[Plot Topic] The Dark Search (Closed)

Daisuke slept well, waking up feeling refreshed and ready for whatever he had to face in the day. His dreams were full of memories, some from when he was much younger and carelessly playing with his brother, then some from when he was training. Each memory bringing back with it every emotion he had as a child, growing up. When he opened his eyes, he had forgotten where he was and how he had gotten there. As he looked around the room and slowly his memory came back to him. Accepting the job was a lot more of a whim than he was used to, and he didn't really have much of a choice. He had been chosen for this. He thought as he looked around the room. Moving easily, he started to begin getting ready for the day, shaking away the fearful thoughts of what this job would do.

A knock at the door alerted him and he walked cautiously to answer the door. He was a bit surprised to find the breakfast coming in but accepted it with a smile. "Thank you" He told the server before taking a small piece of sausage and turned away from him. He heard the door close behind him and sat down to eat before going to meet with the others.

Sliding on his jacket and looking carefully at his hair in the mirror, Daisuke was ready to take on the day. He paused at the door for a second to fix a piece of his hair out of his face before heading out to meet up with the others. He wasn't totally sure where they were supposed to meet up, but he remembered needing to meet up with Ai for breakfast. As he walked out the door of his room, Daisuke couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching him. Shaking the feeling away as just chalked up nerves, he continued on to the restaurant and waited for Ai.

Ai awoke to someone knocking at her door. she got out of bed and wrapped the blanket around her naked body before walking to the door and opening it. a servant was standing outside with a plate of food. annoyed but not wishing to be rude she stepped back. ''come in'' she said as she turned back to gather her clothes and get dressed behind the dressing screen. ''you can leave the coffee and a slice of toast please'' she said. ' she stepped out from behind the screen and straightened her hair. she quickly ate the toast and drank the coffee before leaving to go to the restaurant. she had very little idea of what she was going to say and more idea of what he needed to know.

((OOC: Sorry for being away! Real life's been busy! Not to mention, my surprise and totally not foreseen trip to Bulgaria! I'm here to post now though!))

Izanami walked from the airship towards the streets. She went with no entourage; much like Raijin, she preferred it that way. Izanagi always travelled with at least two bodyguards, just in case. In fact, they were mostly to protect him against their eldest sister, Alyssandra. But Izanami and Raijin preferred to trust in their own skills, and not those of others. Besides, the less of a spectacle Izanami made the better for her. Her red hair was spectacle enough. She was the only one in the Empire with red hair. Only those of Amaterasu's bloodline had ever inherited it. It was a blessing and a curse really.

But right now, her only job was to get to the restaurant again, so she could meet with Ai and Daisuke and get them both back to her father unharmed. Besides, she had a bad feeling something was going to happen today, she just...didn't know what. After almost a half hour of walking, including time to stop and look at market stalls--Izanami was just as ADD as her brother Raijin--she arrived before the restaurant. Oddly, Ai was not here yet, though no doubt on her way, while Daisuke stood before her, ready and nervous as she expected him to be. "How did you sleep?" asked Izanami kindly, trying to make small talk while the two waited. She hoped they wouldn't wait long, Izanami was bad with the small talk.

Had he really been so early? Daisuke checked the clock once more as he waited for the ladies to arrive. It would be rude for him to leave the restaurant in search for them, in the case that he was early. However, with the sensibility of their mission, he could not stop himself from assuming the worst fates for the ladies. As the minutes ticked past, he ticked even closer to going to find them. Just as he as begun to give up and go search, a speck of Izanami's red hair came in view and he calmed down.
Upon the arrival of Miss Izanami, Daisuke stood and greeted her with a smile. "I slept well, as I trust you did as well?" he replied, attempting to keep polite conversation. Had he not been raised as a gentleman, this would be more difficult for him. His shyness he could only assume was being translated into more of a nervousness as his habits slowly returned. Countless times he caught himself twitching his thumbs in his hands, hoping that Miss Ai would arrive soon and the day would begin. "I hope you have had a pleasant morning."

Ai rounded a corner and saw her allies. To her it looked like they were trying to make small talk. It also looked like they were failing.they were going to need help getting to know each other.

she smiled a little before clearing her face of emotion and walked towards the restaurant. she walked up to Daisuke and looked him up and down.
"i'm going to have fun training this one" she thought to herself

''lets eat," she stated evenly. she walked in straightened her blue dress and sat down on the opposite side of the room. she ordered her breakfast. a simple omelet with fried meat and jasmine tea.

while they waited to be served Ai sat observing her companions. daisuke seemed shy but polite while Izanami seemed to be the opposite. "this is going to  be interesting" ai thought.

"so i suppose i should tell you why you have been summoned Daisuke.'' ai said as her food and tea was set in front of her. she took a bite of her food and picked up her tea. after swallowing she looks up at daisuke. "the world is screwed. royally.'' she then sips her tea. as she sipped her tea her mind begins to wander to her daughter.

Izanami entered the restaurant with Ai and Daisuke once they had both arrived, and as they sat, Ai ordered some food. Nothing too elaborate; it was simple enough, but it seemed that would fill her. Izanami had eaten on her airship prior to arriving. She didn't trust foreign food--to be fair her past experiences with it had not always been so...pleasant. Still, as not to be rude Izanami ordered some tea and a few biscuits to go along with it, but nothing more. Soon Ai went into detail, sort of, about why Daisuke had been summoned before his Princess and a complete stranger of unknown power.

Izanami listened to all Ai had to say, and was a bit perturbed by Ai's choice of words. It's not that Ai was wrong in any way, it's was just that Ai's term, "screwed royally" might scare off Daisuke before he even joined--then again it wasn't like he had a choice, and Izanami had full authorization to use whatever means necessary to help Ai bring this boy back alive. Not to mention a contingent of 5000 armed soldiers at her disposal waiting for her back on the Airship. Izanami gave a small and terse smile as he hoped to elucidate on Ai's point.

"To put it bluntly--and perhaps a bit over-dramatically--what Ai says is true, yes," elaborated Izanami, "You see there's a...well my father wasn't particularly descriptive, but he called it a darkness. And this darkness will come, and though we wont be able to stop its initial arrival, we--or shall I say you, and a few select others--will have the distinct pleasure of saving us all from this darkness later. We will defeat it eventually, that is not a doubt, but as for when...it has not been said. Ai is here to train you, and I am here to bring you both to the place you will be trained."

Izanami sipped her tea and munched on a biscuit. "I don't mean to take away your thunder Ai, I just wanted to clear up a few things so we didn't scare the boy away--it wouldn't do to lose him so soon after finding him, after all," Izanami smiled pleasantly, truly hoping she didn't offend Ai, but as usually Izanami was not one to hold back when she felt something needed doing. If she stepped on toes she'd apologize after--often more good is done by acting than by remaining silent, no matter the cost.

Daisuke didn't mind Ai's bluntness, in fact he found it to be a bit reassuring. Atleast now I know where I stand, I guess. Daisuke looked down at his meal, no longer fully wanting to eat. "The world is screwed royally." Ai's words resonated in his head as he attempted to wrap his mind around their meaning. Politically, the world would always be screwed, as no one person can save the human race and replacing a member in power only hinders what progress was to be made. However, Daisuke started to believe the ladies weren't talking about the world's politics or governmental policies. how someone was to come to rule over an area wasn't anything to be entirely worried about, so what was so devastating?

"The Darkness will come..." Izanami told him as she sipped her tea. Was it possible for someone to sip tea as simply while giving devastating news as it was for her to tell Dai he had won the lottery and was free to live life however he wished with no charge to the state or finances to worry about for the rest of his life? Could she continue to be so cool and collected about everything they were speaking of, then Dai would just have to deal with the future events. Heck, atleast this he was getting paid with room and board. Right?

"So, let me get this straight. Some big old darkness thing is coming to destroy the planet and everything on it, and you want me to hike up my boots and saddle my dark horses to battle the evil within, simply because you pretty ladies ask me to? i agreed to come and hear you out, I dont remember agreeing to sacrificing the bacon on my little behind for a world that has never stopped to even see me once. What makes you think that you have the right man for the job? I've never done anything special, simply just followed orders and did what any good spy would do. What makes me such a great and powerful wizard of the Dark element to be of any use to you?" Daisuke tried to ask with a hushed and quizzical tone. He did not wish to offend the women, merely to inquire on why he was selected against all the other Dark benders in the world.

((OOC: Ai is now Bo.))

The question at the end of Dai's question was a little redundant. He knew that he was special from the moment he was asked to meet with Bo and Izanami. If he wasn't as powerful or special as he may think, this meeting would've never happened. "Listen here bud, I don't want to waste anymore time carrying this conversation out any longer than it needs to be. You have a power you don't know about yet. I'm here to draw out that power so we have a fighting chance against this evil darkness"

Bo had sounded really pissed when in fact, he wasn't. Having a certain tone in his voice usually got his point across. Dai looked a little confused to begin with. Laying all of this on him wasn't gonna help either.

Bo sipped his tea once again, making dead eye contact with Dai. They had met before and grew quite close. But that was ages ago and now they grew to be strangers once again. Bo wanted a friend again. Maybe training a numb-skull would bring back some old memories and hopefully make his training a little or a lot easier for everyone. The quicker Dai reached his full potential, the quicker this Darkness would get its behind served to it on a silver platter.

Izanami rather enjoyed this sudden change of character in Bo. Prior to his first cup of coffee he was as boring and nondescript as a brick wall. But once he had taken a sip, and by that Izanami meant half the mug, he had become verbose and interesting. Izanami simply sipped her tea as Bo, feigning, or at least sounding angry, explained to Daisuke what his role was and what needed to be done. Bo didn't waste time. He was here to do his job and help Daisuke and the others save the world. Anything else was superfluous to the plan and wasted precious time.

Izanami smiled again as Bo finished, then added. "Daisuke, you have served my family and our nation well for many years, " she explained, "Now I ask you serve not only our nation, but all nations. For the greater good." Izanami left it at that, but hoped, and perhaps knew, that not much more convicing would be needed. Then again, perhaps she was simply being hopeful. Izanami did not truly know how Daisuke would react. Though she did have the authority to knock him out and bring him back to her father if need be, and Izanami was not above using the mystic and mythic black flames against him if that's what it took.

Daisuke was her subject, at least until Izanagi's coronation. She would exercise her right to command him for as long as she could if need be. Make up some charge for the local guard then bring him to the Spirit King and Avatar to fulfil his duty. But hopefully it would not come to that. Izanami's thoughts were cut short by a loud boom in the distance. Then another. Then another. The sound of several airships. An explosion. Screaming. Civilians screaming. sh*t. It had begun.

"I don't think you have time to decide anymore," said Izanami calmly, "I have a feeling that's destiny knocking on our door. So decide fast, and once you have, let's get out of here so you can do what you were reborn to." Izanami stood up, the guards sitting in the corner suddenly flocking to her side for commands. Izanami gave them and commanded they go out and help the fight. She sent half to rouse as many soldiers as possible, half to help evacuate civilians, and then ensured one dispatched a messenger hawk to the palace to order it be evacuated immediately. "We need to go once you're ready," said Izanami, walking towards the door.

Daisuke looked between the two of his companions. The question had been more of a test. How desperate were they for him to follow them willingly and without question. To Daisuke's surprise, they followed through expertly. Maybe it was because he had served with Izanami's family and was used to how they chose which mission went to who, or because he and Bo had a past together. It had taken Daisuke a while to recognize Bo, and he wasn't sure why exactly. Bo hadn't changed much since their last encounter, only a few months ago, but he seemed different. Maybe a different demeanor to everything.

Was Daisuke being the childish 26 year old, asking to be reminded of what made him special in the world? He wasn't totally sure but tried to stare right back at Bo as he sipped his own tea. The cup rested nicely against his lips, this was an act he and Bo had done before, a reminder that they knew each other. Once again, Daisuke was being out-matched by the 21 year old that sat in front of him. "I fully understand and accept that. I was merely curious as to what made you pick me." Daisuke said as he glanced down to the tea.

The glance down at the tea seemed to be perfectly timed, as he noticed the water begin to shake and ripple in the cup. Within moments, the first boom was heard and Daisuke shot straight up, looking at the walk way leading to the restaurant. Where is it coming from? Where did it hit? He thought as he stood and started for the door. Choose? What was there to choose? People needed help. "I'm helping, but I'm helping my way." Daisuke said as he opened the front door of the restaurant and started to walk out.