mingle a little Mor tonight

[catamite]

Who: Everyone!
Broadcast: Sure!
Action: The wonderful world of Mor, nearby way-stations, and ships!
When: The first week or so of arrival

[this is it-- Atroma's surprise vacation stay for you all! it's time to explore, speculate, relax, and totally behave yourselves. right?

how are you all dealing with the ever-so-educational volcano? have you played around with the visual toggle on those collars yet? aren't they cool? aren't these peasant clothes rad? if you haven't had a decent meal since Abeo, maybe you could afford some of that authentic farm-raised meat they have here. historical!

I bet you're all excited and completely thrilled to be here! who wouldn't be? ...so, make some discoveries, make some friends, and have fun!]

Comments

[everydayhero]

You got an idea for the diversion, or am I improvising?

[the look on his face says "i am so in".]

[got_it_memorized]

I was thinking something like the old 'stop, thief!'. You look fast enough to pull that off easy, but if you've got something specific in mind, I'm certainly open to suggestions.

[He loves that look. He misses the way Roxas used to wear that look whenever they'd go to a new world.]

What's your name, anyway, kiddo? Wouldn't be right to take on a partner in crime without even knowing his name.

[everydayhero]

[he looks at one of the nearby guards and thinks... yeah, he can do this.]

"Stop, thief" it is. [and then a glance back at axel] Hiro Hamada.

[got_it_memorized]

[Axel looks surprised when the kid says his name.]

Wait, seriously? You're Hiro Hamada? I'm Axel--we spoke on the network the other day. [He scratches his head.] Wow, I didn't expect you to be so young. [And then he waves one hand.] Er, not that that's a bad thing; I'm just surprised, is all.

[He grins then.]

Nice to have a face to go with the name.

[everydayhero]

[hiro's eyebrows go up, and he looks him over, starting to grin himself.]

No kidding! You're, uh. Taller in person.

[i could reach the sun if i stood on your shoulders]

[got_it_memorized]

[He laughs a bit.]

Sorry, I guess 6'3" doesn't really come across clearly in text. I'm really good at getting stuff off the top shelf.

I'm also really good at getting over fences, which is what I'm gonna be counting on here. So I'm thinking, if you dash past the guards, I'll shout that there's a thief, and they, being the nearest law enforcement officers, will logically pursue. Even if only one pursues, I can take out the other easy, I'd just prefer to not have to.

[He waves both hands before Hiro can get the wrong idea.]

Don't worry, I'm not gonna actually hurt anybody. I'm not even interested in like stealing anything when we get over there, I just wanna see if we can get in, see how far we can get before we get caught.

[He turns and points then.]

See that fruit stand up there? When you get to it, turn around and come back, that should give me enough time to maybe knock the second guard out and get to the top of the gate. If you're quick enough, I can toss you up and over and follow you before the other guard can catch up, and we'll be in the clear.

[everydayhero]

[oh okay good i don't want to be responsible or hurting someone. hiro looks like he's sizing up the situation, and then he starts backing up. he wants to be running full-speed when he gets around the corner.]

... Alright, you're the boss. If I can't reach you in time, I can climb it no problem. Don't get caught for me.

[he's several feet back now, taking a deep breath and hopping a bit.]

Say "when."

[got_it_memorized]

[Axel looks impressed.]

Oh, a fence-climber yourself, huh? Good to know, sounds like we'll make a good team.

[He glances over his shoulder at the guards, who look bored more than anything else. This will probably be the highlight of their day, they should be thanking him. When he's sure they're both turned in vaguely the right direction, he looks back to Hiro and grins.]

When.

[He waits for Hiro to dash forward, then cups his hands by his mouth.]

Theif! Someone stop that boy!

[The guards exchange a quick look, and then one motions for the other to pursue. Well, looks like he's going to have to take the other one out after all. He waits until the second guard is out of visual range, and then dashes up behind the remaining one. With a quick muttered, 'Sorry about this', Axel snaps his hand up and whacks him in the neck, hitting a pressure point. The guard crumbles to the ground with a groan, and Axel grabs for the top of the gate. Hoisting himself up, he swings one leg over, then hangs down in preparation to grab Hiro as he comes running back. The kid's pretty fast, so if they're lucky, the other guard won't make it back around the corner until they're already well over the gate, and then he'll have his unconscious friend to worry about instead. This'll be a piece of cake!

[He turns to look for Hiro, grinning all the while. He hasn't done anything like this in years.]

[everydayhero]

[well, hiro takes off, and it's... evident that he's done something like this before. maybe even recently and often. he hops through the vendor stall he goes for and waits for the guard to get confused with the shopkeep before he darts out the back and circles around to bolt for the gate. he hops over the guy on the ground and axel will see hiro... literally run up the gate at a vertical angle for a couple feet before he makes a grab for axel's arm.

[ninja training, man. it's something else.]

[got_it_memorized]

[He watches Hiro come sprinting back, and he has to say he's impressed by the way the kid just effortlessly leaps over the fallen guard and actually makes it halfway up the fence running. He clasps Hiro's arm and hauls upward--he's little and light, so this is easy. Hiro clears the fence, and before the other guard can make his way back around, Axel twists and flips himself up and over as well. Dropping to a crouch as he lands, he gives Hiro an appraising look.]

You... you've done this sort of thing before, haven't you. [It's not even a question.] Well I know who to call from now on if I wanna do something not entirely allowed.

[He points off toward a row of neatly trimmed hedges along one side of the courtyard.]

Come on, let's get out of sight. We can figure out where to go next from there.

[everydayhero]

[hiro looks way too proud for his own good here. he gives the a grin and a shrug in response to the appraisal, and nods toward the bushes to head for cover, so ready to do it that it's obvious he was thinking the same thing.]

You seem to know what you're doing, too, you know.

[his voice is low, though.]

[got_it_memorized]

I have a little experience in breaking and entering. [He keeps his voice low as well. There's no shame in the admission. Hey, he never did anything bad, really; he never stole stuff, it was always just to see if he could do it. Or, you know, gathering recon.

[Ducking behind the bushes and then holding the top of his hair down as he pokes his head up over the top (it sticks up too much otherwise!), Axel peers about for nearby guards, trying to get a sense of their spread. He drops back down and looks at Hiro.]

Okay, looks like the main gate is at our 1:00 from here, but you never go in the main gate, that's way too complicated. There's a couple of holes down near the moat, though, that look big enough to crawl through. I think they're runoff channels, so it might be a little grimy. There's also some windows up higher that we might be able to get to if we work together. Thoughts?

[everydayhero]

Let's take the channels.

[less like to make loud noises and it'll be harder for anyone to chase them.]

[got_it_memorized]

[Hiro's really into this! This is great! Axel hasn't had a proper partner in crime for a while, not since things went downhill with Roxas. A pang of loneliness hits him in the gut and he exhales softly. Naminé was right all along, and he knows it.

[Okay, this isn't the time for nostalgia. He gives Hiro a nod, then holds his hands in front of him like he's holding an invisible box.]

So the channels are along the same wall as the main gate. [He shakes one hand to indicate it's suppose to be the wall.] And this is us, over here. [He shakes the other hand, to indicate it's the bushes. Then he points to three spots in the air near the 'bushes' hand.] There's three guards near us, but there's another row of bushes just beyond them, so if we time it right, we can get to the next bank of bushes without being seen. [He points to two spots in the air near the 'wall' hand then.] Two guards near the main gate, but if we keep low, we can duck under the drawbridge out of sight, then regroup and figure out how to get across the moat from there. Sound good?

[everydayhero]

[the visualization works well with hiro. axel has clearly been staking this out, and he knows what he's talking about. hiro nods in agreement, and starts scanning for the other guards.]

Sounds great. Let's do this.

[got_it_memorized]

All right. [He pokes his head up over the tops of the bushes again and watches the guards a moment, counting seconds. Glancing back down at Hiro, he gives him a serious look.] I think we've got about a four second window where the guards are looking away. We can make it to the next line of bushes in that time.

You ready? On three, we go for it.

One, two, three--

[As the nearest guard turns away, Axel vaults over the top of the bushes and sprints for the next line of them, hoping Hiro's close on his heels. He dives behind the bush as the guards turn back in their direction, pressing his back against it and shooting Hiro a reckless grin.]

[everydayhero]

[hiro is surprisingly quick, right alongside with axel. he's got a breathless grin on his face, chest heaving with excitement.]

I can't believe we're doing this...

[his voice is so quiet. kind of like he's done this kind of thing before.]

[got_it_memorized]

[Axel laughs silently at Hiro's enthusiasm. For a moment, he kind of feels like a kid again himself.

[He crawls to the end of the bushes and peeks out to check for guards again. There's two at the edge of the drawbridge, and another off to the far left. Shouldn't be too hard. He sits down again and gives Hiro a glance.]

Wanna take the helm on this one and get us to under the drawbridge?

[everydayhero]

No problem. We're going under the drawbridge, right?

[he doesn't see a more efficient way to do this, anyway.]

[got_it_memorized]

[Axel nods.]

There's guards on either side of the bridge, but if we're under it we're out of sight. Then it's just a matter of figuring out how to get across to the channels. So long as we're quiet, though, I doubt they'll see us. Nobody looks for trespassers in the moat.

[everydayhero]

... Did we consider the possibility of alligators in the moat?

[did you forget about the most essential part of a moat]

[got_it_memorized]

You really think alligators are indigenous?

[He looks a little unsure. He didn't really consider the possibility of alligators. Perhaps this has been an oversight.]

Well... there's gotta be a ledge for the drawbridge to rest on, so there's probably space beneath it that isn't actually in the moat. So we can check for alligators when we get there?

[Maybe they can toss one of the guards in the moat to distract the alligators. Insert Wilhelm Scream here.]

[everydayhero]

[if there are alligators in the moat i am climbing a wall and leaving you there]

... Yeah, you're right. It'll probably be fine.

[he's gonna go ahead and get in position to run and hide under the drawbridge.]

You ready to go?

[got_it_memorized]

[If there are alligators in the moat, I will help you climb the wall and follow you quickly thereafter.]

Ready when you are.

[everydayhero]

Okay. [he's watching for his opening.]

... Three... two... one... now.

[ZOOM, off he goes like lightning!!]