a better look. "This is Neutral Territory, on the Hearts Kingdom border. Less than a month ago, a solo-player (fire elemental) tried to win this quest alone. Failed. He described the area to me, and I pieced some things together from other accounts to draw this map. This quest can be completed with a team of five or six. Other quests are designed for larger guilds, but a smaller team can capture this gem without overwhelming difficulty. As you can see, the map is incomplete. This is designed to be like a labyrinth: I don't have enough information to draw all of the routes. The guy I talked to made it to the main courtyard outside this pinnacle here, then had to flee. Now, if we get to the pinnacle in about an hour - "
Mal interrupted. "Um. I'm gonna bring up the elephant in the room here. What was this guy running from?" Jade looked up from the map. "This courtyard's heavily guarded. From his description, the guards are some kind of ape-like creatures. Armored. Throw chunks of rock. Swarm like sharks." "...Great." Jade continued, "Now, each gem is designed to match a specific element. It takes a team to get to the gem, but only one person can actually retrieve it. This gem is a fire-stone: so it belongs to either Dragon or Blaze." Dragon looked at his brother. "This should be your quest."

Dragon turned the the rest of the team and said, "You know your capabilities better than we do. This is our tentative plan for team roles: basically, each member's job within the team, especially in combat. Jade is our navigator. He'll use his connections, knowledge of the game, and the information at his disposal to our advantage. You have no combat skills whatsoever, Jade, but you do have remarkable control over your element as an architect. Given time, you'll make a formidable opponent. Stargazer, from what I understand, is our stealth man, scout, assassin, team leader, and strategist. Blaze, Kiku and I are the melee players: we're in the thick of the battle, do the heavy forward fighting. Outside battle, we act as guardians for the rest of the team and use our elements in any way that is helpful. Mal, Alyss: you two fight behind us, observing and striking strategic points  as well as providing support for whoever needs it. Lilly: you're our healer. Monitor health, send the stats to Sirius and Stargazer. Sirius is our lore-master, creature-tamer: he'll use his knowledge of game history and lore, as well as his spell-casting and earth element abilities, to help us in our quests. So that's our tentative plan. Now. Do any of you have objections....concerns... or questions?"