[OPEN] am i in heaven here or am i in hell?

[got_it_memorized]

Characters: Axel and anybody who wants to run into him.
Setting: Anywhere from top-floor dormitories to... idk, wherever we go.
Format: i default to prose but if you prefer action that's okay too.
Summary: Axel wakes up in a hideous unitard and thinks he's gone to Hell. here's a little context.
Warnings: nothing yet? dsjhfskdfl i hate intro posts i'm so bad at them halp.


His opinion of this place improved exponentially when he discovered the trunk at the foot of the bed that contained clothing he was a bit more accustomed to. After making sure he was alone in the room and peeling the ridiculous white monstrosity off, he quickly fumbled into his usual getup and found himself ten times less disconcerted. Adjusting the zipper on the front of his coat, Axel peered around the room with a frown. Dorms? Hell had dorms? Where in all the worlds was he? Well, at least whoever else was supposed to be bunking with him wasn't around to see his moment of panic. He never would have lived that down.

He took a moment to summon his chakrams, just to make sure they were still there. Thankfully, they heeded his call and he breathed a bit easier. Maybe this wouldn't be so difficult after all. Maybe this wasn't Hell--he was pretty sure Hell wouldn't do him the courtesy of providing wardrobe and weapons. Wherever he'd been sent by Saïx's last attack, if Saïx thought he'd be rid of him that easily he had another thing coming. Old friend or not, Axel was inclined to go give him a piece of his mind.

Well, maybe better to figure out where he was, first. Using portals when one didn't know where one was didn't sound like a good idea. Best to at least have a grasp of Point A before attempting to find Point B. Dismissing his weapons (he could call them back at the drop of a hat, after all), Axel turned and moved toward the door, carefully opening it to peer out into the hallway. There didn't seem to be anyone in the immediate vicinity, so he supposed it was safe to venture out. His guard up, his eyes alert, Axel stepped out into the corridor, closing the door behind him, his senses keen to all the new sights and sounds around him. First unitards, then dormitory beds... there really was no telling what sorts of things this place would throw at him next.

Comments

[knifehands]

[ belarus was still lucky to have her knife, at least that's how she felt. it was a new place, weird and intimidating. she didn't want to take the chance to let her guard down.

of course, she was still in search for her big brother ]

[got_it_memorized]

[Rounding a corner, Axel stops short at the sight of a girl in the corridor. She looks young-ish, slim, perhaps a bit fragile, even, but he's learned not to judge people by their appearances. His shoulders tense a bit and he lifts his chin, eyes narrow. Keep it simple and impersonal for now.]

Lost?

[knifehands]

[ when axel stops to talk to her, she freezes. gripping the knife but not raising it at him. keeping it tucked at her side ]

A bit.

Have a Reno o/

[midgarhorizon]

Unfortunately for Axel, the next thing it threw at him was Reno.

Reno was just coming up from the lower level on his way to his door room, not paying much attention to anyone else in the tower. The place was full of weirdos and psych patients, after all. Reno still wasn't believing anything he saw or heard in the tower, fully convinced it was a ruse. Still, he was carrying his electromag rod around now, hidden inside his shirt- which happened to be his favorite Costa del Sol shirt.

Wait- who was that? That red hair... Reno stopped a short distance away, frowning.

\o/

[got_it_memorized]

Axel had never been a fan of elevators, and so he kept right on walking when he came to one. A doorway that likely led to stairs wasn't far from the elevator, though, and he headed toward that. It seemed there was more to explore in this place than he'd suspected; he wondered how many floors there were.

As he neared the stairway, however, a figure emerged, and Axel stopped short. What the--?

It was like looking in a mirror. A mirror with a mullet. And a ridiculous shirt. But a mirror nonetheless. The figure before him had the same long, twiggy build, the same flame-red hair, the same bright aqua-green eyes... he even had tattoos on his face, from the look of it, though they were in a slightly different configuration.

Well. That was unexpected.

"Wow. I've heard of accidentally wearing the same outfit to a party, but this is a little ridiculous."

Levity was always a good idea, right?

[midgarhorizon]

This must be the guy Francis mentioned to Reno the other day. Reno didn't remember having any brothers that looked like that, hell, he didn't remember having any sisters that looked like that, either. ...and he certainly didn't have any kids.

The tower was cloning him. He had had enough of clones after Sephiroth.

He scrunched up his face and walked around Axel, looking him over thoroughly. "The hell is going on?"

I thought I might commentspam but then I tl;dr-ed instead. Also 1/2(?)

[attheclocktower]

She was honestly getting tired of the sling. It restricted her movement, left her unable to fight. But when she tried moving her arm around without it, it still hurt some - even if she was able to move it around a little wider before the pain kicked in - so back in the sling it'd gone. Healing helped too, but she wish the people down in the infirmary had told her what to actually do, rather than just fixing her arm, giving her the sling and tossing her back out.

It was frustrating, and now things were going strange again, from what she could see. Something about people's collars, and the colors being different. She hadn't been called down herself, but plenty of others had.

Still, she wasn't going to just sit in her room all day. So she, after resettling the sling over her shoulder, she headed out of room 1-01 into the hallway, turned to look from side to side, and-

And then I still kind of commentspammed anyway 2/3 (I lied)

[attheclocktower]

The red hair was unmistakable. For a moment she stopped - wondering if it was Reno, but... no, he was wearing a Black Coat. It was him.

Once she had that confirmation, the word was out of her mouth before she could stop and think about it.

"Axel!"

Did I forget to mention their last meeting was awkward? I think I did... 3/3

[attheclocktower]

As soon as she said it though, the full realization of the situation hit her. She knew what was going to happen, what would happen to her in the future. She was only made of memories, and when she disappeared... all memory of her existence would vanish with her. That's what Riku had said, hadn't he? Roxas was already from after then. What if Axel was too?

And even if he did remember, there was their last - well, second to last - encounter to consider, where they'd fought and he'd brought her back to the Organization. They hadn't really spoken since, not even when they'd sat together up on the Clock Tower right before she'd come here, and she had no idea what he'd thought or anything. It was something she'd forgotten in her month and a half of being here, but now that she was facing him again, the realization was coming back full-force.

It was too late to take back her call, but... Well. She'd have to see what happened, she supposed...

Xioooon LET ME LOVE YOU

[got_it_memorized]

Axel hadn't gone far when someone called his name. That voice... there was something familiar about it, but he just couldn't quite place it. That was odd; Axel rarely forgot something like that. Turning over his shoulder he gave a start. Naminé--?

Shaking his head quickly, he took a stumbling half-step back as the image before his eyes shifted out of and then back into focus. No, not Naminé. This girl had short, dark hair--not Naminé at all. Why had she looked like her for that first instant, though? Weird. Very weird.

But who was this girl? He didn't recognize her, but there was something about her that struck some kind of chord somewhere in the back of his head, like the lyrics to a song you thought you'd forgotten until you heard the tune again. More importantly, how did she know his name? Suspicion narrowed his eyes, but there was no malice in his voice as he asked, "... Do I know you?"

Anywhere is fine!

[drknss_bnd_lght]

[Ventus was jumpy - very jumpy, so when he heard the footsteps heading his way, he whirled around, flight or flight response primed, and while his hand twitched...

He still couldn't summon his keyblade - why, he didn't know, and that left him worried. Was this a monster? Hopefully not and it was one of the others around the tower.

Yea, have fun with a blinded man, Axel. One that is 'staring' at you.]

how about in a stairwell?

[got_it_memorized]

[OOC: that way footfalls are logically more audible and we can decide where they go from there!]



[The stairwells are somehow eerier than they felt like they should have been. Maybe it's the close quarters, Axel really isn't sure. As he rounds a corner to descend another floor, however, he spots someone below him on the landing. Stopping short, he puts a hand on the banister and just stands where he is.

[Is this person... blindfolded? That's strange. Axel is reminded briefly of Riku and that blindfold he'd worn--frankly Axel had found himself wondering how the kid managed to see a damn thing that way, though he supposed Riku probably hadn't been able to see anything anyway, through that sheepdog haircut of his. Something about this person looks oddly familiar though, and Axel tilts his head a bit. The figure looks an awful lot like... Roxas. That whorl of yellow hair is pretty distinctive, at least. But this wasn't a boy, this guy was about his age.

[Curiouser and curiouser.

[The man appears to be staring at him, and Axel is suddenly a little unnerved. Can this guy even see him? With a casual wave, he endeavors to hide the fact that he's disconcerted by this.]

Picture might last you longer there, sport.

Works for me

[drknss_bnd_lght]

{{Sure! Can you go fill out this one's permissions post too so that I don't step on toes to much??))

[Eerie...or not, is up t perception, and for Ventus, they simply echo a little more than other parts of the tower. Yes, they are 'easier'to nativagete, but then again it's all the same. He's spent almost 9 years with the blindfold on so his hearing is decent enough to tell, mostly, the locations apart. It's not much, but in a tower this diverse? Every little sound helped, specifically when you're more or less 'blind'.] ....Uh. I guess so.

[A weak smile along with a questioning head tilt. He can't even see the gesture and it's not like he knows that he's 'staring' - that lost meaning along time ago. He can't see anything at all - not even a pin prick of light.

He gets around well enough by sound and touch at any rate.]

[lamentless]

The first time this had happened in the tower, he'd freaked out and ran like a startled deer for the nearest doorway. However, coming across that mess of red spikes again wasn't nearly as startling. He stopped mid-step, and he sure did stare, but there was no violent reaction.

If anything, he was curious. A familiar face- even if he had no idea why -was something positive.

"Hey!" It was only a short shout down the hallway, but it was something. He'd seen how upset Xion had been when he said he didn't remember her. But Axel always seemed to already anticipate his memory issues...so maybe he could get to the point with him?

[got_it_memorized]

Hey? Turning over his shoulder, Axel caught sight of... well, frankly someone he had somehow expected to never actually see again. Sure, Xion had said Roxas was here, but Axel never bothered to get his hopes up about things anymore. Working for the Organization had sort of drilled into him that life was all about being disappointed, shot down, and then kicked into the dirt, and so it was easier to just brace for impact at all times and not set oneself up to fall harder.

"Rox--" Axel cut himself off. Wait, hadn't Xion said Roxas didn't remember? Was this a trick? (One day, Axel would stop suspecting that everything was a trick. One day he would acknowledge that not everything and everyone was out to get him. That day was not today.) He cleared his throat and regarded the boy with uncertainty in his eyes. "... Hey."

[lamentless]

Part of him wanted to laugh about how Axel- well, and Xion -were the only ones who looked at him right off and knew he was Roxas, not Ven. However, he bit back the comment, and walked closer, some sort of nervous smile tugging at his face.

"Um. You're Axel, right?" The name sort of...escaped him at times, but it always seemed to surface right back when he was looking him in the face. "Sorry, I just don't want to do that whole...me running away, you going after me part." Again, he would of laughed if he wasn't so wary himself. "Did you just arrive?"

[forceless]

Ridiculous, spiky red hair? It was hard to forget a sight like that, honestly. In fact, while the guy did look familiar, he also looked a lot like that guy from Hollow bastion. Except older and taller and stuff. A brother maybe?

"Hey!" Ven called out to him, walking over to him in the hallway. Oh wait, he looked kind of lost. Not that that was weird or new around here, but-- "You OK?"

[got_it_memorized]

Axel was really starting to think he was losing his mind. First there was the guy who looked and sounded just like him, then there was Ventus who was all grown up and... wearing blindfolds... and now there was another Roxas? Or... no, this kid wasn't dressed like Roxas. But it couldn't be Ventus, Ventus was all grown up and wearing blindfolds! What the hell was going on?

He lifted a hand and scratched at his temple, a nervous, awkward fidget, and then gave the boy a perplexed look.

"Define 'okay'," he said. "Despite my physiological shortcomings I'm still successfully breathing, so for most intents and purposes I guess you could say I'm 'okay'. Admittedly I'm a bit unsure about the mental side of things but I guess that's a different story entirely."

[forceless]

Ven let out a small chuckle, though it wasn't malicious; the guy's confusion was something he was used to encountering when talking to people, and well, this guy definitely reminded him of Lea.

"Don't worry, that happens. This place is pretty confusing when you first get here, but you get used to it. It's better than having broken bones at least, right?"

...Er, wait. "'Physiological shortcomings'?" What was that supposed to mean?

Here, Axel. Have a mindfuck.

[reversedestiny]

Sora is, once more, in the media room, killing monsters on a video game called Quiet Knoll. He'd long since come to not care about why the main character seemed to be an idiot at some points, but smart on others. Oh, well, at least bashing the heads in on weird zombie things was always satisfying, especially when he'd been shaken up even more than usual as of late.

"Stupid doctor-thing," he says, quite loudly as his character tries to fight it off with nothing but a baseball bat while cornered--literally. Usually going into a corner and remaining still meant the creatures would leave him alone. But nope, not this time. Great. It's only at the game over screen that Axel may notice Sora--because he's throwing the game box across the room (without the game in it, of course).

yay mindfuck!!

[got_it_memorized]

A familiar voice echoes down the hall, and Axel quirks his mouth a bit. ... Sora? What's he doing here? Why does he sound so angry? Axel's pretty sure he's never heard Sora sound quite so genuinely irritated--aren't heroes allergic to negative feelings or something?

Rounding a corner, Axel lets out a yawp of alarm as he is nearly missed by a projectile box.

"Whoa--!" He throws his hands up instinctively as the box soars past, and then peers across the room to see where it came from. He would recognize that spiky head anywhere--it's definitely Sora. Well, their last meeting hadn't exactly been pleasant; hell, he's not even sure Sora remembers anything from Castle Oblivion. But if he knows he kidnapped Kairi, Axel has a feeling he'll be looking at more than just game boxes flying his way.

Well, nothing ventured nothing gained.

"Lose your high score?"

[reversedestiny]

Sora will quickly look over and frown. He doesn't recognize Axel, but he doesn't like the jab--as he perceives it. So instead, he'll just pause and set the controller down before standing to look toward Axel and face him fully. He'll just keep his frown.

"...No. It's just impossible to navigate this corridor without dying."

...Guess who took that literally.

[lethechained]

Naminé hadn't been doing well, the past few days. That considerably-more-violent-than-usual game of hide and seek had led to her first death. (An inevitability, maybe, in a place like this tower, but a thoroughly horrible experience all the same, more distinctly so due to the method by which she was - well, executed.) That situation left her unsettled, frightened, in a way, of herself, her own powers, the horrible, terrible things that she could do at any moment. The more recent events, these days during which she'd had only a very tenuous grasp on her powers... they hadn't helped. She'd spent some time, now, hidden away, trying so hard to keep those unique abilities of herself under control, but that had proven ineffective.

It was for that reason that when she stepped out into the hallway, her eyes were lowlidded and cast earthward, exhausted from endless panic that had left numb, but not quite numb enough. Her skin was paler than usual, her movements comparatively heavy. Turning, she intended only to head to her room, except-- the sight of some very familiar colors captured her attention, and, a spike of renewed fear searing through her, she raised her apprehensive eyes to get a better look at... Axel?

Were her eyes playing tricks on her? Were her powers? She wasn't certain, couldn't be, not when things were so chaotic. She came to a sudden stop, watching him with no words but parted lips, too unsure to speak.

[got_it_memorized]

... Had he been down this part of the hall already? He couldn't quite tell. All the walls and doors looked the same. Ugh, this was like when he'd first started living in The Castle That Never Was. He'd gotten so lost that first week, and Saïx really hadn't appreciated that time he'd left a trail of breadcrumbs to lead him back to his room, either.

Blowing out a sigh and raking a hand back through his hair, Axel turned on his heel to head back the other way and then stopped short. "Ah?" There was a figure in the hallway now that hadn't been there only a moment ago. It was kind of creepy the way people just appeared around here. As the figure came into focus, though, his guard softened a bit.

"Naminé?"

Man, first Xion (who he didn't exactly remember, but somehow she still counted), then Ventus (who didn't remember him), then Roxas, then another Ventus (who did remember him), then Bizarro Sora, and now Naminé? It was a regular class reunion!

[lethechained]

Watching him closely, she failed to see any indication that he wasn't real - or, you know, as real as a Nobody could be, anyway - but then, would she? Memories are powerful things, and the illusions created by them can be, too. She half-wanted to reach out with her abilities and check, but, of course, due to their currently volatile nature, there was little chance of that for multiple reasons. Even if she could manage to get enough of a handle to actually use them on purpose, she'd be running too great a risk of damaging something if he WAS the real Axel.

He'd been here before, after all. Coming back wouldn't be too much of a surprise. All the same, she stood still, not moving closer even when he turned and saw her. It was obvious he recognized her, and it sounded like him. It was a good sign for the state of his memories, if not hers.

"... Axel." She didn't ask if it was him, just watched, apprehensive but patient.