fourteen | oo52 [action / video]

[ Since her "return," Xion has been staying in temporary New Feather accommodations as she gets her bearings. She's had a lot on her mind... a lot of thoughts and fears. She goes to sleep the night of the 19th thinking everything will be the same tomorrow... and the next day, and the day after that. Whatever she was before... this is her life now.

Of course, that's not the case when she wakes up. Which she does with a yelp when she discovers her clothing is too small and pulls in all the wrong places. And her hair is longer, and-- and-- ]

Oh, no. Oh, my gosh--

[ That's all her journal, conveniently open as ever, catches before she slams it shut and races off toward home. Toward Luke.

Once she's met up with him and apologized until she was blue in the face and possibly cried a little, she takes off to Seventh Heaven. There is a certain chef she needs to see and hug and hug and hug until they both feel better.

Finally, once all that is done, she takes to the journals once more. ]

... I can't believe what just happened to me. I know I'm not the first one, but... it was so strange. Being young all over again... not having any memories of this place. They're such precious memories to me... and I think I realized something. I know how a lot of people here feel about Luceti, and the Malnosso, and the war...

But I'm grateful for this place. [ Gently. ] It's given me everything I could never have.... everything important and wonderful to me is here. Well... almost everything. [ Oh, Axel. ] But... I never want to leave. I never, ever want to go home. Not when everything important is here...

I'm glad. I'm glad I'm still here. I'm -- I'm sorry if that makes anyone angry to hear. I know it probably sounds really strange... [ She smiles, warm and sad at once. ] But this is my world now.

[ She ends the broadcast there... or seems to. In fact, she's got a number of messages to get out. ]

( Suki | 100% )

Hey, Suki... I don't think you remember me, but my name is Xion. I need to talk to you... about the Kyoshi warriors.

( Luke Skywalker | 100% )

... hi, Luke. I remember everything now. Thank you for being so kind to me. I could... probably clear some things up now, if you still wanted to know.

( Wreck-It Ralph | 100% )

I'd -- really like to talk to you. I think... I have something really important that I should tell you.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ This news obviously takes her aback. ]

A video game? Wow... I've never heard anything like that before! [ She grins, obviously interested. ] So that's what you meant by being a bad guy... you were being literal! [ She laughs again. ] Now I feel silly. But for a bad guy... you're pretty nice.

Well, what can I say? I don't like being the bad guy when I don't have. And I guess I don't really have to, here. It's kind of refreshing, I guess.

[ Her grin shifts into a warm smile tinged with knowing, and she looks away from him. ]

That's why I wanted to talk to you, actually. But I guess you figured it out all on your own... still. As long as we're here...

Do you remember what I said when we met? About me being a bad guy too?

Something like that. It's just hard to imagine they'd package bad guys so small. [He says, looking down at her with his own grin.]

[ That gets her to blink up at him - and then break into sudden laughter. ]

I'm not as short as I used to be, you know! I grew a couple inches...

[ She passes a hand over her head, her smile crooked. ] Um... anyway, back then... I guess you could say I failed at getting away from them. I tried, but in the end... I still did what they -- what they wanted me to do.

[ Her smile has faded, and she looks thoughtful. ] When I got here, I was scared. I thought people would hate me for having been one of them... I thought they'd hate me for what I was.

[ She doesn't say that it's because she's a Replica. But she can sympathize with Ralph thinking he's bad because he was "made to be" - after all, so was she. ]

Working for them was what ... I was made to do. Like you. But when I got here... everything changed! It was so hard for me to accept for such a long time, but I made so many friends and discovered so many new things. I realized I didn't have to be what they wanted me to be. I could just be... me. [ She smiles up at him again, sweetly. ]

I guess I didn't want you to feel like you had to be held back by being a bad guy. What matters is what's in your heart. But I think you figured that out already.

[He just gives his own chuckle and rolls his eyes at her affirmation about her height. She's still small to him.]

Yeah, I did. I figured out something like that, kid. Even before I came here... I kinda figured it out then, too. But then a bunch of other things happened to make me think I was wrong. That maybe I deserved being the bad guy. There was a little girl, and I was her hero. I thought I'd let her down, that I'd lost her. That I couldn't be a hero.

Then, a few days after I came here? There she was, as annoying as ever. And I found I didn't fail. I won't. I really helped her. And if I could do that for that girl... Hey, how bad can I be?

[He loses himself in a warm smile as he reflects, with his eyes starting to shine.]

[ She watches him, the warmth and the pride radiating out of him, and giggles quietly, beaming. ]

Well, for a bad guy? I think you're the nicest I've ever met. I'm really glad you found that girl.

Thanks. I met a guy much worse than me back home, so... I can kinda believe this. I don't mind being a bad guy that much anymore, since I can do good too.

A guy much worse, huh? [ She looks away and up, considering that statement. ] Was he the leader?

The leader? He was the leader of the game the girl was in. She was supposed to be in charge, but he took it over. He was real rotten, just... just a horrible guy all around. But I guess I really do show it to him in the end.

Hehe. I dunno, Ralph. You sure sound a lot like the hero to me.

[Ralph is briefly flustered by this and looks away for a moment before shrugging.]

Maybe. I still don't look the part!

.... then maybe we could get you a cape!

[ SERIOUS. ]

No capes! I'm not some sixteen-bit Mario brother trying to reinvent himself!

... who's Mario? [ Blink. ]

You don't even know about Mario? What kinda video games do you kids place?!

Oh, right.... video games. [ Says the oblivious girl who comes from one. ] They have them in the rec center, but I don't play them a lot... I'm always so busy. [ Eh heh. ]

[He shakes his head.]

Kids here are so uncultured. Mario - he's basically like the big daddy of video game heroes. He's... a plumber. With a mustache. Fights evil turtles all the time.

... evil turtles? [ That wins a big grin. ] I come from a place where a mouse is king, so that's not really that strange to hear!

Really? You sure you're not from a video game too, kid?

[ She pauses. And then she just shrugs. ]

I dunno! How would I be able to tell if I was?

You'd usually know. Most video game characters are. But y'know, it's kind of easier for me to assume most people are from video games just without self-awareness. Kinda dangerous if you ask me.

[ She is very curious about his world and his way of life. It all sounds very strange, and sort of familiar at the same time. So she continues to watch him with a questioning expression. ]

Dangerous? How?

If you don't already know you're a video game character... well, that can lead to all kinds of craziness when something you'd need to be self-aware to understand comes up. Not to mention that most creatures that don't know? They tend to be viruses. [A shrug.] No offense.

So that means all video game characters are self-aware by default? [ Hums thoughtfully. ] I dunno! I sure don't feel like a virus. [ With half a smile. No offense taken. ]

[Action]

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