002 ✘ and i rationed my breaths ✘ backdated to 4/22

[worldsapart]

Characters: AU4 Xion and YOU
Setting: [01] Dorm halls ; [02] cafeteria ; [03] floor eleven
Format: I'll match you!
Summary: Xion/Soraface/Fey kept herself locked away in her room for a week (except for the collar check-up) after her death. Finally, she's dragging herself out
Warnings: ANGST ANGST ANGST


[ 00 ; room 2-01 ]
[Falling... falling... into darkness...]


[ 01 + 02; dorm halls and cafeteria ]
[If you happen to be in the dormitory hallways, there's someone you're likely to see. There's a black-coated small figure with a full head of brown spiky hair making his(?) way towards the stairs. If you get a good look at their face, it's pretty clear they're out of it. And, somehow, the hair is more messy than it should be. Whoo, bedhead.

In the cafeteria, Xion can be found sitting by herself, picking at the food on her plate. Despite the almost overwhelming force of her hunger, she doesn't... really want to eat. She knows she needs to, because it would maybe give her the energy to combat how absolutely tired she feels, but... bleh.]


[ 03 ; floor eleven ]
[She died.

That's what happened, right? They had found her otherself, Axel had grabbed her, and then they turned to fight all the way back down... It wasn't that she was tired, or hurt too bad, or anything. She was doing fine. With Oathkeeper and Oblivion drawn and Riku and Sora at her side, she had felt like maybe... she could take on the world, you know? She thought that they were gonna be okay. And then, and then -- She doesn't know how it happened, where it came from, but that not-Heartless bird came in and knocked her feet out from under her, carried her off the ramp, and then she was falling. She tried to Aerial Recover, but she was too far away, she couldn't grab the ledge, and Oblivion couldn't break through the stone enough to hook on, and she...

And then she died. Because that's what happens when you fall from a who-knows-how-tall tower, right?

But she's here. She's still here, somehow. She's even managed to find ice cream. It's not sea-salt -- it doesn't really taste like much of anything, really -- but it's ice cream in bar-on-a-stick form, and the familiarity is all she can ask for right now. That's why she decided to seek out this floor after she found the ice cream. It isn't, and won't ever be, the Twilight Town clock tower. But, then... She doesn't want it to be. That would bring back too many bad memories right now.

Your... friend? Roxas, do you think I could be a friend?

When Axel gets back, let's ask him. Then all three of us can have ice cream together!

It hurts. She manages to fight back a sob by distracting herself with ice cream.]

It's not salty... and it's barely even sweet. [She tries to smile a little, for herself. For him. She whispers,] Eating ice cream by yourself... really isn't the same, is it, Roxas?

Comments

03; Floor Eleven

[sageprincess]

[Zelda's rather fond of this floor, actually. The peace it brings (during the day, at least) may be artificial, but it is still a welcome reprieve from the hectic bustle of the rest of the Tower.

Hylian hearing being what it is, however, she can't help perking up a bit at the sound of what seems to be someone talking to themselves. They sound sad - they sound familiar, and so she decides to investigate.

When she comes across Xion, she speaks gently, concerned.]

Xion...?

3

[attheclocktower]

[She doesn't quite know what to make of Floor 20 anymore. First Vanitas had attacked her there, then... she'd been trapped there, even if she'd been asleep for most of it. It reminded her of the clock tower, but now there's bad memories there too.

She knows there's another open-air floor, one that she hasn't visited as much. She could probably go there and think, or just go to the library and read again. ... no, that wouldn't work. Everything's been so frustratingly jumbled-up lately, and reading hasn't been helping that. She really just... needs time to sort out her thoughts some. And generally she preferred high places to think...

Floor 11 it was.

It was only when she stepped off the stairs and looked up that she realized she wasn't the only one who had that idea.

She froze. The spiky hair, with the Organization Coat she knew so well, that she was wearing herself... The guesses she'd had last time she'd met her were all but confirmed by her conversation with the other Riku. But... Axel had said she'd fallen, hadn't he...?

She swallows, before taking a few steps closer to the other figure.] H-hello?

[worldsapart]

[-- Ah...

Initially, Xion raises her head at the sound of Zelda's voice, but then she lowers it again. Her gaze falls on her ice cream.]

Hi, Princess.

[sageprincess]

...

[Zelda may not be able to deal with her own feelings all that well, but she can see plain as day that something is eating away at the younger one. So she kneels nearby, her voice still soft and unassuming.]

Would... you like to talk?

[worldsapart]

[... oh.

Xion resists the instinct that is welling up inside her, the one that is whispering urgently to run away, go back to her room, hide, but... no. Not after what happened. She wonders if the other knows (about her fall, about her name, about her face). If she does, then... She really shouldn't run. That wouldn't be fair. Xion's sure that if she knows, she'll... have questions.

And there are too many reasons why she can't turn away when someone will have questions like that. (Best friends are honest with each other! Who am I, Axel?)]

... hi.

[worldsapart]

... I... don't know, really. It's...

... it's been... rough, recently.

[attheclocktower]

[It is her. Xion hesitates. How was it you were supposed to feel when meeting yourself? Threatened? Scared? She only remembers talking to Riku briefly about his other self, and the conversation had been a little awkward. The other Riku's discussion about his own replica had involved a great deal of distaste.

But... she doesn't feel any of those things. Instead... part of her wants to do something, to... to hug her or give some long sign of relief that the other her is... is okay and that she's... happy to see that.

She glances over and to the side.] Is... it okay if I sit here?

[worldsapart]

[It's still strange, to hear her own voice and see her own face and know that isn't actually her any more. Sora's hair bounces on her head as she nods her "okay."]

Yeah... That's fine.

[attheclocktower]

[Just as it's strange, to see Sora's face and voice and know that it's her in there... sort of... She isn't sure about the hows or the whys, though it probably has to do with memories.

She sits down, curling her knees up and wrapping her arms around them. She glances over at her other self, trying to figure out what to say or do. Then she spots what's in her hand.]

I didn't know they had ice cream here...

[A part of her feels... silly focusing on something so trivial. After all that's happened. With who they both are, sitting there. She adds, quietly, but sincerely]

I-I'm glad you're okay. Axel... he said you fell.

[She closes her eyes, her voice quivering a little as the full impact of what she's seeing washing over her. The other her sitting next to her had fallen, trying to help her. Had... hadn't she died? A part of her still doesn't understand how death works in the Tower yet. She'd denied what she'd seen that awful night, chosen instead to go try to find her friends and help them... and Riku had been fine the next day that she'd seen him...

She just doesn't know. But one thing was for sure... if something had happened to the other her... it would feel like her fault, no matter how many times Riku and others told her otherwise.

Except she was here... sitting right next to her. That... that meant things hadn't gone completely wrong, had they?]

2

[derping]

[Even though the food here isn't all that amazing, everyone has to eat sometime. Which is, of course, why Sora is in the cafeteria - he's hungry, and it's a good excuse to get out of his room and talk to people. He's actually trying to find someone to sit by when he spots a very familiar head of brown, spiky hair.

Was that...?

They were wearing that black coat, so it had to be. He heads in that direction quietly, hoping not to startle...her? Him? Riku said "Xion" when they were saving...well, the other Xion...but then why would another Xion look like...]

Um, hey.

[Cautiously, he sits down across from Xion(?) and smiles, hoping that he doesn't scare her off this time.]

Look, can I talk to you for a second? Please?

2

[midgarhorizon]

[Sitting down next to her/him, Reno just gave Xion a look. As if he was wondering why she'd gotten food if she wasn't going to eat it.

Attempt at cheer up, go.]

Food say something mean to ya? I hear talking food is a bad sign of loneliness.

[Folding his arms, he tries to look stern.]

You've been scarce. [He notices that sort of thing, especially when it's people he's already met.]

[sageprincess]

... Is that so.

My apologies, I know very well how arduous life here can be at times. [And for one so young...] But should you have want of a sympathetic ear, or even a mere distraction, I will be more than happy to provide.

[worldsapart]

[... so Axel told her. Xion takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. She's not... mad about it. But...

Somehow, she smiles. She thinks it comes from Sora.]

It isn't sea-salt, so it's not right... but at least it's something, you know?

Don't worry about what happened. I don't regret a thing.

[worldsapart]

[S-S-Sora. Shock is still her kneejerk reaction, as is the urge to run and hide somewhere. But... no. She isn't going to do that to him again, not after what happened. He was there, after all, and he looks... worried.

For an absurd moment, all she can think is that Sora's face should always be smiling.

She nods wordlessly.]

[worldsapart]

[She's searching her mind for a way to react to his joke when he moves on and gets to the point. She partly wilts under the expression he's giving her.]

Yeah. Some things happened. Sorry.

[worldsapart]

[After a moment, Xion brings a knee up to her chest and rests her chin on it.]

I... Princess, have you... what... do you do, when you've done something terrible, and there's nothing you can do to make it better?

[midgarhorizon]

Now, why is it that all the kiddos named Xion around here are getting depressed and lockin' themselves up lately?

[He gives her a more scrutinizing face, but it's completely exaggerated and silly, one eye wide and the other scrunched up a bit too much.]

2

[capax_infiniti]

[Occasionally he gives in to his body's endless demands and goes to the cafeteria to see what they have by way of food. Usually he's disappointed and picks at it until finally his body says it's had enough and he can go back to doing more enjoyable, meaningful things.

This time he sees someone who looks familiar... Sora. The young boy seems to be exhausted, barely picking at the food in front of him. He's not entirely sure which one this is, but both of them were somewhat wary of him as it was. He mulls over in his mind if he should approach or not before deciding simply to greet and pass on his way if the response was infavorable.

He approached the table slowly, non-threateningly, his usual gait and hunched over with his hands behind his back.]

Good day, my boy.

[worldsapart]

... some bad things happened.

[Nope, still not being more specific yet. Except it turns out this isn't the end of what she's saying, it's just a pause.]

... we haven't... had an easy life, ever. And this place... hasn't made it any better. That's all.

[worldsapart]

[Xion looks up at the sound of the unfamiliar voice... and she stares blankly. Who... is this?]

Um... Hello.

[There is no recognition in her eyes, and her heart, while full of light, also is... very strange. It's almost made of patchwork, and there might be strange echoes inside it, as if there may be more than one, somehow.]

[capax_infiniti]

[He stops for a moment at the blank look. If this isn't a Sora he knows, then perhaps there's yet another, from some other version of reality where something else happened differently compared to the other two here...

Sometimes he detests this place, but other times he enjoys the curve balls it throws at him. It's encouraged him to think about things he never would have imagined. So many things to learn about, so many things to do...

So much curiosity about the young man sitting before him. His heart is so strange... for a lightbearer, it's rather chaotic. He would love to get to understand why...]

Ah, my apologies. In a place such as this, seeing those with the face of one you know is becoming rather common, I fear. I hope I did not offend...

[worldsapart]

[... oh.]

You... know Sora?

[capax_infiniti]

I've spoken with two of them.

[worldsapart]

[.............. wha]

Two? There are two of them?! [WHY HASN'T ANYONE TOLD HER]

2

[lethechained]

[Naminé is not usually one to interrupt passersby. At least, not without reason. It's still strange to her, sometimes, to live somewhere so... populated. Or-- well, it's not so much that as she's not used to actually being around said population, able to walk by them and greet them or not greet them as she chooses, to look upon them and be looked upon without (too much) fear of the consequences.]

[... But in this case, when she turns the corner into the dormitory hallway and saw a very familiar spiky mass of hair, she can't help immediately coming to a stop, staring openly. Sora...?]