driftfleet | mingle a little Mor tonight

Entry tags:

mingle a little Mor tonight

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!]

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Uh huh, and you didn't flinch when I grabbed your wrist either. And you're certainly not defensive, nope. [One step--no, two--turn to the right.] If we're gonna be allies, you'd better get used to me giving you a hard time; it's what I do.

Ugh, I take back what I said before--you're obnoxious in an annoying way. A really annoying way.

[ DEFLECT ]

[Axel just laughs.]

No, no takebacks, that's cheating. [He shakes his head, then quickly turns back to the left and switches arms again. This dance isn't so hard; he's barely even paying attention anymore. Heckling Riku is much more fun.] You hero types, you always have the best reactions.

[ riku's face turns flat. ]

You're a hero type in the future, you know.

[He arches one eyebrow.]

So you say, but I'm not convinced. Maybe I'm not a bad guy, but that doesn't make me a Good Guy.

[He's pretty sure he's screwed up at least once too many for that.]

You're gonna be on the side of the Light; that's textbook Good Guy.

[ he raises his eyebrows. ]

Even little kids know that.

[He makes a frustrated noise and misses a step, kind of hopping to catch back up before turning to his left and giving Riku a glower.]

Why's everything gotta be so black and white with you? Light, Dark, Good, Bad--it's not that simple, okay? [Step, step, switch arms.] Little kids know right from wrong, but adults know there's a lot of grey area in between good and bad. I figured you of all people understood that.

[ with some exasperation; ]

I do, but there's no grey when it comes to this. 13 darknesses and 7 lights--there's no '1 twilight'.

[ ... ahem. ]

Besides, you're the one who called himself Dark Rescue.

[With equal exasperation:]

I don't even know what those are. Thirteen dark whats? Seven light whats? Like, fine, maybe I'm not playing for Team Darkness anymore, but that doesn't change the fact that I was on that team for over a decade. You can't just wipe that away.

[And then he just looks affronted.]

What? I did not. Tell me I did not. [Turn, turn, switch arms, step.] Oh, Light, did I? [That does rather sound like his level of cheesiness.] What was I even talking about?

[ surprisingly enough, that's what makes riku fluster. why does he have to tell him about this?! ]

U-uh, it's... nothing important. But you did, that's what's important.

[Well what's he blustering for?]

You're the one who seems to think this is so important in the first place. Look, I'm just not sure I'm cut out to be a full-fledged Good Guy.

[He shakes his head and gives him a curious look.]

So why are you? I betrayed my own Organization and took out two of my colleagues, and yet you're ready to just induct me into your little band of heroes. That doesn't seem strange to you at all?

[ riku's expression goes from flushed to determined, intense all in the span of a few seconds. ]

Maybe you don't see it now, but I believe in who you can be, and who you are. I destroyed my world, I almost killed Sora, but I'm on the side of the Light anyway. [ there, a little smile comes--guilty and awkward, like a lonely voice in the middle of a silent crowd.

riku has been here before, alone, finding himself desperately drawn between darkness and light and feeling like maybe darkness would be safer. maybe he wasn't really good. but he knows better now. being good is about your willingness to do it. he knows lea's trying to be, so axel will one day do the same. he doesn't have to make that transition now, but he has to know that riku will accept and believe in him.

axel will do some great things. he knows that, so he's more than ready to give him a helping hand. ]

[Axel kind of stumbles, pinwheeling one arm to catch himself and then just giving Riku a strange look. His expression teeters between distrust and something like yearning, and for a moment the dance is forgotten. He hadn't forgotten that Riku was guilty of a lot of the same things he is, he just... isn't quite able to see himself in the same league as Riku. Riku was manipulated and led astray by people who knew exactly what strings to pull to get him to cooperate, but Riku was good, inescapably so. Anybody could see that.

[Axel had been manipulated, too, but how much of that had been because he'd let himself be manipulated? He'd accepted Xemnas' preaching about their lack of hearts and feelings, and now Riku was saying that they'd been regrowing hearts the whole time. He'd turned his back on Isa a long time ago, when Saïx had proven to be too different from his old friend to be worth fighting for. Axel's sins were his own to bear, and he wasn't sure throwing his lot in with the Keyblade Brigade was enough to atone for them.

[Does that mean it's not worth it to even try, though?]

Look, I'm not... [He looks down and away and then realizes the dance is over and he's still standing there holding Riku's hand, and he gives a vicious start and pulls his hand back, fidgeting.] All I'm saying is, I dunno if wanting to change is enough, okay? I'm through with Xemnas, but that doesn't make me a hero. Aren't you worried I'd betray you, too, if somebody made me a better offer?

Edited 2015-03-24 04:35 (UTC)

You didn't just want to change, you did change.

[ he says it with a frown, letting his hand fall back to his side and crossing his arms. and then; ]

I'm not worried you'll betray us.

[He stares at him a moment, like he's searching for something out of place, something misaligned, a mistake. Riku just says it so plainly, it's like he really believes it. ... He does believe it, so far as Axel can tell (hey, a good liar can always sniff out another one), and that's just flabbergasting. After everything he's done and all the crap he gave Sora, Riku actually does trust him not to betray him.

[Why does that give him a weird feeling in his chest, like his ribcage is too small? Ugh.

[The music queues up for another song, and Axel scratches the back of his head awkwardly.]

I won't, okay? [His voice is kind of small, but sincere.] Even if I learned it too late, Roxas taught me a lot, and... I wanna do right by him. I wanna see him again, and I want to have something good to tell him when I do. [He holds his hand out--no, not for a dance, silly, to shake.] So I'll help you. I'm still surprised you're so willing to accept that, but I'll take what I can get.

[ more dancing??? :D

riku's seriousness evaporates--and he smiles, really smiles. he thought he'd lost lea as a friend, as an ally. but... that wasn't true. if lea could be a friend, so could axel. he was still himself at heart (ha, ha).

he reaches out, grabbing his hand. ... and definitely dragging him back on the floor. ]

Good. I'm sure you'll see him again--when I dove into Sora's heart, I saw him. He's still himself.

[Wait what no that wasn't for more dancing omg. Axel stumbles as Riku pulls him back out into the crowd of dancers and makes an awkward squawking noise.]

Wait, Riku, I wasn't--

[He cuts himself off at what Riku says next, kind of stunned.]

You saw him? [Inside Sora's heart? He guesses that makes... well, as much sense as can be made of the situation.] So he's... he's actually all right, then? [Something in him had worried terribly that Roxas had been lost inside Sora. After Roxas had returned to Sora's heart, Sora hadn't shown any signs of recognizing Axel at all, and Axel had feared that there was nothing left of Roxas.] What'd he say? [~~Is he still angry?~~]

[ he doesn't recognize the squawk, but he does see his worry. ]

He's actually okay. [ he near-echoes, and nods as he lifts his hand for axel to turn. ]

I didn't really talk to him long. He just asked, 'What are you so afraid of?'. When I answered, he was gone. [ he shakes his head. ]

[He makes a sort of frustrated noise--really? We're seriously dancing again?--and then just makes the turn like he's supposed to. It's easier than arguing about it.

[That's not really the answer he wants. He wants Riku to tell him that Roxas was happy and had clearly forgiven everything. He wants him to tell him there is a definite way to save him. We can't always get what we want, though, and he knows this. This is better than nothing.]

Sounds like Roxas: always asking questions. [He gives Riku a curious look.] What was your answer?

[ the reply is so blatant that riku swears he should've seen it coming, but he hadn't. he nearly freezes when he hears him ask that and a couple bumps into him--he tenses, flinching away t first. suddenly, he seems more frazzled than he was before. ]

Ugh, typical.

[He notes the way Riku flinches sharply when he bumps into the other pair of dancers, and he's starting to think it's not just a reaction to him. It's interesting--he knows Riku's a very capable combatant and could probably take out this whole square without breaking a sweat, so what's with the quailing away when someone gets too close?

[He quirks his mouth to one side and pulls Riku back into step.]

What? You answered him, didn't you? I'm just curious, is all.

[ of all things, riku doesn't expect axel to pull him back in. startled, he blinks, and then lets his eyes draw away. ]

... losing what's important to me.

[Don't ever say he's not a good sport, Riku.

[He doesn't actually expect him to answer. He asked because he is curious, but if he knows anything about Riku it's that he tends to keep his cards close to his vest. So when he does respond, his voice quiet and his eyes turned away, Axel just frowns a little.

[He knows how that feels. Axel has lost the things that are important to him, on more than one occasion. He lost his heart, his home, his best friend three times--wait, three? His steps falter for a moment, and he shakes his head. Twice. He lost his best friend... twice. He knows how scary it can be to lose something that important, so it's an answer he can relate to.]

I didn't teach him that, you know. [He ventures a hint of a grin, waiting for Riku to turn.] Roxas learned how to be nosy all on his own.

[ riku turns dutifully, totally not realizing that they've switched their roles. he's too used to being too short and having to follow rather than lead. ]

Too late, I already blame you.

[Eyeroll.]

Yeah, yeah, take a number, slick.

[He has to grin a bit as Riku seems not to realize that he took over the lead. This dance is pretty easy, it's basically the same as last time, and when Riku bumped into the other people dancing, Axel just picked up where he'd left off. He doesn't even seem to notice, though, which is funny to him. He'll just keep it up until he realizes, or the song ends, whichever comes first.]

I won't tell anybody, okay? Sheesh, I'm not a snitch, I can keep a secret. I was just curious.

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