compnetwork | ☼ 001 [video]

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☼ 001 [video]

[The feed flickers on and Lea fiddles with it a moment, turning the screen sideways briefly before making a face and righting it. Crazy newfangled technology. He's not wearing the watch, rather has it set on the table in his apartment like it's a tiny tiny computer. After making sure the little screen will stay upright by itself, Lea frowns at it a moment before scratching his head.]

So they tell me this watch thingy posts live to a network everybody in the city can see. Wow, that's pretty impressive--not just in technology but in trust! [He leans forward a bit, folding his arms on the back of the chair he's sitting backwards in and plunking his chin down on them.] I mean, I could say anything, and I wouldn't even be censored? [A low, appraising whistle.]

I mean, not that I'd ever do anything like that. [Grin~]

So where can a guy find the best ice cream in town? I've had a long day you guys wouldn't believe.

[Nothing like being dead and then waking up and finding out you got your heart back and wrangling with the idea of having real emotions again and debating whether or not you should track down your old friends who think you're dead and then getting pelted by children falling out of trees to wear you out. Yup. But he's not gonna go into details.

[A beat of silence and then he glances around as if making sure no one's watching before he cups a hand beside his mouth and says in a stage whisper,] Xemnas is an insufferable ass. And his briefings were boring as hell. [Just checking on that censorship thing. Yup. Nothing to see here.]

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C'mon, just tell me who we're visiting. [Curiosity makes him persistent; as it always does. But it's Axel opening the door that really answers his question.]

[Oh.]

[So that's-- Xion you could've just said 'hey Axel is right here we're gonna go say hi.' It would have taken maybe five seconds, at most. In terms he could easily understand, to boot.]

[...Oh.]

[Oh. Oh he's-- actually right there.]

[All day, he'd been thinking that someone had died. A companion-- maybe even his first ever friend. It had made his shoulders feel tense, his stomach twist and his throat tighten so that it was difficult to speak... something Xigbar had taken great amounts of delight in both teasing and insulting him over.]

[He'd figured that when he'd gotten to RTC, he could of at least found out some answers. Maybe even ventured forth to Castle Oblivion himself, just to check. To tell Axel about Xion and sharing ice cream. About the new world he got to investigate, all covered in sand.]

[This was much better than having to RTC and put up with everyone bullying him when he asked for information. So much better. All that twisting in his stomach is going away, leaving him with the sensation that he just swallowed a rock, instead.]

...Axel?

[And he used to think ice cream was the best icing on the cake, seriously.]

Good to know; I'll have to poke around and see what I can find. Never know just what you'll discover in a library.

[His eyes widen a bit, and he lets out an appraising whistle.] Meenato Ahreesato. That's quite a mouthful, either way. [Pardon his dodgy pronunciation: Japan was never on the work roster of worlds to visit, so he's a little iffy on the phonetics of it just yet. He'll learn.] Gemini. Noted.

So I take it you've been here a while? You kinda seem to know what's going on.

[... well, this is a familiar face for him. Aqua already answered the question, but...] I haven't checked it out yet, but there was a rumor about a place in the Virgo district that had a decent selection.

[Wait, what--

You did not just say that.]

[Thank goodness for private filters. He's going to be crossing his arms and-- yes, that's a smirk and a raised eyebrow.] I don't know whether I should be insulted or say that it was the Xehanort part of him.

[Only half-joking. If he didn't, he'd probably have winced; sometimes, learning what the future has in store for you sucks.]

[The first time Roxas made that face at him, Axel wasn't entirely capable of appreciating it. This time around, something about the raw relief in the kid's eyes is almost enough to make Lea's insides twist up into knots. Jeez, they were barely much more than acquaintances back then, and Roxas was really this choked up about the idea that he might have been taken out?

[Somewhere in the back of his head, a little voice pipes up with a familiar string of words--'No one would miss me.'--and he kind of can't help but give a short, breathy puff of laughter as he sort of leans forward and roughly, fondly, ruffles Roxas' unruly hair.]

Well of course, dummy, who else would I be?

[... Yeah explaining about dying and getting his heart back and actually being Lea now will have to wait. He kind of has a feeling Roxas' month-old brain can only handle so much at once.

[He chuckles again and looks up at Xion then.]

Man, talk about Blank with a capital B, am I right?

[He's about to say thanks and note that this is a seconding of the place in Virgo, but then makes a bit of a face. What a peculiar thing to say.]

Insulted? [He scratches his head, a little perplexed. Why would a crack aimed at Xemnas insult anybody else? He quirks his mouth a little and eyes this new person a moment, then gives him a curious look, something teetering on abashed in his expression.]

So, this might be an odd question, but have we met? You just... look really familiar somehow. Usually I'm real good with names and faces, but I just can't quite place yours.

[Well, that confusion is just going to make him laugh a little and sheepishly scratch the back of his neck.] It's a long story.

[... well, not the Axel that was in Promenade. That's fine; Xion hadn't remembered, either.] It's Axel, right? I'm Terra.

[Watching Roxas' face go from confusion to shock to disbelief and then to such a profound relief he barely seemed able to cope with it... it gives rise to a twisting sensation in Xion's own gut. Back then she'd barely understood anything - she hadn't even met Axel yet. When she'd heard about the termination of the Castle Oblivion crew, it hadn't meant all that much to her - aside from knowing what Axel meant to Roxas.

Now... knowing what she did, knowing who Axel was to the both of them... She can fully appreciate how upset Roxas must've been... how upset she would be if something similar were to happen now.

She giggles a little and ducks her head at Axel's comment, and a teasing note enters her voice.] Maybe a little.

[Still, she glances over at Roxas, and adds] Sorry I didn't tell you who we were going to see.

That seems to be the theme around here, long stories.

[Ah! Oh, okay, that's a name he knows. He's still not quite sure why you look familiar, or how you know his name, but he can roll with this.] It is. [Or was, more specifically, but for now Axel will do. Especially since he's not quite sure how to bring this up to Roxas and Xion yet.] Terra, huh? Well it's nice to finally have a face to put with the name--Naminé and the king told me about you... [He scratches his cheek.] Actually he wasn't entirely sure what exactly had happened, but when we went looking for your friend Aqua in the Realm of Darkness, you were nowhere to be found, and that was about the only lead we really had.

[If Terra is paying attention, there's a grain of apology in the explanation, though it's very faint. Lea has an easier time with apologies than Axel did, but they still don't come entirely naturally, especially for things that aren't his fault. But he is a bit sorry they didn't find Terra; he can't imagine how awful it must have been for Aqua to be trapped in the dark realm for so long, and doesn't want to think about possibly having left anyone behind.]

[Another brief laugh.] Really? We'll have to swap sometime.

[As he listens, his expression goes from somewhat light-hearted and friendly to closed off and pensive, even a little apologetic. He can't help but look away from the camera on his watch for a second.] There's... a reason for that.

[He sighs, shakes his head, and looks back at the camera, an almost weary kind of look on his face. The smile is back, but it's a little more forced.] Don't beat yourself up; you can't find someone that isn't there to be found.

[Lea frowns a bit--he wasn't really trying to make things awkward or sad or anything, but as he studies Terra's face a moment, he just nods. He recognizes that look; he's seen Riku make it. Hell, he's probably made it himself a few times. It's a look of determination, of someone who knows what has to be be done, even if they don't like it... He can certainly respect that look.]

Fair enough; I won't be nosy about it, your business is your business. I, ah... [An awkward pause and then he fidgets briefly.] Well, for what it's worth, I'm kinda glad you got it sorted, whatever it was. The king was pretty upset about it, after all, and... I mean I dunno how I'd'a faced Ven again otherwise, you know?

[When, not if. Lea still isn't sure he's got the knack of this helping people thing; he's always been better at causing damage than fixing it, and he wore the antihero mask pretty well, after all, but... well, Roxas and Xion make him want to try, awkward as he is about it.

[He still can't quite shake the feeling that there's something really strangely familiar about Terra, though, and it's going to bother him until he figures it out.]

Edited 2012-11-14 01:23 (UTC)

[ He lifts an eyebrow at Lea's pronunciation of and comments about his name but ... decides not to really call him out on it, except ... ] You can just call me Minato. Arisato is my family name.

And I've been here a little over two months. ... also I came from a world that had Personas, which helps. [ By which he means he'd be willing to answer any other questions Lea had about this place. ]

[You guys are so emotionally sophisticated, sob.]

[But at the very least he does know when he's being teased. He just doesn't know why it makes him grin, no flush or scrunching up his face. Just grinning and a nice, bubbly feeling in his stomach.]

[He still...thinks it's bad, that one of their comrades is gone forever. Even if he doesn't know which one, Roxas never got to spend much time with any of them, and in a way, he wishes he'd at least gotten that before they'd gone.]

[~~A much smaller part of him says that he'd rather they went than Axel, anyway.~~]

I know who you are, okay? I memorized it! [He taps his temple like Axel always used to do in childish mockery before shooting that grin Xion's way.] It's okay.

[It was a really... nice surprise.]

Well good, 'cuz if you started calling me Access again I'd have to be offended, and that just takes so much effort.

[Lea just looks from Roxas to Xion and back again for a moment, an odd constrictive feeling somewhere behind his sternum. It's strange--the sensation isn't new to him, but suddenly it's like he's allowed to acknowledge it's there again. He still isn't sure whether or not Nobodies have hearts, whether or not he had one the whole time, but it was always easier to just roll with the idea that he didn't. It made things more tolerable that way: he never had to worry about feeling guilty or angry or anxious... feeling anything, really.

[He doesn't have that excuse anymore, though. He's got his old heart back now, so this feeling--yeah, feeling--it's real, and he can't deny it. He's not sure why or how Roxas has managed to go back in time, or why Xion doesn't remember finding Aqua, but he's not complaining they've both forgotten his death in the process. The grief on those kids' faces as he'd felt himself fading away had hurt far more than the wound that had caused it.

[Lea gives them a slightly awkward smile before reaching out to ruffle both their heads this time.]

I'm glad you guys are here. A little surprised, but... well, it's definitely one of the better surprises I've had recently. [He pulls back, putting his hands on his hips.] Saves me a trip, anyhow.

[He turns his attention to Roxas again briefly, still a bit baffled at how young the kid looks. What a difference two years made--he can really see it now, the stark difference in... well, everything, really. There's something a little refreshing about the naïveté in Roxas' eyes (he might have missed that a little), and if Roxas has really gone back to the time period around the Castle Oblivion debacle, then this is kind of a mixed blessing. Lea knows a lot better this time around, and he won't be making the same mistakes with Roxas again.

[Realizing he's been staring a moment, he gives Roxas a slightly incredulous grin.]

And here I didn't think you could get any shorter...

Right then, Minato it is. [He does a bit better with the pronunciation this time; he's a quick study.

[Lea squints a bit then. Right, Persona. He's still a bit fuzzy on that, so... this might be helpful.] Mm, so these Persona things are supposed to... [He presses two fingers to his temple, trying to grasp at the feathery remains of the hazy dreamlike conversation he'd had with the man in the butterfly mask.] ... well, we're supposed to like save this world with them or something, right? Seems like kind of a tall order, if you ask me.

[Well, not quite. This world is "special" in its own spechul way.
...
It's a few more seconds before she nods faintly.]

Mm. I'm alright.

[More than alright, really. This is the second time she's heard something like this, okay... though the first time was only "we're looking for you now" and not "we've found you." It's a lot to take in at once, much like she's going to be telling him in a second.]

You've already spoken to Xion, right?

[Please have the bitty mention the different times thing because she's from a point where this is only a possibility and not fact. Thus she is... really hoping and praying that it is going to become truth. His reaction, however, was telling.]

Um, well...

[Might as well take the plunge. ...only this time with a lot less at stake.]

This world is a little... different than the others you've likely been to. When we were called here to help this one, they didn't seem to be too concerned about bringing us from the same point in time. [She pauses to let that sink in...] It's... only been around six years for me, since I first dove into the darkness after him.

[Lea should have a feeling who she is talking about.]

As for how I know who you are... it's a little crazier and involves a world of dreams.

[Xion ducks her head at the hairruffling, giggling a little. She'd missed this. She'd really, really missed this. The three of them, teasing, laughing, joking...

Something about what he said though...]

A trip?

[She tilts her head a little to one side, confused. Then she realizes - did it have to do with how they got separated? Axel had referred to it... Well, she could probably ask him later.

She grins as he appraises Roxas, knowing all too well how it probably felt, seeing Roxas so differently. It isn't entirely bad either... but it definitely is very different. She can't help but add her own bit.]

It's really strange having to look down instead of up.

[They'll probably have to stop teasing him soon. Too much at once doesn't seem fair, especially since they're kind of at an advantage.]

Yeah, a bit--she and Roxas are coming over and we're gonna have a... well, heart to heart, if you will. Some stuff's just better discussed in person.

[He listens as she explains and his eyes wing toward the ceiling a moment. So about twelve years since she supposedly dove into the dark realm, and it's only been six for her, means she's from six years ago... Six years ago...

[He whistles.]

Wow, so you're from back when I was still pretty well entrenched in the Organization. [And yeah, he knows who you're talking about. The king didn't have a whole lot of information about exactly what happened, but The General Idea was awful enough. It isn't pity that furrows his brow together, though--he gets it. Hell, he'd have done the same thing, really. He kind of... did. But that's another story for another day, apparently.

[Lea rubs his chin curiously then.]

World of dreams, huh? I'm honestly a little surprised you don't wanna kick my ass if you met me from six years in my past, though--I was kind of a jerk back then.

[No, Lea, there's really no 'kind of'. You were a jerk until Roxas and Xion came along and you know it.]

[Hunching his shoulders, Roxas takes a half step back, attempting to flatten his hair with a few swipes of his hand. It... doesn't help. Not even slightly. His natural bedhead just looks even more ruffled than usual, but Roxas still has a smile on his face and a jubilant air about him.]

[Axel really needs to stop staring, but that look of disbelief has his smile going back to a fool blown grin, ducking his head as both their attentions turn to him.]

[He doesn't mind it, really. But...]

I'm not that short! You're just too tall. [An accusing point to Axel, and... then he's leaning over to check Xion's shoes again.]

[Is she even wearing any heels today? Man...]

I suppose so...

I think for right now, most of us are simply settling in and doing our best to learn what we can about this place. I don't think, strictly speaking, you have to save the world with them. Simply that that is what we are told about why we are here. ... I don't think it hurts to at least help out a bit, though.

[ He considers telling Lea a little bit about what Elizabeth had said about Philemon and his bet with the Crawling Chaos and her speculations on that but... he doesn't really known Lea, so it seems a little much to say all at once. ]

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☼ 001 [video]

I'd like to apologize for what I'm about to do to your inbox 1/??

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I'm done I'm sorry lndlkdsg

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video; 1/3 Lea, you just brought out some of his snark, this hardly ever happens

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3/3 private

lies i do not think you are sorry at all 8[

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And even if you were you shouldn't be imo

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Okay yeah I'm not that sorry

good. gosh.

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XP

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