fourteen | oo39 [ action ]

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oo39 [ action ]

[ There is a creature in the plaza.

Though initially it hid behind the clothing shop, it seems to be venturing out now, just slightly ... looking for an opening to sneak away.

Can this creature summon portals on its own? Xion does not understand it, this body. She has seen these things before, of course, but to BE one? It's strange and terrifying. She'd known before, when she had Sora's face, felt it, but ... hadn't that been an exception? She'd tried -- right now, she couldn't even talk. And she could feel it. This wrong face, this wrong body, not hers. The only thing that might mark her, right now, is a curious (possibly cruel) artifact the Malnosso let her keep upon her return. Around the creature's neck, on a chain, is a ring. Xion does not seem to have realized it is there. She has rather more important things on her mind, after all.

Turned into a Dusk. The one threat Xemnas always turned on his members should they become unruly. She'd known. But how... he's not here! She'd only been taken for a night at most. How could the Malnosso....

What is wrong with her?

Should you be about in the evening, you may see this creature trying to rush, twist, and dart its way back to house 14 in that odd, swaying way Dusks seem to move.

But be careful if you run into her while you're out -- she just might turn into someone else entirely. ]

(ooc; all replies will come from

aboysface, and probably tomorrow, as I am heading to bed. |Db)

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[Well! Luke is... not the slowest party member!! ... Unfortunately, he is also not the fastest. But he can't lose sight of that thing. It has Xion's ring - what did it do to her?

In fact, he's about to demand that when he rounds the corner, thinking that it's way far ahead now, only to skid to a halt when he sees...]

Ae... rith?

[Wait... Luke might not be close to Aerith, but he's seen her enough times to know that her wings aren't that color. He does know who does have that color, though... and who'd keep that ring, despite the meaning of it being lost. And who he was chasing...]

... Xion?

[ She does not respond. Only folds her arms over her knees and buries her face in them.

Very muffled, but it's very much Xion's voice ]

They did something to me.

[That's definitely her. Aerith or... whatever that thing was or not, it's Xion.

Luke closes the distance between them and kneels down beside her, though he doesn't reach out to touch her just yet. Not until she gives him the go ahead.]

Who did? The Malnosso?

[ He's not going to get that go ahead. She's too freaked out right now to think to give it. She shakes her head, slowly, as best she can with her forehead still resting on her arms. ]

Yeah. They ... they did something to my memories, or my programming or ... I don't know.

[He pauses, then reaches out to wrap an arm around her shoulders, just above her wings, and pulls just slightly so that she can lean against his shoulder. Xion might not have given the go ahead, but when has that ever stopped him? She looks like she needs some kind of support right now.]

It has to stop sometime...

[ She lets him, but does not really respond to the gesture. ]

... I was going to go home, but ... I don't want to scare the others. What if I turned into Xemnas, or Vanitas? I don't ... I don't even know whose body I have, right now. I can't tell.

[ she drops her arms, circling them around her ankles instead, resting her chin on her knees. she looks unbelievably miserable. ... but after a moment, something occurs to her, and she looks at him with come confusion. ]

... why were you shouting that before? "Where is she."

[Luke won't tell her whose body she has, either. It doesn't really matter to him, now that he knows Xion's in there, so why should he point it out?

He's about to offer to let her stay in his apartment when she asks that question. He can't help it after that - he has to give a helpless little grin as he gestures with his free hand towards her chest.]

I don't think anyone else would have that unless they took it from you... or did something to you.

[ ............

The ring! ]

[ Immediately her hands go to it, and she turns crimson with shame and embarrassment. She clutches it tightly and bows her head, her sudden new found sheet of red hair falling forward to hide her face ]

... I wasn't going to tell you, I ... I just wanted to ... to keep it on me, but I knew wearing it on my hand would send the wrong message so I... [ a quiet groan. She hadn't wanted him to -- he doesn't want it, she didn't want to force it on him, she just wanted to -- to keep the ring close ... ]

[... Oh hi Kairi, who is basically Xion with red hair like him. At least he's got a reason to seem a little awkward now. Kairi always gave him a whole set of mixed feelings... Even though he still knows that it's Xion in there, especially when she speaks.]

R-Really, it's okay. You can wear it however you want to. [It honestly doesn't really matter to Luke. It's not like he's never had a girl ask him about marriage before... And he knows how special that ring is to Xion now. Why stop her?]

[ Are we awkward enough yet? Has the minimum awkwardness threshold been reached? Can we go for the maximum? Let's do that. That is a good plan.

Slowly she lowers her hands, instinctively brushing her hair back, though what color she sees may be quite different from what he sees. She glances at him out of the corner of her eye, uncertainly, then looks down at the ground again. ]

... it's like they're making fun of me. Just messing around with the puppet because they can...

[Luke stays silent for a moment. What's he supposed to say to help her? It's true... They always take her away and return her in some state, even if it's in a see-through white dre-uh.

But... He does lean his head down to kiss her cheek, neither slowing his descend nor pausing when he actually does kiss her.]

Yeah... But at least you've got us to come back to.

[ She startles at the kiss, actually looking at him now. Her eyes are a little overbright, but to her credit, she isn't crying. ]

... Luke, who do you see?

[Luke is a little unsure of how to answer. On one hand, it... honestly doesn't really matter how she looks. He knows her appearance is unstable, but no matter which form she takes, she's always just been Xion to him. On the other hand... she really does sound curious as to how she looks. But he'll finally answer while he looks down at the ground.]

Right now? You look like Kairi. But... You're Xion to me.

Edited 2011-05-08 04:50 (UTC)

... Kairi. Of course.

[ And her voice... just like Kairi's ... they're identical, right now. She hates it. She hates herself.

You're Xion to me.

Finally, Xion lets herself relax against him, her head still down, but ... well, he's finally getting that go ahead, even though he already took the liberty of holding her. ]

[Luke will still take that opportunity to pull her a little closer and rest his chin on her head, as if to hide her. It is a little like hugging Kairi, but... not really, to him. Maybe it's because he's a replica and can kind of get what Xion's going through - it'd be like his own programming screwing up... Maybe it's because he's never been taught, even through context, to be put off by certain appearances or gender, if such issues even existed on Auldrant. Whatever the reason, he really isn't bothered. But he knows how much it devastates Xion... And right now, all he wants to do is help. He'd do his best to help even if it wasn't her.]

... Do you need anything? Clothes, food?

No.

[ She tucks in close to him. Wonders, in the back of her mind, what others would think if they saw this.

Very quietly. ]

I just want to stay here for a while.

[Well, Luke would probably be slaughtered by her friends for hugging SOMEONE ELSE like this without getting a chance to explain. Jeez, dating Xion is hazardous to one's health.]

Right. [Then stay he will, keeping his eyes open just in case someone DOES pass by. At least, until she wants to get up and go somewhere else.]

[ Hugging KAIRI, even. Xion's doppleganger. Death would ensue. So much death.

Xion knows this, somewhere deep down, and decides she doesn't care until it happens. She shuts her eyes and stays close to him, in silence, for a long moment. Long enough to almost feel like herself again. To almost believe that she's still herself. Xion.

It's some time before she speaks up again. ]

... I don't know how I'm going to explain this to the others.

[Luke will die before he reaches 18. Sob.

He stays unmoving, like some kind of protective force, though he does slide his hand up and down her shoulder at some points. Doesn't stroke her hair, like he wanted to do at first - why point out her differences even more?

Once she speaks, Luke loosens his hold a little, just to give her an invitation to move away if she wants to.]

They'll get worried if you don't.

I know. I just... this is awful. I don't know who else I'm going to turn into, but ... I can't imagine how everyone will feel if I go home and I keep turning into them. Or other people we care about... or even people we hate. [ She already brought up the possibility. But as the reality of this continues to sink in, the real threat of it becomes too frightening to speak aloud.

What if she DID turn into Vanitas? And she was at home? What if Axel was there....?

What if she turned into Xemnas, in front of Sora?

Saix, in front of Roxas?

Her expression collapses, her stoicism vanishing to be replaced by fear, pain, and grief. Far from moving away, she buries her face in his shoulder, not wanting him to see the way she's so obviously wearing her heart on her sleeve. ]

Edited 2011-05-09 05:58 (UTC)

[It's all right to wear her heart on her sleeve around him. In return, Luke just holds her closer again, as if he's her calm in her storm. She does need to tell her friends what's going on... Why she keeps changing into these forms, what's happening to her. But after that... Would she still be comfortable there?

It's that thought which makes Luke ask his next question.]

... Do you want to stay with me for a while? Until this is over?

[ A fervent nod against his shoulder. That's not even something she has to think about. Although... ]

... what about Asch?

[There's just a slight pause; What would Asch think? But Luke's pretty sure, so his silence doesn't last long.]

I think Asch would let you stay if he saw what was happening to you. [Another little pause, and then he gives a quiet snort, sounding both humored and bitter.] He doesn't really care about what I do anyway.

[ "He wouldn't scorn me?"

The words stay only in her mind, though, because she hears the bitterness in his voice and lifts her head to look at him.

... brothers. Right.

With a sympathetic frown she reaches up to touch his cheek, not saying anything further just yet. ]

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HI KUKKI