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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[Guess who doesn't have even the remotest idea how the watch works yet? This guy. So he misses Axel's missive completely-- it's harder to miss someone latching onto your arm and dragging you two floors up the apartment building, however.]

But you haven't told me where we're going yet!

[Explanations would be good. Sure he's been a bit of a restless couch potato aside from when he'd tagged along to Xion's work, but that didn't mean he wanted to run into something blind...]

[Even if it looked like they were just bothering one of their neighbors.]

[Seriously, Xion? Warn a brother.]

[Lea looks a little uncomfortable as she explains Roxas' concern, and rubs the back of his neck.]

Well, clearly I'm fine, so that's one less thing for him to have to worry about, right?

[Right. He'll save explaining that he wasn't so fine after they found Aqua later. Giving a nod, he waves at the feed.]

Noplace I'd rather be.

[And as the feed cuts off he groans and smears a hand down his face. Wow, Lea, way to win Cheesy Line of the Day--the hell was that? Sure, it's true that anyplace the kids are at is where he'd want to be, but... really? Ugh. Maybe she didn't hear him.

[A few minutes later there's a knock at the door, and he goes to answer it, giving her a feigned look of incredulity as he leans in the doorframe.]

You could'a just portaled in; since when is mi casa not su casa, huh?

[He's... really happy to see her--to see both of them--but he can't let on why just yet. Part of him wonders why he even bothered to worry that they'd be angry or upset if he came back after having died. He can still remember very clearly the look of relief that had lit up Roxas' face when they'd met up again after the debacle at Castle Oblivion. He hadn't expected to have the opportunity to see it again, for that matter.

[Reaching out and ruffling Xion's hair fondly, Lea leaned slightly to one side to peer inquiringly at Roxas behind her. He does look smaller (which really, Lea hadn't thought was possible). Curious indeed--he really can't figure how this could have happened, but... well, in a way that just means they get to start over from there. He'll know a little better this time around, at least: no more lies.

[He gives Roxas a jovial wave.]

Well if it isn't my favorite chatterbox.

[Well she did hear that cheesy like, and maybe she'll tease him about it later, but at that moment she was much more focused on finding Roxas and taking him up two flights of stairs.

Xion just gives him a half-exasperated look at the teasing. She might've given him some kind of comeback - really what if she'd gotten the number wrong and portaled into someone else's room? Again, though, there was something a little more important here. She turns to Roxas, grinning slightly.]

See, Roxas, I told you he was okay.

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.]

[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?

[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.

[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...

[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.]

[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...]

[Lea laughs softly at Roxas' accusation.] Well, I guess maybe I'm a little too tall, but I can't change that any more than you can.

[And that's when he realizes they're still just standing in the doorway.] Er... well, come in, I guess. Uh. [He steps aside and ushers them through the door, closing it behind them and then gesturing vaguely.] Welcome to my humble abode, which is theoretically completely identical to your humble abodes. I guess since there's no couch we can sit on the bed or somethin'.

[Pushing into the bedroom he waits for the kids to sit on the edge of the bed, then sits on the floor in front of them with his legs folded and his hands over his ankles. He gives Roxas a puzzled look.]

So really, the last thing you remember from home is hearing about somebody kicking it in C.O.? That's just... kind of insane.

[Xion allows herself to be shuffled inside, grinning a little at the couch comment and wondering how soon that would be changed. She remembers your preferred sleeping location bff... not to mention they'd need at least one more place to sleep if they were planning on all trying to fit in one room...

Which would be difficult. Her and Roxas - or her and Aqua - fitting in with one room had been challenging enough at times.]

I'd say we should get one but I'm not sure how to get a couch...

[She may have more experience in the world but even that knowledge has its limits. Sitting on the edge of the bed, her gaze darts from Roxas to Axel and back. It was really strange to think about, Roxas being from so far back. She'd only just started thinking consciously for herself, really.]

[Flopping down on the bed next to Xion, he's quiet, listening to the two comment about the need for a couch (he agrees, really) before attention falls back to him again.]

[Well that's... something. Enough to make him shift a little, not meeting either of their gazes for a moment.]

Not that insane. [He couldn't remember things that hadn't happened, after all. Frowning, he looks to Xion, as the original source of his thoughts and realizations. It'd be nice to say he's astute, but technically it's taken him three days to get this much] But that's not what you remember, right?

[By the sounds of it, it wasn't what Axel remembered, either. Which would explain why they seemed so intent on telling him he was short...]

[Lea scratches his head.]

Well, I'm sure there's a furniture shop somewhere in town, but... a.) I don't have any munny that I think will work here, and I'm pretty sure grand-theft-couch is frowned upon in most civilized societies, and b.) I'm not sure it'd fit in here anyhow.

[He looks at Roxas then and sort of sighs hopelessly.]

Nah, I remember it just fine, I just remember it a long time ago. Like a couple years ago long time ago. [He leans back on his hands then, staring up at the ceiling a moment before giving Roxas a serious look.] It's... not a huge deal, in the end. I mean, I'm not sure why we all seem to remember--or not remember--different things from different times, but... [He smiles a bit then, shaking his head.] It doesn't really matter, so long as we're all here, right?

[Some things were better left forgotten, he figures. If Roxas never had to know about the fights they'd had, never had to go through the exasperation of not understanding who he was, never had to deal with defecting from the Organization and becoming a fugitive, then all the better, so far as Lea thinks. This is like a second change to get this right, and he's not about to look a gift moogle in the mouth.

[Turning his attention to Xion then, he tilts his head.]

So how long have you been here, anyway? [And back to Roxas.] It's a little ironic that you guys were the ones to arrive first--I'm supposed to be the one showing you guys the ropes!

Yeah, Munny won't work here. I got a job though, so I could... see if I could pay for it.

[She's not sure if she has enough, because... more than anything, she's never been furniture shopping before. How much did furniture cost anyway?]

Fitting it in here would still be a problem, though.

[To Roxas' question, and Axel's reply, she nods]

Yeah... I remember about the same he does... though maybe a little less.

[Still, though, Axel's right. There are some things... some that might be awkward, with Roxas knowing so little, not having experienced certain very important things. But he was there, he remembered her, he was still him. That was the most important part.]

I've been here for about a month, now. Roxas hasn't been here that long.

[It's still the longest she's ever been away from them since before they deserted, as Axel'll probably recall]

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☼ 001 [video]

Jumping in like a jumping thing!

/dramatic music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8Kyi0WNg40 also man I am spamming this icon in this thread orz

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

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

And even if you were you shouldn't be imo

Okay yeah I'm not that sorry

good. gosh.

XP

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