005

[justabignobody]

Characters: OU!Riku and OPEN~
Setting: Floor 3 and Floor 19 (Daytime, around Noon), Floor 29 (Daytime, until Nightfall), All around the tower (Nighttime)
Format: Action, but I'll match
Summary: Daytime: Riku has decided to get on with his quest to learn light magic. He is not very successful yet. Nighttime: Time to hunt down monsters!
Warnings: some violence maybe? Will add as needed.

[A - Floor 1, Floor 3, Floor 19]

[The days between Sora's death in the labyrinth and his revival are still a blur of numbness to Riku. It's better now that the presence of his scent has re-set itself in his heart, now that the blend of shock, despair and cold furry has kept him moving in those days has faded away.

What remains is some anger (at the tower and its games, at himself and his own helplessness) and an iron knot of determination to finally put all those gathered thoughts on Darkness, Light, the Dawn and their relation to himself into practice. So, right now after he got up sometimes around noon, he sets out to pick up some nutrition bars from the cafeteria, then to the libraries - first the one on the Third Floor, then the one on the Nineteenth - ready to raid whatever books he can find on light magic.]

[B - Floor 29]

[Once he's got what he needs (and potentially dealt with all distractions), Riku settles in the far corner of the garden behind the labyrinth, a place that he thinks should be a.) private and b.) peaceful enough for what he is attempting.

He is frowning down at his books, his legs crossed, blindfold removed and re-purposed to a bookmark - he knows he can probably forget learning how to access his light by book, but maybe they can at least give him a pointer.

About an hour into this he first leans back, eyes slipping close as he tries to reach for the light.

He knows he can do this.

He doesn't even think about the how every time the light wraps around his blade when he invokes his final limit.

Even so, drawing on raw light is different, more difficult, than drawing on darkness - at least to him - and so it's no wonder that he's frustration starts to show itself about half an hour later, the shadows around him darkening and tightening until he releases his breath.

He slowly opens his eyes and frowns down at his hands, then sighs.

Well... he's already known that this wouldn't be so easy. No choice but the try again.]

[C - all around the tower]

[Later that day, after nightfall, Riku is wandering around the tower, his hand closed tightly around the Soul Eater's grip as he follows the darkness-scent trail of roaming monsters. He may still have troubles with using the light, but darkness?

Darkness is his element.

Now that it has settled across the tower, he might as well take advantage of that, right?]

[ooc: Laaaate edit, but if you haven't please take a look at Riku's permission post!]

Comments

[moontothetide]

[There's a light in the darkness of the forest. It's in the form of a small orb of light floating in Tara's palm as she paces through the trees. Her other hand holds with white-knuckled tightness onto a knife.

As Riku draws near, she stops in place to listen, but otherwise makes no other movement. Whether she's listening for him, well, that's kind of hard to say in this place.]

[justabignobody]

[Riku always keeps his senses especially sharp when he wanders the forest floor - there aren't just monsters and the environment to consider, but also the animals that roam the floor.

He doesn't think much of the scent he is catching, there are several people like him that seek out battle at night, he knows, but he really doesn't have much desire to bond or team up with any of them. All he is looking for is the next horde of monsters for him use as practice targets.]

Floor 29

[notagiraffe]

[Riku's peace unfortunately was about to be shattered in the form of a small child falling from the sky. Taiki had wanted to see the garden beyond the labyrinth and seeing that his powers were sort of working had switched forms, picking his clothes up in his mouth he had set off flying.

It was exhausting though, his powers were so weak, and he had barely cleared the labyrinth when he lost his kirin form completely and plummeted to earth.

He whimpered as he hit the ground, though he had not been high enough up to hurt himself badly, and grabbed his cloak, wrapping it round himself before looking round the garden.]

[justabignobody]

[Well, he is just checking back with his books right now anyways and not... doing anything (potentially hazardous, because yeah light and darkness aren't something to be toyed with lightly) that might require his concentration.

He looks up and stares over to the fallen kid though, because yeah... where had that come from?

A moment later, he gets and quietly sighs to himself, re-tying his blindfold as he makes his way to the crash(?) site.]

Hey... You okay?

[notagiraffe]

[Taiki pulled on his trousers under the cloak, tying them before standing up wrapping the cloak round him again. He glanced at the man, noticing the blindfold. Like Ventus...]

Sorry... yes... I didn't mean to disturb you...

floor 29 oooops

[capax_infiniti]

[The labyrinth isn't terribly difficult anymore. He's done it a few times now, and it hasn't changed its configuration so his mental maps are still accurate. He traverses it with ease, intending to head into the garden and catalogue the flower types there. After his experiences in the forest, he's decided to make a report of specific instances of flora and fauna around the tower to ease any potential future restaurant-related scavenger hunts.

Since most people seem to dislike mazes, he's not expecting to run into anyone else outside of the labyrinth. Especially not someone actively trying to do something. Well, hello Riku, how surprising to see you sans blindfold and in the midst of some sort of magical endeavour. He'll simply observe quietly, making a note of what is going on in order to ascertain what you're trying to accomplish.]

[justabignobody]

[The kind of exercise Riku is attempting requires to turn one's focus inwards, to block out all the on-goings of the outside and concentrate solely at the heart of the matter in the most literal manner.

He is breathing evenly, eyes closed as he tries to call on the Light by focusing his thoughts at the two people that in his eyes are the source of all Light to him, his two closest bonds since childhood, ties that bind forever, that last even when they are worlds apart. But while it seems like it is working for a moment, a thread of light winding itself between his fingers, soon enough, it is washed away by the darkness that is starting to gather in his palms - even though Sora and Kairi are his light, there are so many regrets he has, so many secrets, so many things that neither of them must ever find out and the guilt of what he's done still lingers, and he's definitely wronged them both after all...

He doesn't panic over the appearance of darkness - this has happened before already and so far the chance of it happening again is always a given - his breathing pattern hardly changing as he dismisses it after a moment, eyes slowly opening as he stares down at his hands.

His eyes narrow as his shadow deepens, he is getting quite frustrated with himself, and he wonders... would he be having as much trouble if the darkness inside was entirely his own, or at least if he didn't have so much trouble to tell where exactly Xehanort's started... But of course there is no use being furious or blaming him really, not when he's the one who's allowed it to come this far and the end this whole incident just amkes him snort and smile in a sardonic sort of self irony.]

...Damaged goods, huh?

[That's pretty much all he is now, he supposes. In pretty much every way that counts.]

[capax_infiniti]

[He can feel the thin thread of light that Riku is trying to summon, and how it's snuffed out by darkness. He has a good deal of raw power, but little proper finesse in wielding it efficiently. At least the boy doesn't panic or lose his composure when the light is overwhelmed... it's somewhat pleasing.]

Not damaged. Simply needing some proper assembly, perhaps.

[He gestures slowly, non-threateningly.] Perhaps you need to learn to control your darkness before you can bring proper light forth.

Floor 29~

[sageprincess]

[Normally, Zelda passes this floor without incident. Even more so after recent events, as labyrinths remind her far too much of her own failure to stop that wretched experiment.

But for one so attuned to magic as she, it's hardly difficult to sense the strain and pull of energy originating from just beyond the maze. And, of course, she's curious. So, focusing on that point of magic, she makes her way through the labyrinth, finding Riku at the end (without his blindfold!) to her surprise.

... He seems so focused, however. She isn't certain if she should interrupt...]

[justabignobody]

[He is frowning down into his books by the time she arrives, eyes drifting over the lines as he attempts to find hints for a different angle - maybe it's his entire approach that's wrong... considering that he isn't exactly usual, in who and what he is and his wish to use light magic in spite of all of it, making the usual methods of using it work for him has always been a long shot... never mind that he has never really been one to learn things 'the usual' way, at least not when it comes to magic. Yen Sid and Mickey would likely attest to that.

Finally, he sighs and leans back, looking up for the first time in a while... and blinks surprised when he suddenly sees Zelda in his line of sight.]

...Princess Zelda.

[The moment of surprise passes quickly though as he bows his head a little, hair shrouding his eyes as he reaches forward and curls his fingers around the cloth of his blindfold.]

[sageprincess]

... Ah, hello, Riku.

[Whoops, caught. Stepping forward a bit, she bows her head slightly as well, both in greeting and in apology.]

My apologies, I did not mean to intrude. I felt the pull of magic, and, well... admittedly I was curious.

[Also admittedly, she's not really any less so now that she's found it to be coming from the enigmatic but polite young man who always seems to have more on his mind than he lets on. And judging by the books surrounding him...]

If I may ask, are you practicing, perhaps?

Floor 29

[lethechained]

[Naminé's never been totally comfortable around plants, not after her time with the Organization and her... chief 'care'taker. She's always found it preferable to maintain at least a bit of distance between her and whatever foliage she's come across, especially in the tower, but-- the thing is, the first time she passed through this floor, she couldn't help but be interested. Though they might bring up unwelcome memories, the plants on this floor are lovely. Discomfort aside, this floor seems like one of the safer ones. (Though, she's never been there at night. She should probably keep it that way.) That's why she's paying the twenty-ninth floor a visit today, intending to have a look around and then maybe go to the next floor down and see if there's any music being played.]

[That's going to take a bit of wandering in order to get through the maze, but that's alright; it kills two birds with one stone, after all. But-- wait, what's that feeling? If she didn't know better--]

[... Hm. Perhaps she should be quick about making her way to the outside of the maze.]

[justabignobody]

[Having never met or even seen Marluxia, Riku has been spared from that particular association, but even if he had, the advantages of this particular location.

By now Riku is kind of about to give up for the day though... he's at the point where he is just frustrated with himself, where searching his books for clues for tomorrow still makes sens, but anything beyond that seems a waste of them. Well... he's known that it would take a while to learn this.]

[lethechained]

[She'd consider him fortunate, in that regard. Marluxia was never pleasant company.]

[Making her way through the maze takes less time than she'd expected. Although she'd been prepared to cheat a little bit if necessary to escape, it seems she's been spared that. She exits the maze and immediately looks around. It doesn't take her long to focus in on the source of that familiar feeling. What is he up to? Curious,]

Riku...?

C!

[notontheflowers]

Reno's been itching to kill something that just needs killing since the useless Q&A session, if only to blow off steam. Monsters had always been a safe enough thing to go smashing through and so he was. He didn't know or precicely care what these things were but setting them on fire with blasts from materia was about as good a time as he's had since he got here.

He slaps a few with pyramid for crowd control and smashes the heel of his boot in to the skull of another with a swift kick, a blast of fire and a few choice curse words before moving on to the next one.

He's doing fine, but a monster bashing buddy is always welcome.

[justabignobody]

Riku is never looking for a 'buddy' when he's out fighting; though he is more than willing to fight together if it suits his needs, generally it's risky considering what element he controls and how most people think of it.

Every now and then, if he stumbles across anyone else (and they certainly look like they don't need any help) - like now - he settles back and watches them fight. It can never hurt to know what the other residents of the tower are capable of.

C

[pitiedthefool]

[Ever since the Q&A--no, ever since the labyrinth--Yu has been itching to blow off some steam in the most effective way he knows how, and until recently, he would have been merely using his Personae to do so.

That was before a certain ally and who he at least considered a friend had given him the katana he now held in both his hands. In the darkness, he is like a beacon. Even then he doesn't seem to either mind nor notice as he slices through them with little problems. He had to hand it to him- Shinjiro is an excellent blacksmith.

Still, what is a little extra light to shine on the dark? A few blue sparks of light accumulate around his hand as he waves it over his face, changing his Personas. Not like anyone who didn't know of his power would know, and he was all alone...right?

Oh well, swinging again and not even giving a hint of satisfaction or relief at the slight familiarity...]

[justabignobody]

[Not entirely alone, no.

Riku is not usually one to creep on spy let friends... or well, acquaintance, but... There is something about Yu that's been, well, not quite worrying, but definitely puzzling him. Those small, but still detectable shifts of his heart's scent... like just now again... what kind of power is that?]

[pitiedthefool]

[Continue watching, and one just might find out.

However, he isn't in the best place emotionally right now. It's probably reflected only slightly in how he moves, adding just a little more force into the blows than necessary. Not enough to wear him out sooner, no, but enough that the blade cuts through even deeper... swings sending the monsters sprawled on their backs. That is, until he lowers the katana, only holding it in one hand. Usually, he's a lot more careful about when and where he uses this power. Tonight, however, is an exception. Anyone who watched the events in the labyrinth unfolding would have seen it, anyway.

Blue light suddenly begins to shine around him, an unnatural wind picking up as a blue card falls down in his outstretched hand.]

Beelzebub.

[He crushes the card in his hand, and-- ...Is that a giant fly shaman looking thing with a staff?

You bet it's a giant fly shaman looking thing, and it's oozing darkness as it raises its staff... the air growing cold as ice begins to form around the ones knocked down until their completely encased, soon shattering into pieces. The bug-like thing disappears soon after, almost like it wasn't there in the first place.

Except someone saw a reflection in the ice. He turns around to see who it is in the brief lull.]

...Riku? [Oops.]

[syncingdoll]

<sub>[Only nutribars, really. It's enough to make a cook downright irate. As it is, her smile's down to less of a beam and more of a slim line. How's she supposed to fall into a comfortably mindless routine when there's no cooking to throw herself into?

When Riku comes in to snatch a few, she grumbles in a way that could nearly be called dark.]</sub>

I know it's best to make do with what we have, but is this really the staple..? Even a supply of plain rice would be enough to get creative with.

[justabignobody]

[As someone who kind of half-lived on potions for the year before arriving here, Riku has not really been caring about what exactly the tower provides them with as long as it's eatable. That being said, he doesn't have much of any issues with the nutrition bars, though he understands why (probably?) many others do.

He turns his head slightly when he hears Kohaku grumble, shrugging just slightly.]

Next month maybe.

[syncingdoll]

_{[..you mean to tell her there's hope~?]}

Oho!

Next month's not too far away.. I think. How do they count it here?

Floor 3

[beknightedheroine]

<sub>[Loitering in the 3rd floor library has practically become an atypical habit for Sayaka - partly because she's friends with a good amount of the tower-appointed librarians, partly because she just recently realized she can do things like scale bookshelves for the hell of it.

Sometimes she'll even comb through the magic section futilely for hints at managing her state as a Puella Magi - and that's the section she's in today, sitting on a cleared-out perch from a high shelf mostly because she can. When Riku appears to look through the magic books, she jumps down behind him, hitting the ground far lighter than would be normal.]</sub>

--Ha!

[justabignobody]

[Riku is so concentrated on what he's come to do, that he's ignoring the presences around him - no one he's sensing is anyone with an amount of darkness he'd consider worrisome.

However... jumping down behind him from above? Not a good idea.

He flinches around the moment he hears hitting the ground, battle instincts triggered; he drops the book he's been holding, Soul Eater forming in a crackle of black mist, his right hand closing tightly around it's grip as he swings it down, face tight, but paling when he suddenly finally catches up to his instincts and realizes who he is raising his weapon against.]

[beknightedheroine]

_{[There's a little darkness, twisting insidiously in Sayaka's strange little heart-in-a-gem, but definitely nothing that would raise alarms. She's doing better than she was before.]}

Wuh.
..Woah there, buddy.

_{[Sayaka's face went from playful to a negative sort of surprised in a few seconds flat, and she pushes the flat edge of Soul Eater away lightly, from where it's hovering uncomfortably close to her.]}

Might poke one of my eyes out like that, huh?