fourteen | oo27 [ voice // action ]

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oo27 [ voice // action ]

[ The moment the experiment ended, and Xion found herself once again in the body of a teenager, one single thought had occurred to her with absolute urgency and clarity:

I have to get out of here.

And so she had, taking the time only to grab some warm articles of clothing before bolting out of the house and north, into the woods.

Once safely out of sight of the village, she'd searched idly for a while until she found a tree she could climb up into, then done just that, settling herself back against the tree's trunk for a long, desperately needed Think.

It's about three hours later when she finally pulls out the journal she'd managed to grab on her mad dash out the door and address a few people who ... well, she needs to talk things over with. ]

( Sanji | Locked 100% )
... Sanji ... I have something I need to ask you.

( Naoki and Richard | Locked 100% )
I-- [ a pause. ] ... how are both of you?

( Wolfwood | Locked 85% )
[ this is going to be a bit blunt, since she can't say she knows him that well, but ... but. they're friends, right? ]

Have you spoken to Vash yet? Is he... um, better?

( Crona | Locked 50% )
Hey, where are you? You okay?

( Giles | Locked 100% )
[ Xion makes this filter, and then pauses for a long few minutes. It's hard to begin to know what to say. But it might be best to start with the most straightforward question. ]

Hey. How are you?

[ once her filters are done, Xion will continue to chill in her tree for about another hour, pondering her ring-less hand and severely depleted charm bracelet. then she'll make her way down and into the village, though she won't go home. She'll swing by the Straw Hat house to see if anybody she knows is in, then head into the village proper, wandering aimlessly and obviously avoiding home. feel free to run into her anywhere in town ... however, she'll be particularly evasive of anyone in the KH crew, especially Riku and Roxas. She will bolt if she sees either boy. Sorry, guys. ]

(ooc; of course, backdated to the end of the event!)

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[He'll slow down once he finds here there, heaving a sigh.]

C'mon. I just want to talk to you.

[ she'll look up at him, the expression on her face a little tense, in parts incredulous, anxious, surprised, and a little flat. the latter especially colors her delivery, as blunt as it is. ]

We got married.

[His head tilts at first, seeming a little confused... But then he mouths an "Oh". He doesn't remember a lot from his time when he was a child, but now- Xion, an older Xion, held his hand and took him to the bakery - really, that's the only reason he knew where it was today, and she just always held his hand and made sure he didn't fall...

Which makes him spread his lips into a thin line to try and hold back the heat in his cheeks. He was so pathetic then - How odd was it for her, to watch a ten-year-old act like a pathetic toddler? But this isn't about him; It's about her. She was older, so... He can at least figure out the basics of what's making her think now. Thankfully, his concerns make the color drain from his cheeks, so at least he looks normal now.]

Y-Yeah... A lot of things happened, huh?

[He gives her a light touch on the elbow and tilts his head in a gesture - let's go somewhere else. Maybe the bridge over the river. The water there's really nice. Better than standing here in the middle of the pathway, anyway.]

[He doesn't expect this to be easy. As such, he'll stay where he's at, nodding.]

Yeah, I know.

[ she looks away again, her expression full of mostly disbelief now, and still some lingering incredulity. ]

Isn't marriage, like, forever? How could we...? I mean... what if one of us went home? What if something happened?

[ she pauses for a moment, and her expression softens as she looks at some faraway, unknowable thing ]

I guess I don't really understand it.

Well, I remember what you told me before.

[Before he changed too, that is.]

I guess, after being here for so long, leaving became less of a priority. Some people have loose ends, but after spending years here, maybe they just didn't matter anymore. Not when they'd lose everything they got here.

[He shrugs. It's all pretty hard to grasp. Ten years is a long time to spend in Luceti, and even now he's a bit torn about his unfinished business.]

Maybe it's less about what could happen and more about making our time here mean something.

[He doesn't understand it perfectly, but... that's what he got out of this.]

[ of course, she's not thinking that way at all. and all her older self thought was how much she wished she could adopt him as her temporary son, he was so sweet. but, well ... that's neither here nor there. except for the fact that Xion did notice that blush... though she's not no idea what to make of it. she simply nods at his question, but is stopped from speaking by his gesture. understanding quickly, a passing smile tugs at her lips and she nods again, taking the initiative in leading to the bridge. on the way there, though, she'll give an answer. ]

Being older was a strange experience. I got to have a whole family... I've never really had one of those. [ and she got married. but she's very much trying not to think about that right now. ] I got attacked, I got in a fight with one of my best friends, I took care of a friend that'd been turned into a kid for almost the entire time! [ she takes a bite out of her apple, if only to stop the words for a moment. so she's silent as she chews and swallows, then follows up much more quietly ] I'm not sure what to think right now.

[ she groans, quietly, temporarily ducking her head and resting her forehead on her curled up knees.

that's something she doesn't want to think about. she told people here their futures.... what if they'd just given up? is that really a good thing?

wouldn't it be better if they all just...?

even if it meant...

Xion picks her head back up, looking deeply unhappy ]

I guess that's true. I guess it's just kind of... it's such a big thing. We're still not.... it's not like we're.... [ she looks up at him abruptly, her mouth twisting, before looking away again just as quickly. ]

[Ouch, Xion. Once again, he does nod.]

Yeah, I know.

[He doesn't sound particularly happy, but it's the truth.]

Haven't been since I screwed everything up.

[Luke silently listens as he walks and stares down at his apple, though he doesn't take a bite out of it just yet. It'd be just a little rude to just chow down while she's talking, huh? Besides, he really wants to pay attention and try to help her.

It's something he has no experience in, so he can't relate, but... He shakes his head. He can talk about his own experiences later.]

This place really does open up a bunch of possibilities, doesn't it? [Now he takes a bit out of his apple, if only to think about what he's going to say next.] Stuff we've never even done or even thought of before... But I think that's all it is; just... possibilities. [He twirls the stick from the apple in his hand as he glances down at her - he's not sure all of what happened when she got older, but... He's just hoping she's not thinking of this like people back at home would think of the Score.] Just because you know something happens later doesn't mean you have to go through with it. I mean, if it's something that makes you happy, like... having a family, then yeah, it's great that that happened, and maybe it will!

[He gives a small smile as he looks down at the apple.] We have the right to choose for a reason, though.

Edited 2010-12-10 07:28 (UTC)

[ ouch indeed. she draws her arms in, clasping her hands over her heart -- her chest feels strangely tight -- and curls in on herself a little tighter.

really, she doesn't want to talk about this. what is there to say? literally lost for words, she falls silent. ]

Maybe I should just go.

[He turns around, still sounding a bit tense.]

[ drive a stake into her heart, why don't you. immediately she looks up, saddened and worried and all sorts of things, but he's already turned away. and still words fail her. does she stop him? should she call his name? even if she did, what could she say?

though her mouth works, trying to make the words come out, in the end, she says nothing. ]

Edited 2010-12-10 07:48 (UTC)

[He's not leaving right away. It's just frustrating. Four months, almost, and still nothing.

And that experiment? Who's to say that future it showed was even true? Agitated, he does mutter something under his breath.]

I just don't know what it's going to take.

[ her eyes go a little wide when she hears those words. the pain in her chest mounts to a tightness, something she can physically feel, like it's making it harder to breathe. it hurts. ]

I don't know either. That's what you're supposed to figure out.

I'm not a mind reader, Xion. I've been trying for months, but everything seems like a dead end.

[Still facing the other way, the crosses his arms.]

I know I shouldn't expect it to be easy, but it feels like nothing's working.

Edited 2010-12-10 08:18 (UTC)

Ha, don't worry about me. I'm already completely healed up—hell, I'm feeling even better than usual, even.

[ "a right to choose"... ]

So ... you don't think it's like fate? [ she looks away, out over the village, obviously troubled ] You don't think that ... my future self will happen, no matter what?

[ whatever the reason, she obviously doesn't want it to. the idea of choice is definitely a lot better. ]

No way. [Just to loosen up the tension, he throws his arm around her shoulders to pull her to his side, although the sudden movement makes him stumble a little as they walk. But it's okay - he just waves it off with a quiet laugh.] I mean, I think the fact that you know what's going to happen changes something! That future you saw is just one possibility. There's so much more you can do!

[Luke's sure of it, too. He didn't spend all this time fighting against the absolution of the Score just to be thrown off by a blast from the future.]

I don't know!

[ she shouts the words, upset and hurting and confused, her hands balled into fists at her sides, though her expression is anything but angry. she just looks so upset. not that Riku can see this. ]

Don't you think if I knew, I'd tell you...?

[ there's implications in that question -- that maybe she'd like...

well. it hardly matters, because with those words she'll turn and leave, since he's not moving. unless he stops her, they're done for the day. or maybe several days -- since after something like this, she won't go home. ]

[No, he'll stop her. That question does catch his attention, so he'll follow her.]

No, you're right.

[ yoinked! what. a light flush of pink returns to Xion's cheeks, but only because she's not really used to ... sudden contact like that. but she doesn't mind it, even leaning into it slightly as she walks because it's comforting. besides, Luke's words are having the intended affect. she's calming down, relaxing again as the tension that had built up eases once more. she gives him a faint, half-curious sort of smile. ]

You sound pretty sure about that. How do you know?

[Then Luke'll just keep her there, since it's making her feel better. It leaves him a little flustered because uh, hi, a girl is suddenly really close to me, what. But he'll get over it.

In fact, her words make his smile fade just a bit. Ah, right... The Score. One of the most absurd things his world has to offer. But... it's okay to tell her about it.]

My world... has everyone's futures engraved in stone, and I mean that literally. Every year, someone has their future read to them for the next year, and it just goes on and on... and people depend on it way too much.

[He lowers his head to watch his feet.] So much that they're willing to sacrifice thousands of people just to make it come true.

[They're starting to reach the bridge now, and Luke slows his steps just so that he can focus on talking.] I-I... I was supposed to die, you know? The Score said I was supposed to, but that... didn't happen. [And now Luke isn't sure what he's supposed to do. He was supposed to die, but instead... he caused the deaths of thousands. But that isn't his point. He purses his lips to push the thought aside, then looks at Xion and points the apple at himself to make his real point.] I'm the proof that just because your future's laid out for you doesn't mean you have to follow through with it.

Edited 2010-12-10 08:57 (UTC)

[Not that Naoki would notice...well, unless she felt that way in person around him. There's that whole emotions-sensing thing, after all.]

Is there anything I can do...? [He wants to make it up to her for before.]

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