4th wall - catchall;

[stilldontgotit]

Riku;

[Okay, maybe he should've seen this coming. Something feels vaguely familiar about the situation. A strange influx of people, general shenanigans ensuing. The village is a heck of a lot more crowded than he last recalls seeing it, and for that reason, Riku's decided to do a little recon.

So, rather than take it by foot, passersby may spot this young man ricocheting off of trees, buildings, and any other solid objects that'd provide enough of a springboard for his Flowmotion. Just be careful to duck if he comes flying your way. We don't want any head-on collisions!

Later that day, he posts a journal message:]

So, has anyone been keeping a tally of all the people here? Looks like they don't have any wings, so there's gotta be some kinda catch, just like every other time this has happened...

[Well, back to scoping out the area, he supposes, but first:]

Lea, this seems like as good a time as any to get some training done. Hope you haven't been doing too much slacking.

Ventus;


[While Riku's taking the crowds with a touch of skepticism, Ven is not. Oh no, he's scurrying through the streets, smiling, waving, and greeting newbies and even offering some treats if people seem nice enough... in part because he has some excess cookies from a recent baking experiment. But don't worry, they're not toxic! Really!]

Rainbow Dash;



[But newbies may instead find themselves awstruck by the rainbow streaks lighting up the sky as Rainbow Dash rockets down towards the village and shouts at the top of her lungs:]

Hey, newbies! Forget all about the crowds, the noise, and just how crazy this place is. If you're looking for something to get your mind off of all the chaos, well, hang tight, 'cause I'm about to wow ya! Just keep your eyes glued to the sky, kick back, and be amazed. It's not every day you get to see Equestria's top flier pull off heart-pounding, death defying stunts like this!

[And once again, she zips off at hundreds of miles per hour, zigzagging through the sky and sculpting the clouds into the shape of her cartoony pony body... in ten seconds flat. And that's just a warm up, folks! There's plenty more to come.]

Comments

[stilldontgotit]

True. We're almost on equal footing now.

[In fact, now that he's gotten a closer look, Riku chuckles, somewhat grateful that he doesn't have to crane his neck up at the guy.]

Gotta thank the Malnosso for that, much as I hate to admit it; they're the ones who bumped me back to the right age after I went back home.

[It's the one and only time he'll thank them. What goes unsaid is that Riku's a Keyblade Master yet. He's... not sure how to bring that up. Would Terra be proud? Surprised? Some combo of both?]

[erodingearth]

You were sent back?

[The revelation is a strange one to hear; from his perspective, time is an almost anomalous thing now, and he can't even discern how long he's been away for Riku to look the way that he currently does.]

Just how much time has passed here?

[stilldontgotit]

Yeah, but only for a minute or two here. Back home, a whole year passed, and bumping me back down to sixteen.

[He pauses, realizing that this might be a bit much for Terra to soak in.]

Long story short, the Malnosso pushed me back up to the age I was before I left so I wouldn't be an eighteen yar old in a sixteen year old's body.

[...But maybe he should focus on Terra's question.]

Anyway, I'd say it's been roughly two or three years since I left.

[erodingearth]

...This place has always been a strange world. Good to hear some things haven't changed.

[He shakes his head wryly, taking a moment to process the numbers that Riku throws around.]

So you must be older than me by now.

[stilldontgotit]

Well, I'm twenty now, so we're at least in that same ballpark area.

[Yet despite all that...]

Still feels kind of weird, though. This'll be my fifth year since I popped up in Luceti. That's one fourth of my life spent in this place...

[Which might not be that huge compared to the rest of his experiences, but it's still jarring to think about. Compared to him, Terra was there for just a fleeting instant.]

[erodingearth]

Wasn't there something about people living her an even longer time than that? Their whole lives?

[He goes silent for a brief moment before turning a serious look to Riku.]

I'm sure it's not my place, seeing as I don't even know what kind of ... existence I have here-- [he gestures to the lack of wings on his back] --but you need to get out of here before that happens to you.

[stilldontgotit]

Oh yeah. Some of the Malnosso already have, and I sure as heck don't want to join them.

[A small, sad smile crosses his face at the thought.]

It's tough. I've got Ino here, and I don't want to leave her or my friends behind, but back home, we've still got Xehanort to worry about, and I've got new responsibilities.

[erodingearth]

Leaving friends behind...

[It still wasn't something he liked to think about, in terms of his own point in time.]

There's got to be some sort of middle ground that no one's found yet.