43 - voice/action for castmates

[stilldontgotit]

[When Riku went to visit Sora that morning, he found nothing but an empty room. He didn't need to think twice to figure out what happened. And... heh, for the third time since he arrived in Luceti, too.

It's upsetting, but Riku tends to keep his feelings bottled up a lot of the time. Doesn't help that he's finally snapped out of experimental stupor and still feels... something. But that doesn't matter right now. Today, he's going to address the journal to spread the news. First, he'll address the others from their universe with a quick filter...]

[Filtered to House 39 (BBS house) // 100% Unhackable]

Guys, we should talk. That goes for all of you. Just drop by House 14, if you can. It should be visible now.

[/Filter]

[After they meet and discuss everything, he'll finally address the village at large.]

Looks like Sora's gone home again. I know he had a lot of friends, so I... just thought I'd pass it on.

[ooc: The whole cast may be responding to voice replies! Just a quick heads-up.]

Comments

[ACTIONNNNN four house 14]

[fourteen]

[ And of course, the moment Xion found out, came home and saw Riku and saw Sora's room and saw--

nothing--

She can't. She just can't do this. Axel's gone and dead, Giles is gone, something is desperately direly wrong with Luke and he won't tell her what, and now Sora is...?

She's been so good about dealing. So strong. She hasn't even cried.

But she can't. Not now, not anymore. In the doorway to Sora's barren, empty room she crumples, a wounded, grieving noise escaping her, and she just stays there, doubled over, her head in her hands, unable to rise.

The only thing -- the only person she even wants near her right now is Roxas. And she says his name, brokenly, without even realizing. ]

[risingwinds]

[Well, after he got Riku's message, Ven very quickly made his way into the house. He's not sure what's going on, but when he sees Xion, he hurries right over to her.]

Xion...?

[fourteen]

[ She doesn't respond.

It's not Roxas. She knows it instinctively, even before it registers that Roxas wouldn't be saying her name like that, questioningly.

All she does is shake her head, a tight motion. ]

[risingwinds]

[And Ven crouches down right next to her. He's guessing she doesn't want to talk, but...]

Hey, what's wrong?

[fourteen]

[ She flinches. ]

Sora...

[risingwinds]

... Oh.

[He practically wilts. Ven doesn't need to think twice to know what she's inferring.

So... here, Xion. Have a hug. Hopefully it'll help.]

[fourteen]

[ She lets him. Might even lean against him, a little. But she doesn't otherwise react.

It just hurts too much. ]

...I miss my edit button. /sob

[encryptedpages]

[He'd followed Ven after getting the message, but at a distance due to still recovering. (How in the worlds did he manage to get bugged-? Oh well.) Thus he was a little behind in getting there and... seeing someone else in the house, on the floor.]

... Are you alright? [He's still a bit out of it; excuse him for defaulting to a monotone.]

haha no worries

[fourteen]

[ ... that voice--

But why would Riku ask her if...?

Almost despite herself, Xion looks up at him, blinking. Normally her reaction would be ... well, more, but all she does is stare, surprised for just a moment. ]

<3

[encryptedpages]

[...Because it isn't the "Riku" she knows, perhaps?

He's younger, and there are no black streaks in his hair. Perhaps that would suffice for an answer as he does nothing but stare back, waiting for an answer? Because he really doesn't know what else to say. irk.]

[fourteen]

[ ... ]

Who ... are you?

[encryptedpages]

Kiroku. [Journal. Whatever you wanted to say, because she only asked who he is; not what. That had already broken the brains of several here as it is.]

[fourteen]

... why do you look like Riku?

[humility]

[hello, Xion. these two may not have met yet but she can't ignore someone in distress. she hears the sounds of grieving and follows them to their source, crouching down next to Xion and putting a reassuring hand gently on her back]


...Hey.

[fourteen]

[ She starts, startled by the touch, not really having expected anyone but Roxas to do that. But the voice she hears... ]

Aqua?

[ Her voice is tiny, and when she looks up her eyes are red and wet, though her face is dry. ]

[humility]

[Kohan had said to expect people she didn't know to recognize her, but that doesn't keep it from catching her off guard. Still, she doesn't let her surprise show, and just smiles sympathetically.]


...I'm very sorry that he's gone.

[fourteen]

[ ... she looks away again, her shoulders slumping. ]

... me, too.

[humility]

[Aqua sits down on the floor next to Xion and folds her hands in her lap, still smiling sadly]

You two are close?

[fourteen]

... we're the same.

[ACTIONNNNN four house 14]

[perplexme]

[He's not going to verbally respond, but he will be quickening his pace to join her in the doorway and falling to his knees to join her. He folds his legs under him and stares into the empty room, knowing exactly what it is that Xion's thinking and feeling.

Without Axel and now without Sora...

...he shifts to bring his knees to his chest, using one arm to wrap around them and the other to rest a hand on Xion's shoulder.]

...what are we going to do?

[fourteen]

[ She finally moves. Finally she uncurls, but only to basically throw herself at him and wrap her arms around his shoulders and press her head to his.

There is no one, no one in this or any world, who would be able to understand how she feels right now but Roxas. And right now, she needs him the same way she needs air to breathe, and she just clings to him, trying not to break.

She's still not crying. ]

I don't know.

[perplexme]

[And he doesn't even hesitate to use that arm to move from her shoulder to grip right back. He can't look away from the empty room, but he's got to focus. He's got to focus on the conversation because right now? Xion was the only thing he had.

Unlike when Axel disappeared, Roxas finds himself unable to actually cry. He recognizes that it's the same feeling, that same, gut-wrenching emptiness, but he can't bring himself to do anything about it.]

...we're on our own. You know that, don't you? It's just you and me. [Not in the sense of people who will support them; Roxas knows better than to assume that. Xion had Luke and Sanji and all sorts of other friends, and he himself had Naoto...but none of them would ever understand. Even Ven won't understand. How can you make someone understand what it's like to lose a part of yourself? No. Not a part of yourself. Your original. It wasn't like losing a parent. It was like losing a portion of yourself, because without Sora's memories and Sora's guidance and Sora's very being, Roxas and Xion wouldn't exist, and he knows that.

And he knows there's no real way to express that to someone who wasn't used as a tool.]

[fourteen]

[ Oh.

Oh, well. Yes. That would do it.

All of a sudden she starts to cry. All the tears she never shed over Axel or Giles or the terrible fears she has about Luke. It almost hurts, when they slide down her face, like they're burning, before she realizes it's her eyes that hurt, her throat, her head. Her everything. Everything hurts. ]

I know.

[ She presses her face into his shoulder instead. ]

But that doesn't ... it doesn't make sense. Not like this. Not us, without them.

[ Them. Axel and Sora, of course. It goes without saying. ]

[perplexme]

[...oops. He's just going to cling a little tighter.]

We just...we have to work harder to make it make sense. [It's his default answer. He felt safer pretending to have a strategy. What good would it do to tell Xion that he was terrified of what was going to happen next and that he didn't understand any of it?]

They've gotta come back. Both of them.

[fourteen]

Even if they do, what if they don't remember? I don't... [ She trails off into silence, again. Darkness, it hurts. ]