Riku

[After two years, Riku thought that maybe things would turn out all right. Most people who disappear leave in a flash. A month, maybe three. When he woke up in the morning, he expected everything to fall back into its usual routine.

There's just one problem: his apartment's half-empty. At first he thought the absence of Ino was because she'd woken up earlier, maybe decided to do some training. She had a test coming up, after all, but as Riku zips through the apartment, he finds all her belongings have gone amiss.

Stunned silence overtakes him. It's about a half hour later that he addresses the journals.]

Ino's gone. I know she had a lot of friends from back home, so... just thought I'd let you know.

[His voice is strangely subdued, soft and weak. For a moment, he thinks about ending it there, but another thought creeps into his mind.]

How do you guys even handle it? I know some of you have gotten married here or plan to, but don't you realize it could end in a heartbeat? Luceti's just so unpredictable. When you're with someone it's bad enough, but to take the next big step in a place this unstable... I swear I'm not trying to bring anyone down. I just don't understand.

[...]

I'll be out by the lake if anyone needs me.

[With that, he snaps his journal shut, venturing out into the woods with his Komory Bat fluttering close behind. His destination is simple: the larger of Luceti's two lakes. Why there? Well, it has everything to do with a raft he's been keeping for the past five years. One of his first accomplishments.

He's had to replace pieces of it more times than he can count, and the sail's a bit tattered now, but anyone in the area may spot him leaning back against the mast and flicking stones into the water.

His bat perches on his shoulder, and he lets out an airy chuckle.]

Hey, relax. I'll sort this out. Just need a little time...

Filtered from Ino;

So... suppose you've been dating someone for, say, about a year. Your first anniversary's coming up, and you really want to blow them away.

[Heh, heh. It's something that's been on his mind for several days now. A whole year is a big deal for someone whose last romantic affairs ended in utter despair. Or heartbreak, at the very least.]

I've got a few ideas, but... well, I don't want to give her anything short of the best. I want it to be something she'll remember.

So, yeah, if anyone's got suggestions, I'm all ears.

[Whew. There. That wasn't so bad, right?]

Public;

And by the way, for any New Feathers out there... No, you're not dreaming. No, the Malnosso aren't the ones who brought you here. Yes, there are people with magic, talking ponies, dragons, and turtles, and the barrier's unbreakable.

Filtered to Ino;

...Also, can I talk to you for a second? There's something I want to show you.

[ooc: some replies may be slow while I double check a few things! if it looks like I've skipped your tag, don't worry; I'll get to 'em ASAP. :)]

Heh. The end of the year. Time sure flies, huh? This marks the third winter I've spent holed up in this place. Now, I could get all nostalgic about how things changed, but frankly? I'm sure you guys are tired of that by now.

There's... something else on my mind, though. Something I've thought about for a while, about the way this place works.

[He pauses for a few seconds, mulling over how to properly phrase this...]

Anyway, I'm sure most of you guys are familiar with the way people vanish out of the blue just like I'm sure you're used to people showing up without a single memory of their time before. Assuming they'd been here, anyway. But sometimes people come back with memories fully intact or those memories return after a quick reminder. I've even seen a few cases of somebody coming back as a blank slate and showing up again later with memories from a visit before the last.

Maybe I'm over thinking it, but have you guys ever thought that maybe the people who show up without memories might be different versions of someone rather than the same person with those memories wiped out? Now, I'm not saying people actually remember this place back home; I've gone back twice and I sure didn't. And, sure, timelines probably factor into it, but who's to say there can't be, say... twin versions of the same world?

Just some food for thought, I guess.

( And some action stuff! )

[So, in light of Robert's recent post and that last experiment, Riku's decided that now would be the best time to explain a thing or two.

So, yes, he's actually using the journals again. Gasp.]

So, I take it that most of you dealt with the star-shaped fruit from last month. Well, first of all, they're called paopu fruit. Second, the paopu at the beach were not normal by any means.

Paopu don't mess with your heads usually. They definitely don't give you the sudden urge to make friends at the drop of a hat. That's not to say they're just ordinary, but they're definitely not harmful. So, since somebody might be harvesting them, I wouldn't stress it.

[Hmm... He pauses for a moment, pondering something real quick, and then he continues.]

What I will say is that the paopu are a pretty big deal back home. There's this whole legend about them. Basically, if two people share them, their destinies become intertwined. They'll remain a part of each others' lives no matter what. Some people see it as romantic, others just treat it like an unbreakable connection.

And whether it's true or not... well, I'll just put it this way; I've seen a lot stranger things in the worlds I've visited than a legendary fruit. Could all be superstition, but who knows? Maybe it's legit.

[And with that he will finish with one final thought.]

Still, I wonder why the Malnosso have a weird fixation with Valentine's anyway.

[Another day, and Riku's feeling fairly bored. He hasn't had a lot to say over the journals as of late, but hey, it's been a while. And with such an... interesting cycle, he might as well say something.

So, Lucetians, witness Riku as he boredly looks into this magical book and speaks.]

So. I think it's pretty obvious that Luceti's got some 'interesting' people around. Mice, rabbits, turtles, demons... I think you get the idea.

Some of you guys aren't as open to this as others. I know I've seen my share of human haters or people against some other group.

[Not that he's surprised; fear of what's different is natural to just about everything.]

So here's a question. What do you guys think of all the species or races that are different than yours? Especially if they're not from your worlds.

[Ah, the wonders of boredom. And since he's still bored...]

And while we're at it, suppose you could go back to your world with memories intact. If you learned about your future here, would you try and change any of it?

[With that out of the way, Riku's going to head down to the battle dome and start creating a quaint little simulation. With the new battle dome settings, Riku's taking advantage of the features in order to recreate one of the more peaceful worlds he's visited in great detail. Way to go, Riku.

Feel free to wander inside. He's definitely in need of some company right about now, and Traverse Town is pretty sweet.]

[There's something seriously ironic when your friends get kidnapped again and again and you yourself have not... in almost two years.

So, today, as Riku flips through the journal, he takes a moment to speak.]

You know, I've been here for almost two years, and I've never been kidnapped. It's happened to my friends a few times, probably most of the village too... But it's pretty weird.

Anyone else in the same boat? And if not, how long did it take them to get you?

[Hmm... With that taken care of, he tosses up a quick filter.]

( Filtered to Terra (KH)//100% )

[A little later, he leaves the house, heading out to the Battle Dome. Once there, he sets up the simulation in a strange area full of floating stones and rushing waterfalls. Several different Heartless appear in large numbers.

At first the fight isn't too hard; he's dealt with Heartless before, after all. However, as the fight progresses and the Heartless increase in number, it becomes a bit harder to dodge all of them. One of the Wyverns swoops down from above with its talons at the ready, and Riku has little time to react.

So, without even thinking, he steps back, as darkness envelopes his body. He reappears right behind the Wyvern and has little time to consider what just happened. Instead, he blasts a thundaga spell to finish the beast.

A few minutes pass, and he leaves the battle dome. For the next few hours, passers by can expect to see him opening up dark corridors to test the waters. It's true that he's held back a little with his darkness, but the fact that the portals work again is enough to merit some experimentation. He'll be all over the place within the village and forest. ]

[ooc: Mods okayed the use of dark corridors a while ago, but I never got around to an IC discovery of them on Riku's behalf, so here we go.]

So, is anyone else getting a a feeling of déjà-vu around here? Seems awful late for New Feathers to show up, especially this many.

[A beat.]

But something about this does seem kind of familiar.

[And with that said, Riku will head out to scan the village and see who he can find! It's awfully crowded, so of course he's curious.]