[center][h3]The Avenger[/h3]
Level 13 Ms Fortune (177/130) Level 8 Goldlewis (77/80) Level 7 Sandalphon (68/70)
Roland, Sectonia, and the Robot Girls’ [@Archmage MC], Midna and the Koopa Troop’s [@DracoLunaris], Geralt and Zenkichi’s [@Multi_Media_Man], Pit and the Octopath Travelers’ [@Yankee], Roxas and Ganondorf’s [@Double], Juri’s [@Zoey Boey]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1736[/center]

As she found her way toward the ship’s living quarters, Nadia took it slow, and not just because of the weariness gnawing at her muscles and bones. She felt very out of place here in the bowels of this mechanical monstrosity, a monolithic construct from a time far, far removed from her own, when the simplest of planes were still in their infancy and dirigible airships dominated the skies. Alcamoth had instilled in her a similar sensation, but it at least offered bright, wide-open spaces, with man-made parks and other such features that gave her room to breathe. Plus, its style of architecture somehow looped back around from the far-flung future to give her the impression of mysterious antiquity. Meanwhile, the cramped corridors, chambers, and stairwells of the Avenger, often dimly lit in artificial light, seemed almost purely functional, designed to economize the limited space as much as possible. The whole ship moved subtly around and beneath her, not as severe as the pitch and yaw of an ocean-going vessel, but still very perceptible to someone not used to it. If nothing else, she felt better knowing that everyone she’d meet here would be an ally, and every facility lay at her disposal if she could figure out how any of it worked. If this would be the Seekers’ mobile base of operations going forward, it would be a good idea to get familiar to know it better, and maybe set her sense of unease to rest.

Then again, there would be plenty of time for that later. Right now, Nadia just needed a break by herself. Getting around in the Avenger wasn’t too complicated, since its walls featured plenty of signs and arrows for the sake of direction, and in their absence a Lost Number was never far. The closer the feral got to the rooms, the more she sped up, her competitive streak ignited as she sought to claim a better room before the others could. When she finally arrived, though, she couldn’t help but be disappointed as she popped from one to another. All the available rooms looked pretty identical, their designs and contents spartan. With a sigh, Nadia finally settled on an untenanted chamber where she could stake her claim. She did this by taking off her blade case, belt, and jacket, which she left leaning against the bed, then jumping into and rolling around in it. Though the sheets felt nice enough, the wooly green blanket felt a little scratchy. After a little wriggling Nadia lay still for a moment, staring up at the ceiling. “My new home,” she murmured. 

This accommodation, barebones and small, wasn’t a whole lot of fun. She’d had worse, of course–there were times in her life where even having a real bed was a pipe dream. But things were different now. Maybe she could collect some decorations, extra blankets, and other furnishings while out adventuring, and turn this meager space into a cozy little vacation home. Of course, that’d depend on having a cool roommate, she realized. Primrose would be a great roommate. Nadia and Sectonia would definitely have differences of opinion, though. And Juri didn’t even factor into the equation. [i]I pity whatever poor soul winds up with HER[/i], she thought, snickering. But who could say? Maybe someone on the team happened to have both infinite patience and a nonfunctional nose.

 Nadia sighed again, closing her eyes as she tried to get comfortable. “How far I’ve come,” she said aloud. “The Mizzenmast really spoiled me. Give a mouse cookies, I guess.” Nevertheless, she’d doze off until the twenty or so minutes that remained before the big meeting were up.

Goldlewis felt pretty tired himself, all things considered, but rather than deposit himself somewhere he took this time to amble around the Avenger’s interior at a leisurely pace, using elevators rather than staircases whenever possible. He’d already made his rounds once before, after first boarding the ship alongside the rest of the Dystopiascape team, so rather than the layout he wanted to better acquaint himself with the Avenger’s denizens. The Lost Numbers intrigued him a great deal. On one hand, they seemed like uncommonly ordinary people for the World of Light, plagued by everyday concerns as they tried to live their lives day to day. On the other hand, their existence was a shocking anomaly, something that shouldn’t be possible in a world where countless souls fought and died under the thumb of the tyrannical Consuls. The fact that love and new life managed to blossom in such barren soil ignited a spark of real hope within him, but it also filled him with fear. These people were living on the razor’s edge, and all their eggs were in this one flying basket. Goldlewis felt duty-bound to protect these poor brave souls, but they weren’t children to be coddled, either. He wanted to meet them on their own level, and join them as a comrade in arms to fight for a better future.

Having already reunited with Tora and Poppi, and met the small but spunky head chef Bracket, the veteran went around greeting and introducing himself to everyone he could. Though careful not to intrude, he visited a number of facilities throughout the Avenger to meet the Lost Numbers staffing them, and they turned out to be quite the interesting bunch. He met the priest-doctor Eleison, and sensed a certain fury behind the young man’s polite smile, buried deep. In their work centers he exchanged a few words with the affable Professor Koa and the mysterious but pleasant Dr. Yu. In the common room he encountered not just Dawn but her three rambunctious daughters Ciel, Soleil, and Aurora, all bearing Sylvan rabbit ears inherited from their father. A number of the people that he assumed to be Lost Numbers actually turned out to be Alcamoth survivors, the former members of Vandham’s Garfont Mercenaries. This included Guile, a long-serving mercenary, Leon, a young go-getter who’d evidently survived the Dead Zone as well, Ness, Nero, and even a majestic Great Pyrenees by the name of Caesar.

From them -minus that last one- Goldlewis got a better picture of one big piece of the puzzle that he’d been missing out on: Alcamoth, the campaign’s former base. Naturally, much of what he heard concerned its fall. The survivors described an all-out war waged by the Consuls against Alcamoth and its defenders courtesy of two enormous airborne carrier ships filled to the brim with well-armed soldiers. War stories were never easy to hear, no matter how many the veteran had under his belt. If the Consuls could muster power like that against their enemies, he definitely understood the Lost Numbers’ desire to stay mobile and under the radar.

Goldlewis didn’t rush himself, wanting instead to give each encounter its due diligence, so he could cover only so much ground throughout the Avenger before Sandalphon’s sigil appeared by his head. Goldlewis tapped his stopwatch and nodded in approval at her punctuality. [i]Thirty minutes on the dot.[/i] Just the sigil’s appearance, manifested for everyone who’d connected to the archangel’s information network so far, said everything the Seekers needed to know, but Sandalphon went ahead and said her piece anyway. “Attention all Seekers, please make your way to the bridge at your earliest convenience. To get here, simply ascend via staircase, ladder, or elevator, and you will inevitably reach the rendezvous.” With that, the sigil vanished again, but by that time Goldlewis was already moving. Having already tracked down the Avenger’s bridge, he didn’t need to rely on trial and error, but made his way there with a purposeful stride.

When he arrived, he found Sandalphon waiting for everyone, though after a quick double take Goldlewis realized that she’d changed somewhat after he left the spirit chamber. Though she elected to leave behind her new cowboy hat, he could still sense a faint southern twang from her, and he gave an appreciative nod before seating himself around the geoscape. Several Lost Numbers were already in attendance, including both Dawn and a dashing rabbit-eared fellow carrying three little girls between the two of them, all of whom sported a distinctive mix of very dark green and blonde hair. Goldlewis spotted Eleison and, somewhat to his surprise, Cirrus, though he didn’t see Bracket anywhere. More and More Seekers showed up to join them, Tora and Poppi among them. Nadia arrived at the rear of the pack, looking very much like she’d rather be snoozing. Sandalphon made the rounds, handing out cups of coffee to whoever wanted one. Finally, after an additional four minutes fifty-one seconds according to the veteran’s stopwatch, everything had settled enough for the host to get started.

“Welcome, everyone,” Sandalphon began. “It is currently five thirty five, Tuesday afternoon. Thanks to the Lost Numbers, our group -referred to first by Organization XIII as the Seekers of Light- is almost fully reunited, safe from harm beyond our enemy’s grasp. Regrettably, I understand that some of our members remain unaccounted for. Identifying all of them and putting together a plan for their recovery is one of our objectives today. At this moment, however, our goal is to pool our knowledge, so that each and every one of us are fully informed in our fight against our enemy, which we now know to be not just Galeem, but Moebius, the World of Light’s ruling elite. This may seem trivial, but as the Angel of Information, I assure you that there is no weapon more powerful than knowledge. So, I thank you all for coming.”

Placing her elbows on the geoscape table, Sandalphon clasped her hands and continued. “I request that we recount the events that led us to this moment. We need not bog ourselves down in nitty-gritty details, stating the obvious, reiteration, or personal anecdotes, so please stick to major events, but supplement them with any important discoveries and loose ends that have not been tied up. It should go without saying that we should pay special attention to the two groups with a meta relationship to the World of Light: Organization XIII, and Moebius. Anything you have to share about these groups and their members is fair game. Once our exchange concludes, we will concoct a plan for what to do next. Please take turns and give one another ample time to speak.” She lifted her mug of coffee, then paused before drinking to glance around. “With that in mind, let us begin.”