Noreen
*Brad had been uncharacteristically silent, standing close to Icidro, almost as if trying to hide behind him. His expression was complex, as if visibly discomforted by everyone in the room, and clearly lost in thought. He managed a soft nod to Dado, and then to Ika. He rolled his fingers, each knuckle popping as he tried to bring himself back down.*

*But Xion's words do cause him to stir, just for a moment. Destroy all darkness, huh? That'd be nice. Then maybe his hands would stop trembling. He, at the very least, manages to swallow the story of Dado's survival. He hadn't been looking at his Gummiphone much lately...*

*The movement wakes him from his dream once more, and he wordlessly follows his fellow Storm Riders into the room.*
John
*Once everyone had finished gathering into the room, a spark of magic would appear where Mod's chair would be before Mod appeared from seemingly no where. She yawned a bit and rubber her head. The group would notice something strange before she began to speak, Mod's eyes had been a redish-orange for a short time before going back to her normal color after a few blinks. Ika, Dado, and Xion could note they had never seen that before from her.*

"Good... You all make it... And with a plus one."

*She was speaking of Eve being there when she didn't know who it was.*

"For those who are new here, I am Master Mod-Gnik. I have called you all here after getting a feeling something was wrong at Agrabah. I attempted to view the ongoing events, however the darkness had caused a clouded vision. I must ask what has transpired there..."
Brandon
Furo entered in last and assumed he was the "Plus one."

It would make sense seeing as he had stumbled into that situation on accident, and everyone else outside of his friends seemed to be at least aware each other. Since he was the outsider then, he had no problem keeping to himself. 

The young man had to admit he was not impressed with the magic trick, as it seemed to be the staple entrance of all mages. Then again, this was the third time he had to experience it upon meeting someone for the first time and he could not remember being all that surprised with Hades and Merlin.

He hoped he was not like that in the future.

Furo positioned himself on the wall connected to the door they just entered. With the annoyed expression he had trouble removing from his face, silently took stock of everyone in the room. It was time to get actual context for what they were being roped into.
Robert
*Dado puts his fingers to his temples. He was absolutely banking on her having seen it all. So much for nigh-omniscience. He begins speaking in a relative monotone.*

"To catch everyone up: We're all keyblade wielders here, I think. A lady named Maleficent is collecting seven 'Princesses of Heart'. Maleficent's evil and destroys worlds. We were tasked with finding and protecting Agrabah's. That's the world we were all in."

"Sunset..." *He chokes up for a moment.* "Actually, no. Prince Brad." *He turns to the large man.*

"I'm sorry I got you into this shit. You... This is a lot. If you, Sir Icidro, and your other friend wanna leave... That's entirely valid. You can turn back, forget all of this, and..." *He opens his mouth to say more, but finds himself unable.*
Noreen
*There's a beat of silence. Brad and Dado's eyes met. There were entire paragraphs of emotion beyond those limpid irises. Hesitance. Fear. Confusion. Worry. In that moment something passed between the two. And beyond Dado's hurt expression, Brad recognized something. Something a gargantuan man in a hat mirrored. Resolve.*

*Brad straightened up just a bit.* "N-." *He starts, stumbling just a bit.* "No."

*Another beat, then he continued.* "We're involved now. An' I'd like ta think, even if ya weren't there ta guide us, we'd'a done the same thing." *He spoke, voice beginning to even out. Brad's eyes shut as he turned introspective.* "If Cid an' Furo want to go, they can. But I can't jus' stand by an' let this all happen, knowin' there's somethin' I can do to stop it." *He re-opened his eyes, blue skies twinkling with light.* "That's what a leader does, right?"

*He turned towards his friends, giving them a much more innocent, pleading smile. First to Furo, then to Icidro.* "But I'd like it if tha Storm Riders rode this one out, too."
Lurlene
"I think you are misunderstanding the situation here, muchacho." Icidro pipes up, tapping a finger to his temple as he looks toward Dado, "You speak as if this is something we can just back away from, so easily. Even beyond the notion that we'd likely have done the same with or without your intel, like it or not, our faces are known. We are inextricably linked to all this, whatever 'this' is."

Regarding Bradamante's look, Icidro returns the smile before looking back to the Mysterious Tower gang— The Zeroes of Light, or whatever self-deprecating thing they'd named that group chat.

"It is best you start from the beginning, so we are all caught up to speed. You people keep saying that name. Maleficent. That is the name attached to the voice in the green fire, yes?"
Robert
*Tears well up as he looks Brad in the eyes. A kindred spirit. One he trusts will fight as hard as him to protect people.*

*Then, Dado cocks his head at Icidro's remark. He never considered that. Is that Maleficent? He looks over to the others for guidance.*
Brandon
The mechanic's expression did not change. Hearing glasses apologize now that things were over did not make up for the situation he dragged the other two into. Icidro's said it best after all; it would be foolish to think they were safe just by walking out of the room. The lady who appeared in the desert already made is seem like they were being watched.

Furo met Brad's eyes, but his did not ease up at the pleading nature of his friend. They had already talked about how he felt about everything on their way here. He felt bad that Brad was seeking reassurance in this moment, but he was not budging so easily.
Elizabeth
*Xion raises a hand* "I can at least fill in what happened for one part of things. One of the girls ratted us out to the villains and we walked into a trap. It was initially thought to be Sunset but now I believe it was Rarity. She randomly got back up during our fight in the Colosseum against Tifa and Aerith from Traverse Town and began acting insane and not herself. Anyways uh... Agrabah! The guy we were looking for had a genie lamp and wished away our Keyblades to this giant six armed turle headed... I don't think we can even call it a Heartless- Ika was whisked away by some emo vampire zombie looking woman and then the green haired girl jumped into the flames he was transported away with after him. Then we ended up beating the creature and uh... This one became one with the earth in the most literal sense possible and now he's somehow back." *She points at Dado with a giant rainbow arrow over his head pointing down at him* "Oh and the cave collapsed and then there was some big red thing I got to blast a Master Spark down the throat of. Highlight of my day. Anyways that's about all I can say about things. I'm going to guess there's at least two other parts to this story. Namely best buddy Ika's and the part about the giant red guy."
Helen
*Ikazuchi stepped forwards and put a hand on Dado's shoulder. They glanced over everyone here before limping another step forward to take to the front of the group.*

"Apologies for the appearance, Master Mod. Things got... Complicated, and this form is just about the only thing keeping me standing."

*They motioned to Eve, the only one in the room who wasn't addressed in the letter, now that he'd heard Furo's and Brad's names respectively.*

"This is Eve, ma'am. I was told that she assisted during the fight with Jafar."

*Ika looked at the Storm Riders again, They smiled softly before speaking again.*

"You are correct, Sir Icidro, that was the voice from the green flames, and well put Mister Brad, a very honorable thing to say. "

*Ika then nodded to Dado.*

"To continue, Dado is also right; Maleficent is behind most of the recent strife. Stealing princesses from worlds to then sink the entire place into the darkness. It has been our goal, mine as a Guardian of Light and Dado and Xion's as allies, to stop her from doing so. Unfortunately, she is very crafty, and has remained several steps ahead of us at every turn in our endeavors to put an end to her madness."

*From the beginning huh? The beginning... It had been so long. Best to keep it at what's relevant as to not overwhelm them all. Ika could answer the Storm Riders and Eve's questions if they wished for more context, but for now, Ikazuchi continued.*

"Maleficent and her army of heartless raided and partially destroyed a world known as Radiant Garden, transforming it i to what we now know as Hollow Bastion. She has been operating out of that world as her home base, as she's gone about the previously mentioned stealing princesses and attacking worlds. Radiant Garden was once the home to a great researcher of hearts, which leads us to believe Maleficent chose this place for some sort of purpose, linking to why she needs the seven Princesses of Heart. Before the events of Agrabah, she had already

Captured five of them."

*Ikazuchi nodded along with what Xion was saying.*

"While I can attest to what Xion here is saying, I believe it to be imperative to give our new four guests context. Catch them up to speed, if you will."
Robert
"Xion summed up the cave, mostly. What we fought was a Heartless. It had an emblem. There's a bit more that happened, but..."

*He looks at Eve, still unaware that the 'big red thing' and Jafar are one and the same.* "You fought Jafar. Describe that. Without mentioning leather."
Lurlene
Regarding Xion, Icidro raises a hand as if to stop her explanation there, "You forget the third part. Once we escaped the cave, we ran into a woman on the surface. She wore dark robes, and laughed at our misfortune; While I don't know how she ties into all this, I suspect she's a part of a league of assassins that I've had the misfortune of encountering. She used the self-same white portal to escape, a thing of Darkness-but-not."

The longer these people speak, however, Icidro's blood runs colder and colder. Staring intently at Ika as they explain the situation, the knight's posture seems stiff, rigid. Uncomfortably stilted.

"That's not possible. Radiant Garden fell to darkness years ago." Arms folded across his chest, Icidro's tone is firm— Grave, even. These people had been pretty meandering with their explanations, but they hadn't lied thus far— To his knowledge. If that world hadn't truly fallen, would that be something to give hope or dash it upon the rocks? Where should his expectations be set?
Dale
*Eve rolls her eyes at his leather comment. She wasn't planning on mentioning that bit anyways. She wasn't an idiot* "Yeah so... Long story short, Heartless swarmed this royal looking girl, Fi came crashing in out of nowhere, Royal girl helped her, we obliterated the Heartless. In came... Jafar, was it? Feels wrong to use the proper name of a creepy looking sleaze like him but sure, let's go with that." *This one is clearly not much for hiding just how she feels*
"Jafar came in, I kicked his ass a bunch, he threw a hissy fit, he wished to become a genie, he became the previously mentioned 'big red thing' and tried to kill us but literally couldn't. A rogue Heartless kicked the crap out of Jafar's parrot and stole back the lamp that previously belonged to the human Jafar and became human itself, gave everyone a full heal. Then someone found *Jafar's* Genie lamp and things more or less ended pretty much immediately after that."
"Oh and uh apparently Fi got some sorta super juice buff at some point in the battle? She was captured after she left to clear her head after sensing these two dying despite them now being alive. Old Man Cid really is right... Death seriously has no meaning around here, does it?" *She explains and then grumbles* "Oh and these two mentioned Princess of Heart or something with the royal girl Jasmine and Fi's captor should have taken her instead of Fiora? I think.. The power may have transferred at some point? I don't get it myself." *She says with a shake of her head before pulling a bottle of alcohol from a bag and taking a swig and sticking it back in the bag* "Apologies for that. This feels like an 'I'm not drunk enough for this' situation... Despite not being able to get so much as a buzz." *She apologizes to Mod in case the so far nice lady found it rude*
"Should I summarize the next part *After* The scumbag?" *She asks Dado, now back to avoiding Jafar's name*
Robert
*Jafar turned into a genie? And a rogue Heartless? Could it be...? Dado files it away.*

*He grimaces at Eve's offer to explain the situation.* "I've got it. First, though... Who beat Jafar?" *He looks around the room.* "Someone here, or a civilian?"
Dale
"My guess is? Someone here. Place was deserted of all civvies when I got there."

"Also I wouldn't exactly call it *Beating* Him if they just used the rules of the lamp to do who knows what to him. Ya know. The whole three wishes that can be anything with a few exceptions thing. It's a fairytale back home. From the Thousand and One Nights, also referred to as the Arabian Nights."
Robert
*Eve's words rub him the wrong way, annoying him and helping bring him slightly out of his state.* "Wit's more valuable than mindlessly hitting something. Whoever *Beat him*," *He pauses to emphasize the words further.* "Took out a major threat, and it's especially impressive they did it while Jafar was a Genie. Before we move on to the bad news, everyone should get credit for what they accomplished."
Noreen
*Brad nodded silently, at least more able to retain this information now. He shot Eve a hard side-eye, before looking to Furo. The mechanic didn't even seem to care, but it took Brad everything not to bristle. He swallowed his pride, however, and simply waited for more information to come forward.*
Brandon
Furo met with Brad again and figured he might as well admit it. He wanted to play the bystander, but it seemed like people were wasting time on parts of the tale for the wrong reasons.

"I dealt with Big Red." He said it with a bored tone and putting no effort to elaborate. 

To him resolving the situation mattered more than receiving praise for it. He was not going to mouth off how great he was, nor did he see a point in stalling the meeting over it. 

"You can continue the debrief to your leader." Furo spoke to none of them in particular while appraising the lady in the chair. Trying to gauge her reactions, he did not know her to understand any changes outside the norm. Was she phased by any of this, or did she simply accept the results without a stir?
Robert
*Dado gives the man a nod, then continues.* "Right. So, after I got caved in, my Keyblade revived me. I dug myself out of the ground, created a group chat to let people know I was alive and check up on them, got help from a few strangers, and one guided me to the Keyhole. I sealed it, then got him out with my Gummi Ship.*

"Inaxuma got Fiora's phone, took a selfie with her unconscious body, and sent it to the group chat." *He takes a deep breath.* "I assume she's either dead or a hostage."

*His lip trembles as he continues.* "So... When we were in the cave, after Jafar revealed his ambush, Twilight and Rainbow said they knew about Sunset's betrayal beforehand. By the time I returned to Agrabah with the civilian... Ika was missing. Fiora was kidnapped. And it was all because Sunset..."

"And then her friends came up to greet me when I came back. They had just facilitated an ambush that almost got us all killed, and Ika was gone, and Fiora was gone too..."

"I lost it. I attacked Louis, to capture him and bring the three of them here. They couldn't be roaming around, providing further support to Sunset. They needed to be captured and held until the conflict of interest was over. I just wanted to *Capture* Them. And then..." *The tears are fully back, and his voice has devolved into a floaty mess.*

"She *Killed* Them all. Sunset killed ALL of them. I-" *He breaks down, unable to speak further.*
Dale
*Eve just sorta awkwardly offers a hug to Dado. She wasn't much of a hugger but he seemed like he needed one right about now*
Robert
*Dado, also not much of a hugger, simply shivers in place, appreciating the compassion nonetheless.*
Elizabeth
*Xion just blinks in mild surprise* "So they're gone, huh...? Can't say I enjoyed any of them much but I wouldn't say they deserved such a fate. Shunned and outcast, sure. But death by a trusted friend... Definitely not on the list of 'fun ways to die' but I don't really think there's very much on that list..." *Xion comments as she decides she's tired of standing and decides to create a floating rainbow star under herself as she sits down on it* 
"Oh right... Speaking of trusted friends... Suke got possessed by something malevolent and attacked me and Oswald. Haven't seen the rabbit man since. Would've updated anyone here but I don't have anyone's contacts. Well... *Didn't.*" *She corrects herself as she looks at Dado*
Helen
"I can confirm this."

*Ikazuchi said with the coldest expression possible. Those who knew him could tell that this was extremely out of character for him.*

"We lost Suke to the darkness, and she made an attempt on my life. Moreso, she succeeded. I'm only still standing here now because of a trinket I picked up from a moogle, I presume."

*Ikazuchi thought for a moment before continuing.*

"A possession of sorts would make the most logical sense. Her movements, speech and other mannerisms were entirely incorrect. I felt her deep within her own heart. Almost locked away, struggling against the darkness. Unfortunately, I was overpowered. Because of the trap Maleficent set up for us as a result of Rarity, Jafar stole our keyblades with a Genie's wish. Because I was unarmed, the fight was entirely one-sided."

*Ika fell silent for some time. Why didn't he feel anything while reporting this? He felt so empty, so robotic. Logic took precedence over emotion in his recalling and retelling of the events that unfolded.*

"To further explain what Dado has said, after being revived by the Moogle's trinket, I made my way to the Bazaar, where I caught the middle of Dado's fight with Louis, Rainbow and Twilight. I assume this was some time after the large red Jafar was defeated, so I came to the conclusion something was said Mid or Post battle that caused Dado's anger to boil over."

*Ikazuchi closed their eyes and put a hand to their chin.*

"Dado took Louis to a pocket dimension to continue their fight, I would assume to keep the other two from interfering. By the time the two came back out, Rainbow was already ready to fight Eve for her remarks. I do not want to speak for him, but throughout what I witnessed, Dado never mentioned killing anyone, yet the stubborn three refused to come quietly, so Dado kept fighting. After Louis went down, Twilight got... Taken over i guess, by some sort of entity that was determined to continue the fight and not come peacfull

Y. This entity called 'Nova' or something attempted a surrender front, but Dado refused to fall for it, given that Rainbow was still acting very hostile. The fight felt like it drew on forever, almost like an argument but with blades and spells instead of words. But it all came to a halt after Rainbow went down."

*Ikazuchi looked over their shoulder at Dado before continuing. They knew what effect this had on Dado, but it was probably best to say this part himself. It was his own duty after all, being the Guardian of Light here.*

"Sunset appeared out of nowhere, above the Bazaar. She claimed that she had killed the rest of Louis' group, and dropped their friendship necklaces or whatever they had and destroyed them. This brought Twilight out of her Nove form or whatever and... Sunset decapitated the three of them. She was going to engage the three of us, being Dado, Eve and myself, but when she almost struck Dado, my princess of heart powers activated to save him. We were all too weak from the previous fights, so she got away uncontested."

*Getting this off of their chest finally, Ikazuchi would begin to flash a golden light before the Princess of Heart form dispersed.*
Wanda
*The boy that the Storm Riders had seen get swallowed up by the green flames in the Cave of Wonders was back, except he was covered in more bruises, cuts and blood than he was previously. Ikazuchi stumbled back for a moment. He had completed what the mana-fueled adrenaline was keeping him running for: giving the report to Master Mod. He felt weak, but summoned his keyblade to lean on and prevent himself from falling flat on the floor. The extreme exhaustion returned, he just felt so tired at this point.*
Elizabeth
*Noticing Ika's weakness, Xion creates a magical platform underneath him as well, this one more like a chair* "Take a rest, Ika. You deserve it."
Robert
*Dado, still shaking and tearful, summons forth Kingdom Key and casts Curaga on Ika as Xion creates a platform for him. He makes a noise, then shuts his mouth in frustration.*

*He closes his eyes and begins taking deep breaths, his shaking slowing down as he does so. Ika's cold and emotionless explanation, while mildly disturbing, also didn't make him feel as bad as an emotional one may have.*
Wanda
"Thanks..."

*Ikazuchi held himself up, he felt a little better after the Curaga, but still sat on Xion's star platform and leaned forwards on his keyblade.*
John
*Mod listened closely to every word the group said. She had shown no emotion to the information, simply having her eyes closed as she processed it all. When finished, she opened her eyes and would wave her hand. A sparkle of magic approached the group and would fully restore them off all their injuries and remove their exhaustion. After she would yawn before speaking.*

"Thank you for providing all the information you could... I had felt something was off, but when I tried to scry into the battle, the darkness had blinded my vision. I spent a lot of energy trying to view what was happening, to no avail. It seemed like maleficent and her allies were able to view our meeting, not just know about it."

*She sighed and looked directly in Ika's eyes.*

"Allow me to... Apologize. Yes... I knew Sunset went back to Maleficent. Louis had asked me to check before he went off and I had saw. At first, I was ready to order Louis to tell you all about it and Kill her. But..."

*She waved her hand some more and a magical hologram of Suke and Oswald appeared.*

"I thought about Suke and Oswald, and Ika. In truth, I had told Oswald to kill Suke before she had a chance to hurt you, Ika. I was adamant that she would, despite you telling me she was good. But Oswald refused my order and instead made friends with her. I was furious at first, but thought to myself 'Perhaps I can trust some darkness for the greater good'. I decided to trust Oswald and your word that Suke would prove me wrong and be good. As such, when Sunset went back to Maleficent, I decided to try and trust that she could come back and be good. In the end, I made a mistake. In my attempts to trust the use if darkness, I had failed to inform you all of the possible threat, believing Louis would handle it. And for that, I am deeply sorry... I know that doesn't make up for it, which is why I shall attempt to do what I can to make up for it now. If any of you wish to leave, I will not stop you."

*The holograms disappear

Ed and Mod yawned again, this time a little louder by mistake.*

"Oswald... I haven't heard from him since you guys had left. Louis' group... They're gone. And then Fiora... I hadn't expected this to happen, however it seems like the princess at Agrabah had given Fiora her light, similar to Aria giving Ika hers. The princesses can give up their power at anytime, however this time it seemed unintentional. That means Fiora is the new princess, and she got captured while everyone's guards were down. That would mean Maleficent now has 6 of the lights she needs. Ika, you will be her last target. I am willing to surmise that they will be waiting for you there now. Fiora was very close to you and are going to use her as leverage to lure you there. Another trap. And now, whatever has control of Suke has the dark key we need to close the door. She will also likely be there along with Sunset. They are all waiting for the final confrontation..." 

*She locked eyes with Dado.*

"You and Ika have both followed your heart, doing what you believed was right even if it meant the end. While I acknowledge everyone in this room for fighting for the good of our world, I will say you two are worthy of being my most trusted Guardians of Light. Remember this does not make you better than your allies, it means you need to set a proper example of what it means to defend the light. Never forget why we do."

*And lastly, Icidro*

"I have been told a little about these 'assassins' you spoke of. I would ask you tell me everything you know. I have been preparing to investigate them after Maleficent's defeat, and any knowledge can help. You and your friends have been of great help, despite being roped into a fight that wasn't your own. Any further help would be appreciated."