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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!)
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!)
[Action] For less emo B|b
It's by coincidence that he catches a glimpse of black from his eye, and upon looking up from his thoughts, he sees Xion. She seems down, so with a glance at the second apple and deciding that he won't be saving this one for later after all, Luke smiles and goes up to her, then hands the treat over to her.]
Hey, Xion.
[Action] I approve of this |D
Hey. [ she gives the apple a tiny, experimental lick, then smiles a little wider at him ] You just happened to have an extra, huh?
[Action] I should throw my girl muse at you too 8|
[He'll just give up and flop his arms to his sides, making sure that the apple doesn't stick to his pants or anything.] I... guess I just wanted to see you smile. You looked kind of sad, so... [Yeah. He'll just. Glance away. D-Derp?]
[Action] I approve of this too. |D
Well, it worked. Thank you, Luke, that was really thoughtful of you. [ she gives the apple another lick, rather charmed, then takes a small bite ] Hehe, it's good! [ she laughs again, her free hand over her mouth for a moment, then lowers the apple as her expression evens again ]
I wasn't really sad... I was just thinking. The last two weeks were ... kind of a lot.
[Action]
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.]
[Action]
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.
[Action]
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.
[Action]
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. ]
[Action]
[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.]
[Action]
You sound pretty sure about that. How do you know?
[Action]
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.
[Action]
he says it so easily, like it's really true. her future was laid out -- twice, and like a good little soldier, she went quietly to her death both times.
would he have told her the same thing before she died? to fight, to find another way, though none existed? like Vash? like Roxas?
but then she reconsiders his words -- "I'm the proof" -- and sighs, looking away. a faint smile touches her lips, but it's somber now in a way it wasn't before. ]
I'm glad. That it didn't happen, I mean. You're a good person, Luke. [ she takes another breath, then lets it out slowly. ] The Score sounds like a terrible thing...
[ hm. somewhere along the way, she seems to have abandoned the original subject. her thoughts are clearly elsewhere right now. ]
[Action]
[Once they reach the bridge, Luke settles down at the edge, letting go of Xion in the process, and stares down at his feet and the water that travels beneath them. Pretty soon it'll freeze, huh? But that thought is far away from Luke now, and instead, he grips the edge of the bridge.]
There's... another reason why I'm proof. Not just because I didn't die...
[But he isn't sure if he should tell her. He's the proof because he shouldn't exist. He's just a copy of something, he's someone who has no future, he's... nothing. Xion thinks he's a normal person, and maybe it should stay that way. But... at the same time, she should know.
Still, he automatically shakes his head.]
B-But maybe we can save that for later! I mean, we're talking about you, right?
[Action]
she recognizes that tactic. it's one she's employed maaaany times in her life. she shakes her head slowly. ]
No, I want to know. What is it?
[Action]
You sure you want to know?
[Action]
No matter what, Luke, I'm still going to be your friend. So ... yeah.
[Action]
She's going to hate him before this night is over, isn't she?
Luke turns his hands to squeeze hers, then pulls them away to lock his fingers in front of him. It's never been this hard to tell anyone.]
I'm proof because... I shouldn't exist. The Score- it never... said anything about me. Because I wasn't born. I was supposed to... I was made to die in someone else's place.
My original's.
I'm... a replica. I don't have a- a future or...
[It's about this time that he trails off and shifts in his place. He should probably go now - save her the trouble of processing what he is.]
[Action]
But before he can, say, take that the wrong way, she rushes in close again, grasping his shoulder and physically turning him to face her. she'll put a hand on each of his shoulders, though her grip flutters. one of her hands strays up, as if she wants to touch his face and make sure he's real, but settles on his shoulder again, her grip a little tight.
for a moment she's breathless with shock -- but then the words come out in a rush ]
You too?
[Action]
But then she grabs his shoulders and he's suddenly face-to-face with her and her grip loosens, tightens, and Luke isn't sure what she's doing or why she's doing so, why she looks so shocked- until she speaks.
Luke takes in a sharp breath and leans his head back with shock, his shoulders tensing, but then he forces himself to relax. No, she couldn't mean... He knows there are other replicas around here, so maybe she just knew one, not... But that look on her face-
He won't dare try to say one way or the other, but he can't seem to breathe because of it, so his answer is quiet, shaky and hesitant.]
Y-Yeah...?
[Luke is still expecting a shove to come.]
[Action]
she learned a long time about Riku's Replica. But even he was never quite like her. Their purposes were different. A lot of things about them were different.
But what Luke says -- about being created just to die, about not having a future.... ]
I ... I'm only two years old. I was ... I was created, made out of a boy's memories of a girl he cared about... I'm basically exactly like her. They made me to be a... a weapon, I guess, but when that didn't work, I had to die...
[ twice. but her expression doesn't change from her pale shock. ]
We're ... we're the same.
[Action]
She's... just like him. The way she was made was different - but of course it was, their worlds were different, so the process was probably that way too, but... otherwise, they...
Luke reaches up shaky hands, about to hold her cheeks as if to confirm that this is all true, but then he redirects his route to her shoulders, just as she held him a few seconds ago. Even Ion was created to fill in the Fon Master's place, not to die, not to be a weapon, not like... him. But Xion-]
I-I... I'm seven. I never- I didn't know I was... a replica until just- just a few months ago, really. [He lets out a breath of a laugh, although it sounds forced, as if he's just trying to break the shock in the air.] I was... made to be just a weapon, too, I...
[No, he can't tell her about how he caused the deaths of thousands of people in just seconds. He can't.]
We... really are the same. [He can't believe it.]
[Action]
You feel real...
[ she lowers his hand, but retains her grip on it. ]
There's ... there's another replica, from my world. He's here, but ... you ... it just sounds so similar. I never thought...
[ I'd meet another person like me. But the words don't quite come out. Rep's a Replica, Naoki's a monster, but Luke ... his similarities to her own hit home in a different way. Suddenly, the knowledge that he got to live hits home in a very different way, and a quavery smile crosses her face. lost for words, she just squeezes his hand. ]
[Action]
You do, too.
[Instead of just gripping her shoulder again, he turns his hand to hold onto hers. With his fingers just about entwined in hers, this would normally make him blush like crazy, but all the other emotions make that one rather far away from his thoughts right now.]
Y-Yeah, I... it's the same, I mean... There's another replica from my world, too, but he's not...
[Like us. The knowledge makes him pull her forward so that he can hug her to his chest, though just with one arm - the other hand's still gripping her hand hard. This makes him happy and sad and joyful and angry and- Luke's never felt this overwhelmed before.]
[Action]
both here, both alive, both real. with lives that mean something, to themselves and other people. broken pieces, little monsters, and yet...
she curls her fingers in his, her other hand gently settling above his hip and curling in his shirt. ]
... were you scared? Before you told me, I mean.
[Action]
Y-Yeah. Really scared. People... Some people get scared of me once they know who... who I really am.
[And Ion - He really shouldn't have pushed him aside like that. It didn't matter if he wasn't exactly like him - his own circumstances were horrible, too. If he didn't fit the criteria just right, if he didn't become Fon Master... he would've been just like all the replicas before him: tossed into a volcano and considered worthless. Luke sags a little from that realization, but then he just shuts his eyes again and takes in a deep breath, taking in the fact that there's someone who really is like him in this world, even though they're really worlds apart.]
I... guess I didn't have anything to worry about, huh? [His voice still sounds light and fluttery, as if he truly can't believe that he's actually saying these words.]
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