[Near Verum Vanitas] Making Music Together

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"Ah, the expanse of emptiness, with only the barest traces of discarded dreams. I must say, as always, I find the scenery most pleasant." The voice marked his arrival moments before the sorcerer stepped out of a swirling portal, familiar to all who travelled using the corridors of darkness. He took a moment to let the eyes linger on the Verum Vanitas before returning to the aged man. The ever-enigmatic leader of the Sealed, how fascinating. "I must say, I was pleased by your message, very pleased indeed."

Kuja adjusted a lock of his long hair, before brushing some invisible dust of his sleeve. It would be interesting to find out what Dante might want from him this time, he usually was a client with an idea already in mind... that much had been aparent from their previous two deelings. Not that Kuja was one to ask many questions about his clients reasons behyind wanting the wares. 

Still, he could not help but be a little curious.

"So, what manner of performance are we making this time? A tragedy, perhaps? Or shall we be daring and make it a comedy?"

"A masterpiece, he says," said Kuja with a coy smile, eyes glittering at the prospect. "How positively marvellous." What could Dante be plotting? It had to be big for him to describe it that way unless he did it only to entice him... which he did not mind in the slightest... he knew how to play along.

The Genome continued to listen, silently watching the leader of the Sealed... three figures and something special? Personal touch. He needed something other than the standard footsoldiers this time. So, the regular design would not cut it. Not that Kuja minded, he was always up for taking creative choices.

Still... three, now that sounded familiar.

"My homeworld?" He cocked an eyebrow, before tapping himself on the cheek, thoughtfully. "Figures of three, a set of sorts... one, two, and... three, ♪ one, ♪ two, ♪ three, ♪ one, ♪ two, ♪ three, ♪ one, ♪ two, ♪ three. Ah, yes, of course." Kuja snapped his finger, face breaking into a happy smile. Oh, how the universe worked in mysterious ways that he would be asked to provide the same service again for a second client that could not be further from the first. Dante would most assuredly know how to use such valuable wares, unlike the Elephant Lady. "A waltz, that is what you need, old friend."

Kuja tilted his head slightly, analyzing what Dante was saying; it was not your average mindless follower he was looking for. A Nemesis, he called it, but for whom? It was not much for the sorcerer; it was not his business. Still, this all boded to become more enjoyable, unlike a schemer of Dante's calibre to do anything in half-measures.

"A doll steeped in darkness?" Kuja said, "Yes, such an infusion would be possible with some modifications. These creatures were originally made to serve similar purposes, making the needed changes to suit an abundance of darkness easier." Kuja raised a hand to his chin; the idea of doing something of this scale was intriguing; oh yes, he felt the Black Waltzes would be perfect for Dante's needs.

"A pure source of darkness would work best, in terms of power-to-darkness ratio, you want something like that to command its lesser. The purer the better I would say." Kuja smirked, "I could forcefully infuse that essence into the dolls; it would also be no trouble in modifying their memories to suit your needs." Kuja raised his hands before clasping them as if pushing two invisible objects together. "As for the needed intelligence, how independent do you wish these "dancers" to be?"

"Yes," said Kuja slowly, "All those criteria would be perfectly feasible in the creations I have in mind. Of course, we are still dealing with the darkness, so one cannot account for all eventualities. Still, as a bonus, I could throw in a few of my regular Black Mages for them to lord over. Creatures like these work best when given the illusion of being in charge, especially over their kind."

Kuja had noticed what Dante said at the end, and how he said it implied not a desire to extinguish the light as a whole, but rather, he was talking of specific individuals... or maybe places? Dante had never been one to say things without purpose; he was a little annoyed like that, mainly because it reminded him of his now-dead master.

"Well, why not plant in them a desire to do just what you wish them to do?" Kuja continued. "Like how birds know when to go south, no matter their personality or individual strength, they would be unable to get away from the desire to fulfil that one goal. Less of a memory, more of an instinct." Kuja raised his hand, slowly turning it into a fist. "Even should they attempt to turn against you or your allies, it would be for nought, as this would kick in the moment they find the target of their mission. Let's call it... a Fail-Safe or perhaps a Heart-Lock."

Kuja simply smiled, letting Dante talk without interrupting him. Of course, he knew power; he knew all too well how sweetly power tugged at the senses and how good it felt to wield. Oh yes, he knew it. If anything, he had lived it; he had destroyed his homeworld because of it and had seen other worlds ruined by those seeking power. His talk of desire was equally familiar, and even if Dante, in many ways, was an enigma, he was also following his desires... alien as they might be, they were still there.

"I think I have, just the thing." Said Kuja, pulling out a small, oddly shaped, asymmetrical sphere covered in Terran symbols; it appeared as if from thin air. "I will spare you the details, but I was tasked with creating entities very similar to what you desired once before; let's refer to them as... Prototypes for the sake of this conversation." As he spoke, Kuja did something that caused the sphere to light up, displaying a holographic screen between the two men. On it were "blueprints" of three creatures, each wearing similarly pointy hats and glowing eyes shrouded by darkness. "Originally, they were simply dolls endowed with powerful magic, and sadly, horrible unutilised by the client I sold them to."

Kuja watched Dante through the hologram, folding his arms and throwing a glance at the hologram.

"I'm thinking of using them as a base; we could improve the design to suit your needs better. Add a splash of darkness, modify their memories, and make the bodies more durable to better hold together from the strain of the added power boost.". Kuja tapped the sphere, causing the image to vanish again. "Maybe..." Kuja paused, eyes glittering as a malicious idea came to mind. "Why not let them be unaware of your part in this? Let them know not who they really serve. All the more to make them believe this idea is one of their own making; if it is antagonists we wish to make, why not do it properly?"

"Oh yes," said Kuja, but what Dante wanted to do did not sound too far from what the Black Waltz had originally been doing, albeit without the heartless connection. "All those things could be easily done."

Black Waltz One could easily be given a modified version of the summoning bell. Black Waltz Two, not as magically powerful as Three, had wings and should have no trouble fulfilling such a role with the addition of darkness. Of course, Black Waltz Three had always been intended as the more powerful of the trio. The only problem last time was that Kuja left it to his servants to arrange the power output, resulting in the entity gaining access to too-powerful magic comparable to the body. A grand sorcerer? What a charming turn of phrase; still, Kuja would take it.

"You flatter me," said Kuja with a small chuckle. Raising his hands, making a dramatic twirl. "But yes, puppets without strings, actors doing an improvised play, as for the theme... suppose only time would tell if it will be a comedy or tragedy." Kuja stopped, slowly lowering his hands. "Of course, I would still give you the option to "read them their scripts", should they stray too far from the plot."

It did seem like the two were reaching an accord, and Kuja had a good idea of what Dante wanted. Of course, he would provide the same excellent service as always. This time, the Waltzes would get to do so much more than hunt for one silly girl, all because her idiot of a mother could not keep her in check.

"Indeed, one can never be too careful." Kuja said with a toothy smile. "Especially these days, with so many players on the stage, and we're just the organizers, one must not forget the danger of those... watching from the box." The sorcerer did not explain what he meant by the last words, but for just a split second, there was a chill silence in the air before Kuja cleared his throat, and things returned to normal.

"Yes, we do have ourselves a deal." He replied, accepting the handshake. "It should not take too long, and we can get started as soon as I am provided with the sample of darkness, as pure and undiluted as you can get it. Primordial would be ideal if you can acquire it."