video; un: ??? | open to anonymous/misfires

[pullsheavendown]

[This should be coming from XIII, but recent shenanigans have rendered his username unintelligible. But he's on video, so it's not like he's trying to hide his identity. Those who have already met Roxas (or Axel or Riku) may recognize the black coat, but he's picked up a warm scarf to go with it, and a knit beanie cap is flattening some of his hair spikes.]

...hi. I'm Roxas. I don't know if we're supposed to introduce ourselves—I've never used one of these things before—but that's me.

[He gives a little wave.]

There's something I wanted to know. Have any of you ever been to other worlds before? I have, but I'm trying to figure out what makes this one so different. It's not just that it's a refuge from the storm or that time's frozen in other parts of it. Something about this place affects things people can do. My friend and I know a special way of getting around quick—it's not really magic, but kind of like it, I guess? Except it only takes us maybe a block now.

And there's something else I've always been able to do, a thing I can summon, except now I can't and I try and I try but it just doesn't—

[As he speaks, he's shaking his left hand in frustration when suddenly there's a pop and a black flash and suddenly a Keyblade can be partially seen at the bottom of the screen.]

Uh. Never mind about that last part? But I'd still like to know about the rest.

Comments

[pullsheavendown]

[That makes sense. A year or so doesn't sound that long when he says it in his head, just as a word, but when he thinks about his life and how long it's been, one year seems really, really long.

But too short, somehow, at the same time.]

I had a lot of feelings I needed to process. [He'd give Axel a sidelong grin if they were hanging out in person, so he just smiles instead, only a trace of something sadder in it.] And I didn't do any permanent damage.

[icingonthecake]

I dunno... [He makes a grand show of holding his side.] I may still be recovering from the effects. It could be terminal.

[Stop with that surreptitiously sad shit, Roxas; he's just glad you're here okay. Let him give you a hard time to disguise his true feelings.]

[pullsheavendown]

[But personal tragedy!]

OR maybe you want an excuse to laze about some more.

[icingonthecake]

Sheesh, it's like you know me or something.

[pullsheavendown]

[Roxas puts on a mock 'hmm' sort of expression.]

Who are you, again? I feel like I'm forgetting something really important.

1/2

[icingonthecake]

[icingonthecake]

You think you're just adorable, don't you.

Luce got very mad at me for that tag

[pullsheavendown]

Yeah, more or less. [He laughs.] DOn't worry. I've still got you memorized.

PUNCH HER IN THE ARM FOR ME, LUCE.

[icingonthecake]

[He's lucky he's mostly right.]

Well, good, see that it stays that way.

Feel free to forget our ex-boss' name though.

[Screw that guy.]

she did

[pullsheavendown]

[He makes a face at that.]

I'll try. Man, I'm glad he's not here. Or most of them. That'd be a real pain.

good girl

[icingonthecake]

You're telling me. At least you left some carnage on your way out. Me, I just got my ass handed to me like six times and did a lot of running away and hiding.

[He's not ashamed of that. He's good at running away and hiding! But if he could go back and do some carnage before the running and hiding, he would strongly consider it.]

[pullsheavendown]

[This is just making him sad again.]

It's better when we don't have to do any of that.

[icingonthecake]

[Dammit, this wasn't what he was trying to do.]

You're right, of course. Here's hoping those jerks all stay asleep permanently.

[Demyx could wake up, he'd be okay with that. Especially since he'd apparently been awake once before. Demyx might have been a bit of a ninny, but he'd been an okay guy, for the most part. But the rest of them could just sleep forever and Axel would not be bothered one bit.]

[pullsheavendown]

[Oops.]

Have you seen any of them in the pods?

[Demyx, Luxord and and Lexaeous would be okay by Roxas. Anyone else would range from 'ehhhh' to 'heck no'.]

[icingonthecake]

Mm, I spotted Xigbar once, but I promptly forgot where the pod was.

[Untrue, but he won't be going back to visit, either way. Yeah, Lexaeus he guesses he wouldn't be horrifically opposed to. Luxord, though, that guy owes him munny. He knows he cheated in all those card games.]

I wasn't really lookin' for any of 'em, to be honest. I had found your pod, and you're lucky you woke up when you did, 'cuz I was this close to drawing on it with grease pencil. [He frowns. He looked for Saïx, but... he won't mention that.] I looked for Naminé, but I couldn't find her, or--

[... Or?]

Or, ah... [Odd. Who else would he have looked for? He scratches the crown of his head, then shrugs one shoulder.] Or I'd have told you about it. [Nice save.]

[pullsheavendown]

[Watch out, Axel. Luxord taught Roxas to play.

He waits for his friend to finish speaking, then just nods.]

Thanks. [He can't say that he misses Naminé, exactly. But he wants to be friends with her for real so that there's something to miss.] Maybe we can look, and talk to her sometimes like Sora does with Kairi. So she won't be lonely either.

[icingonthecake]

[Great, now he's definitely gonna be out every cent. Roxas is about the only person who could always call his bluff; he's like kryptonite or something, Axel just can't lie to him ever again, even if it's just poker! He's so screwed.]

Hey, I'm sure if we both look, we'll find her eventually. [His smile is a little bittersweet. Naminé is the one who first really made him stop and think about the turn his life had taken once Roxas had departed from it. 'Because you seemed lonely,' she had said, and Axel had utterly balked, because no amount of telling himself that he had no heart and felt nothing could refute those four words.] I think that'd be nice, to find her and visit her. Bein' lonely is no fun at all.

Next chance we get, let's do that, okay?

[He thinks he owes her that much, to at least try.]

[pullsheavendown]

Yeah. Let's do it.

[He's not dumb; he knows there are a lot of pods, and it could take a lot of time to find her. But between the two of them, they'll find Naminé. And when she wakes up, she'll know that people who care about her are waiting.]

We'll go together.