just this once, everybody lives!

[sageprincess]

Characters: Everyone.
Setting: Anywhere.
Format: Party style.
Summary: Post-Ex Machina catch-all mingle.
Warnings: See individual threads.

[After a long, drawn out battle, the infiltration team returns to the residential portion of the Tower, weary, battered... but victorious. Some catching up is in order.]

Comments

[oathshackledbird]

Do I think it's possible? Not long ago, I would have said no, but some new information has come to light thanks to the last hacking attempt that was made.

[Diarmuid looks around, but when he doesn't catch immediate sight of either Xion or Reno who were actually there, he returns his attention to Riku.]

Have you heard anything about that? It happened back in March...

[keybearer]

[He shakes his head, sliding down into a nearby chair.]

Not much, but if it's important, then I'd like to change that.

[After all, they're in the final stretch. The more info, the better.]

[oathshackledbird]

There should be a file with the details in it. I'm sure Reno wrote one up and put it with the rest of the briefings he keeps up here. There are a lot of interesting things they learned, but the one most relevant to Ruana is this...

[Diarmuid pauses a moment to follow Riku's example and sit down. Despite having a burst of energy when everyone started to come back, just how tired he is from the drain is starting to hit him again.]

Apparently, absorbing everyone's powers didn't just make Ruana stronger. Dax's, at least, may have also given her a major weakness. It was discovered that Dax himself had a period of time during his power activation where he could use no other abilities. Since Ruana's absorption has never made her as good at using the absorbed abilities as the original owner of said abilities, it makes sense to that she will have that same period of time during which her other powers all become inactive. Finding a way to use that to our advantage is probably the key to defeating her.

[keybearer]

[Riku listens intently, taking mental note of Diarmuid's words while he nibbles at his fish. A sigh of relief escapes him once that weakness comes up; this whole time, he thought that power absorption would only make her stronger. If that's not the case, and she really does have some sort of weakness, then Diarmuid's right; they just have to exploit that weak spot. Strike where it hurts and hope that'll be enough.]

Was there any info on how to trigger that weakness? Just knowing she's got it won't help us if we can't do anything with it.

[oathshackledbird]

Apparently, at least for Dax, it was triggered whenever he tried to do something with his powers. Call it something of a charge up period. So, it stands to reason all we have to do is find some way to make her use Dax's abilities.

[It sounds so simple, but Diarmuid is certain it will be anything but that.]

Of course, that will be dangerous in and of itself considering what Dax's powers were, but then again, when is anything not dangerous around here? If there is no other way of getting her to listen, we do what we have to do, though, perhaps if we get a chance to talk to Zo, he will know another way. After all, I would say he probably knows her the best, wouldn't you?

[Though, if possible, Diarmuid would prefer not to have to use Zo that way. No matter how horrible Ruana is to them, she is still like family to Zo and fighting one's family is never easy.]

[keybearer]

Zo would know better than any of us. It always seemed like he and Ruana were close, at least before everything went downhill...

[Thank goodness the tides have changed, and Zo's on their side now. Riku would hate to have to cross blades with a kid like him.]

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid nods in agreement.]

Here's hoping we get that chance to talk to him...

[With Ruana in charge...that might be more difficult than it would be usually.]

[keybearer]

You know, that makes me wonder... What's she gonna do once she finds out he's turned on her? Jason and Dax were bad enough as it is... to get 'betrayed' by someone so close.

[He looks down and shakes his head, breathing out through his nose.]

Don't get me wrong; I still think she's nuts, but isn't that all the more reason to worry?

[oathshackledbird]

[Diarmuid pales slightly as he thinks on Riku's point.]

I...don't know if I really want to ponder that too hard. She is bad enough as it is, but if she literally has nothing left to hold onto?

[Desperate people do desperate things, and Ruana...]

If we do convince him to help us, it may be best that he not reveal he is until the last possible moment. Both for our safety, but even more importantly, for his.

[keybearer]

Man, I hope he realizes that. Zo's just a kid, after all, and kids don't always think things through.

[He's also shown to be highly sentimental. What if he has second thoughts when confronting Ruana?]

[oathshackledbird]

That is why we will be there to help. Don't underestimate him just because he is a kid. A lot of those we would call 'kids' here have done amazing things.

[Xion and Ken just to name two...]

[keybearer]

True. Back when I started my journey, I was still only fifteen-- a kid by most people's standards. Plus, I guess if you really want to get technical, Zo's older than a lot of us.

[...At least, that's always the impression he got from the admins.]

[oathshackledbird]

In some ways, he sure seems that way, doesn't he?

[It's an odd dichotomy Diarmuid has noticed even in just the few encounters he has had with Zo. For all intents and purposes he seems a child, but then sometimes there are those odd glimpses of something older. He honestly has no way to explain it.]

I wonder if he is something like what my people would call an old soul or if it is just the environment that has forced him to grow up faster than he should have had to.

[Or both.]