(no subject)

[capax_infiniti]

Characters: [OU] Master Xehanort and potential victims
Setting: Anywhere you are
Format: I'll match whatever. Action is fine, the old coot just wanted to WORDS for his first post.
Summary: Old man goes out to explore the tower and runs into everyone who never wanted to run into him ever. And maybe some people who did.
Warnings: It's Xehanort. Everything is fair game. KH cast I apologize in advance...


Pacing, pacing. Back and forth. Something had gone wrong, something that he - how laughable, that - hadn't planned for. A random, stray element, that .00001 chance of something coming up. Whatever it was, it had catastrophic effects. His fingers curled and uncurled as he ran through options, through possibilities.

No matter. He was still there. He would find another way. The X-Blade was simply one path to Kingdom Hearts, after all...

He turned on his heel, coat swishing and hands clasping behind his back in that practiced and comfortable way, heading out down the hall. Footsteps even, measured. Making a mental map. Memorizing every step, so that even if he couldn't see or hear he would still be able to find his way.

If this was where he was going to stay, he would make it service him. It was simply a matter of learning its secrets.

Comments

[drknss_bnd_lght]

[In his wondering Xehanort might come across the meadow.

And man there with a keyblade - A battered looking Wayward Wind, to be exact - sort of shadow sparing with himself. Oddly enough, he's using moves that belong to /Vanitas/. Though faster and done in a backwards grip. Not to mention that some of the moves? are very much Ventus-styled.

Feel free to boogle a bit, old man.

Even more when you realize that Oh hey, this man is blindfolded(?!) and seems to be moving in a rather small area. Well, until hears footsteps.

Then Ventus pauses, head cocked to the side.

...Who..?]

[capax_infiniti]

[He's silent for a long moment, taking in the young man, combing through everything presented before him.

He stops after the man before him notices his approach. Time to wait and see what he does next.]

[miseris_socios]

[On the twelfth floor, a boy sits, staring up at the projection around him. A planet he doesn't recognize flashes before him, and he watches as the light shines, and then the stars go out. The light fades from the world, and after a minute nothing is left but dead rock.]

[Then another world, starting the process over again.]

[capax_infiniti]

[He doesn't say anything, watching the scene and the young man in front of him for a moment. Then he chooses his moment, striding forward just as the lights of the next world come up to make his presence known.]

10th Floor

[attheclocktower]

Maybe it had been unwise, to lower her guard enough to leave her hood down and to not be as alert and attentive to her surroundings. But usually, there wasn't as many people on this floor of the tower that she could see, and plus... being here made her feel a little peaceful. Safer, however mistaken that impression might be, given that this was the Tower.

But she felt that she really needed a moment of peace, with all the chaos that had been going on. Sora and Vanitas switching faces. Meeting a version of herself that... upsetting things had happened to.

There wasn't a beach in the Tower, but this was the next best thing, for what she wanted to do. Pulling off a glove, she crouched by one of the nonexistent walls, checked for any villainous-looking fish nearby, and then reached through the glass and picking up a seashell to examine.

It wasn't quite like being at Destiny Islands, but it was better than nothing.

[capax_infiniti]

Seeing the clear blue water brought back memories he'd tried to abandon long ago. That part of him that he'd outgrown and moved beyond, the young boy who'd managed to claw his way out of a world and on to something greater. He rarely indulged in nostalgia. In fact, the last time he'd even thought about that place was that night...

It was only fitting that the person there, shellfish in hand, was the one with whom that particular memory was shared.

Something wasn't quite right, though... the boy's heart wasn't nearly as brilliant as it should have been. If he had survived, had something else happened? Would he remember?

There was only one way to find out. "Ventus," he said, punctuating the single word with a low chuckle. Let the boy react as he felt appropriate. That would provide more than enough information.

Hope you don't mind action |D;

[endinsentiment]

[There's plenty of heartless about the tower, and Vanitas has been keeping himself occupied, terrorizing the lot of them. It's theraputic, it keeps him away from the rest of the crowd until he has a more concreate plan on what to do with them-- or how to do away with them. It's a malicious sport, one he's been enjoying almost mindlessly; up till now.]

[The shadowy creature he's been chasing darts around Xehanort, twisting into the shadows and down the stairs, lost to his sight. But Vanitas hasn't moved from his position at the turn of the corridor, crouched in midflight and slowly straightening, eyes concentrated on the man before him.]

[Xehanort. Seemingly, if all was true about what he'd learnt from this world, the other had simply let him die; like he should've expected any less. But there's little love lost, looking at him now.]

Action is fine!

[capax_infiniti]

[He can feel the darkness in motion - a Heartless. His hand shifted, fingers tensing slightly as he reached out with tendrils of darkness to summon it back before him. It wasn't common for Heartless to be in the Realm of Light. This one could be useful in its own way...

And there, before him, darkness that he knew all too well. Vanitas. A broad grin spread across his face. Things were much more interesting, now.]

[chariotprince]

[ aw, she could see him pacing and couldn't help but feel sorry for him

approaching him ]

Hey! Are you all right?

[capax_infiniti]

Thank you for your concern, young lady. I simply have quite a bit on my mind.

[great_king_of_evil]

[ Ganondorf was standing in the library of the nineteenth floor, reading a book. This book was, to say the least, quite boring. Unfortunately, it was the only book he could find speaking about 'death' in philosophical terms.

A couple books were pilled up on the table next to him. Some he had started reading, others he had yet to open. One of them was all about the notion of Power, another was about musical instruments. But most importantly the book at the top of the pile was quite simply titled "Darkness". ]

[capax_infiniti]

[Libraries were like other homes, and this one had that sort of feel that made Xehanort know he would enjoy his time there. He looked around to see if anyone else was there, eyes falling on the other man after a moment. He approached slowly, giving him time to react if he so chose, eyeing the books on the table next to him...

Perhaps they had something in common.]

[keybearer]

[It's not hard to spot this teenage boy wandering around the cathedral with his Keyblade in hand. Really, he's just been wandering. Trying to find a distraction after the past few days of collar-changing insanity.

Occasionally he'll stop, perform a few Keyblade maneuvers, and then fire off some random spell at one of he walls. Usually elemental magic.

Eventually, he comes to a halt. Footsteps mean's he's got company... hrm. Slowly but surely, he'll turn around. Boy is he in for a surprise...]

[capax_infiniti]

[He lets his footsteps echo in the cathedral, walking at his usual, measured pace as he admires the architecture.

Then he raises his head. Footsteps, voices. Not just footsteps, the sound of feet moving in predictable patterns. Attack formations. Voices calling out invocations... ones he is all-too familiar with. Another keyblade bearer?

He moves in on the source of the sounds, turning the corner to enter the open space of the hall, eyes focusing intently on Riku. What do we have here...?]

[derping]

[On the twentieth floor, there's a boy sitting near the edge of the opening to the outside. Sora wasn't doing anything too interesting - just watching the world outside, really - but all of that light in his heart probably made him hard to miss.

He had been alone here for awhile. For too long, probably, since the floors in the tower could be so dangerous. But he really needed some fresh air, and an opening to the outside was probably the closest he was going to get. Besides, his thoughts were running away from him. He'd had a whole lot on his mind lately, with everything that had happened, and not nearly enough time to sort it out.

The sound of footsteps is enough to startle the boy, though, and make him turn around in the direction of the noise.]

Huh?

[capax_infiniti]

[Cresting the tower has been quite a trip. There's been a lot of interesting things, and some very interesting people... he strides forward at his usual even pace, memorizing his steps in case he ever needs to return without seeing where he's going.

Light, again. There's been a few people with strong light here. That just means more opposition, of course. He's waiting for them to turn in arms at some point, to try to take him down. Hopefully before then he'll have his contingency plan in effect.

He hears the voice and starts moving towards the sound. Time to see just who he's dealing with now.]

welp i'm sorry to add to the pile.

[mythgravenblade]

[ floor twelve is quite the oddity; he's seen space before, and though he's struggled to realize that he's half Lunarian, the thought of seeing moons--perhaps not his moon--fills him with some sort of comfort. at the very least, until the projection turns to darkness, and the lights dim, planets die. the room was dim before, black to let the stars shine. without that light, the hallowed light coming off of his paladin armor and from his skin is visible. he relaxes once the universe comes back to life, though a slight bout of surprise washes over him when he hears the door creak open.

fairly new himself, he pauses, hesitates before the elder man, but inclines his head respectfully. he may be a King, but he is also a young man compared to this figure. ]

Hello.

welcome to the pile please make yourself at home

[capax_infiniti]

[Much like the paladin's armour, Xehanort's eyes glow faintly with a yellow light that is easily visible in the darkness that surrounds them. Those eyes are trained on Cecil now, taking him in, studying him as though he can right through that armour and into his very being.

How very interesting, indeed.

He hesitates in the doorway, waiting for the younger man's reaction. He holds himself with a dignity most do not possess, indicating noble lineage of some sort... although his reaction of respect is gratifying. Xehanort bows his head in return, to establish an atmosphere of equals.]

Greetings.

/adds self to pile

[justabignobody]

Riku had been wandering the forest floor, occasionally distracting himself with fighting off animals and/or monsters as he finally allowed himself to consider what he remembered of the last week... of thinking himself to be that man... Xehanort. He had known that 'Ansem' hadn't been his true name, Mickey had told him that much as they had traveled in search of any sign of the Organization XIII, but the king hadn't been able to recall his real name, which had left him stuck with 'Ansem'... until now at least.

He wasn't all too sure just how to place that particular piece of information or anything else that he had learned thanks to Naminé's powers acting up, but it's a start at least and who knows just when it would become handy.

But before he could muse any more over this, he stopped as he felt a large, terribly familiar Darkness settle into place in the tower - a new arrival, one with a smell so foul, so terrible, twisted darkness resonating with the one sealed in depth of his own heart's abyss.

Ansem. Xehanort. Or his Heartless anyways.

For a moment he just stood there frozen, fear reigning his thoughts - not, never of the guy or for himself, but for so many others here, both Soras, Kairi, Naminé, Xion, even his double... - fear that is replaced by anger just moments later, anger at the tower and the man himself.

Determination followed as he turned on his heels, the shadows around him deepening as he walked back towards the staircase.

No way that he'd allow that man to settle, to harm any of his friends. He had dealt with him once already after all; why should it be any different now?

there should be room to squeeze in somewhere

[capax_infiniti]

The technology of the place was interesting in its own right, especially the facilities given over to those staying there. At that moment, Xehanort was in the laundry room, marveling at the great machines that did all the work of washing and drying one's clothes. He'd learned how to do that himself as part of his training, and even into his elder years he'd hunched over, banging clothes against rocks by rivers, doing it by hand. Later he'd made it part of Ventus and eventually Vanitas' training regimes, giving him a bit of a rest from what was increasingly hard work.

The amount of darkness approaching was enough to jolt him from his examination of one of the large front-loading washers. It wasn't anyone he was familiar with, by far. He turned from the machine to the door, waiting to see just who was coming. Perhaps they simply had spilled something on their garments and needed to take advantage of the facilities... the devices seemed simple enough to use, but watching their operation would confirm what he had inferred.

[reversedestiny]

[In the media room, Sora will be getting ready to try his hand at Quiet Knoll again. But then, a somewhat familiar scent reaches him and he freezes half-sitting on the couch. It's different, sure, because there's definitely not the scent of rotting earth, but... It's similar enough to leave him on edge. And he'll begin looking around, trying to pinpoint the scent.]

[capax_infiniti]

[While initially he may only have given the media centre a cursory glance, as a frivolous place that he could examine later to see if it had merit, the very strong darkness he could sense there made it all too worth checking out then and there. He strides in leisurely, only half registering the overwhelming amount of technology in the place as he quickly fixates his gaze on Sora.]

/fashionably late

[pitiedthefool]

As he wandered, Xehanort may stumble across the more calm of the two libraries, and within it there seemed to be a young man sitting there. With the strong light within him, it was probably hard not to take note. There he lingered, however, pouring through books on only one subject: metalworks, especially anything pertaining to swords. Yu hadn't been so lucky as to have a weapon within his trunk upon arrival, and while it probably would have been best to seek someone who knew how to already, he couldn't chance the possibility of someone who would take advantage of him supposedly being "defenseless."

Yu sat there, lost in his studies for a brief moment as he attempted to memorize processes he'd seen so many times as old man Daidara crafted so many weapons for his friends. It was just as hard as he thought it would be, too, just looking over them. That was when he began to feel as though someone was watching him, yet he continued to look over the material in front of him before marking the page and pinching the bridge of his nose in thought...

He couldn't simply rely on his Persona, not if what had happened not too long ago was any indication.

it's okay so am I sob

[capax_infiniti]

A young man so absorbed in a book, it was like looking through a window into the past. Most young men preferred action and doing. Not many had the patience to sit and learn and study on their own. Especially on the forging of weapons... a most difficult craft to master.

He simply watched the young man read quietly, analyzing him. More and more lightbearers. It wasn't anything to be surprised about; if anything the fact that there were those with such strong darkness was more of the surprise. Darkness could use all the champions it could get. Even if in the end it wouldn't matter as he would fix that problem at its very core.

BEHOLD, FOR I AM THE LATEST OF THEM ALL

[forceless]

Ven was simply wandering the halls; making sure to avoid Vanitas for sure, but other than that, he had taken to pretty aimless wandering around here. There were usually plenty of new people to meet.

But when he turned the corner in the hallway, he had seen something--someone-- he truly hadn't expected to see. And frankly....he wasn't sure how to feel about seeing him. So it was that indecision that led Ven to freeze in spot, simply staring at the man before him, and letting out a remark hardly above a whisper.

"M...Master...?"

SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST MAYBE

[capax_infiniti]

It had been quite an interesting experience, so far. There was a lot to take in, and a lot to sort through, but it was all acceptible. The only truly strange thing was the lack of individuals who had actually recognized him - Vanitas had been the only one who had done so outright. The Older Riku Who Called Himself Ansem had known his name but attached to someone else. That Mostly Darkness Ventus had little recollection of his own past.

He walked slowly, counting his steps, making sure everything matched up in his mental map. Rounding a corner and starting down the hall, he could hear footsteps. Familiar footsteps, ones ingrained into his mind from earlier days...

He didn't even need to see the young man to know. The only question was, how would he react?

"Ventus," he responded simply, staying still at the end of the hall.