fourteen | oo30 [ voice // action ]

( Sokka | Locked 100% )

... I need your help. And you can't tell anyone, okay?

( Aqua | Locked 100% )

Aqua... I know we haven't spoken that much, but I need to ask you a really, really big favor.

( Sanji | Locked 100% )

[ a long silence goes here. ] ... could I stay at your house tonight?

( Luke | Locked 100% )

I'd -- [ ... ] Can I see you?

[ Xion is out of the house today. Mostly because it's become almost impossible to stay there. She hasn't slept for more than a handful of hours since Vanitas attacked -- three days ago. She's so exhausted she can barely stay on her feet, but better awake and moving than a sitting target.

Who could sleep, knowing that at any minute someone stronger than you and your friends could break into your home and kill you whenever he wanted?

It's this question that drives her to address Luceti at large, once she's got herself settled on the railing of That One Bridge. Hey, it's like right next to her house and she wanted to sit on a bridge, so sue her. ]

( filtered AWAY from Vanitas and Saix | Locked 100% )

What would you do if you didn't feel safe in your own home anymore?

[ and this is to say nothing -- not a damn thing -- of how she feels about Roxas right now. He had no excuse -- what defense could you give? -- and Axel almost died -- for what? Why? Why had any of this happened? Does she blame Roxas, for extending the invitation, or Vanitas, for taking it? Even if she had something to say to him, she couldn't -- he hasn't been home in days.

It's a very numb Poppet that's sitting on that there railing, swinging her legs and staring at the water below. Please interrupt her thoughts -- for they are very grim ones. ]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh, I know him...I thought he didn't like to fight..

[ It's not that they don't see. It's that they find it so hard to believe... that anyone would care. Would find value in creatures such as them...

And they do care. They care so much. It's ... so strange.

As soon as Luke's arms go around her again, she makes a quiet noise, and reflexively slides her own arms around his neck. Then she nods against him, speaking even though her voice is once again muffled by his clothing. ]

I know. I won't. I've got you. I've got everyone...

[ she hangs onto him for a moment more, but eventually steps back, a new light behind her expression. he's helped rekindle that little seed of hope in her ... and it shows. she pulls out her journal, smiling again. ]

And I've got an idea. It'll hide the house, like a really well kept secret... and we'll be safe again! Though, um, I'll make sure you can still find it, of course... [ a little pink in the face. she's probably not making a lot of sense.... she opens her journal and finds her conversation with Hermione, showing it to Luke that way so he can see it even though it's locked. ]

... a lot of things. [ her smile fades, and she looks out over the water. ]

I'm not sure if you heard... a few days ago, over the journals... [ a pained, humorless laugh ] I was screaming. A lot of people heard me... [ a pause. ] ... one of my best friends was attacked and almost killed.

... he's better now. It was really bad, at first, but... we were able to heal him. He still needs rest, though...

[ you kidding? she's already done. ... and smiling kind of sheepishly. ]

... I was hungrier than I thought.

[ Oh Jale, your awkward is adorable. ]

No... that's okay. I think we can make it through tonight... and tomorrow I think we might be able to get a real solution put in place. I'm really, really hoping it works...

[ that badly. ]

Squall... I'm Xion. Listen... the boy who did this -- the one who hurt my friend -- his name is Vanitas. He always wears a black helmet... he's hard to miss. ... keep an eye out for him, okay? He's really, really dangerous.

You looked it.

[She turns completely, giving her undivided attention] I'm glad I could help.

[ she smiles. ] Sounds good to me. When?

I can handle myself in a fight.

[pause]

But I can keep an eye out, if you want.

... who, Ven? Really?

... I have no idea. There might be, but ... if there is, I don't know it. [ shakes her head ] I'm sorry, I don't mean to keep shooting down your ideas...

How does now-ish hit you?

That would be perfect! Can you really do that...? [ amazed. ] Your world's magic really is incredible...

[ laughs again, the sound of it so much more cheerful than the tone of her voice at the beginning of this conversation. ] It sounds to me like it paid off.

Yeah, I've known him since I got here. [Just like you!]

[Naoki goes tense and his eyes narrow slightly where they're focused on the water, then he looks over at her. He hadn't. By some chance or another--he grits his teeth slightly but forces his jaw to relax.]

...how? [Who? When? Where can I find them? is carried in that one word.]

Mmmhmmm. But it stayed bad for a long time... and I got hurt again recently. I thought I healed it, but I must not have fixed it all the way, because now I've got this great big scar...

[ very crooked smile. ] It does make fighting easier, but also a lot scarier, in a way.

I ought to be able to. It shouldn't be too difficult. It's all a matter of placement.

[She can tell and she's glad she could help.] It's paid off before, at home. [And under much more dire circumstances.] I'm glad it can still work here, even though it's not up to full strength.

[ ... what a thing to say. Xion's still not sure if she even has a heart of her very own, or if that's just a replica too. Is a replica heart as good as a real heart? ... who really knows?

but she takes it in stride, understanding his meaning. ] ... strength of heart ... I think -- I think I can do that. For my friends.

Still, the fact that he will recover is a good thing indeed.

[He's quiet for a long moment, then, in a soft tone...]

... my uncle tried to have me assassinated three times while I was growing up. Even though he never succeeded, those experiences are things I will never forget.

[Ami cranes her head around for a better look, and makes a gesture as if she's about to touch it.]

[ ... mixed feelings. she glances at him, unable to tell if he's serious or not ... then shakes her head. ]

From the way he acts... that'd just annoy him, anyway.

Yeah. Besides, I wasn't serious about killing him.

[He shrugs.]

Whatever happens, I'll do my best to make sure you and Kairi don't get hurt.

[ that look -- that tone -- makes her pause. she knows it ... she's seen it on Sanji, before, when she's talked about Saix.

... Naoki's one of the very, very few people she wouldn't feel the need to stop. If anyone would be strong enough to take Vanitas down... it'd be him. Even so .... even so-- ]

... a boy broke into our house. He must have caught Axel unawares... I mean, no one expects to have someone attack them in their house. [ the hand she's got on the railing clenches, so tight it starts to shake. ]

His name ... the boy's name ... is Vanitas.

... [ she'll take a sip of that tea -- assuming it was at some point offered, ah ha -- and sit there quietly for a moment. Sanji's sudden, undivided attention brings home what she came here for, and her mood takes a noticeable shift. her smile doesn't go away, but the air around her seems to somehow close. ]

... Sanji, Roxas did something really bad.

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