009

[justabignobody]

Characters: Riku (justabignobody), Various and Open
Setting: right after this, and the days following it
Format: Start off action, but I'll go for what's preferred.
Summary: [A] Escape =/= being safe. Clearly, the situation requires an adult, so Riku drags Xion to see the only person who probably fits all his requirements [B] Riku reports to the Higher Forces. [C] Paranoia is still a thing (or well... even more a thing than usual), but when has that ever stopped Riku from going through his day.
Warnings: None as of now? Will be updated as needed.

[A | Room 03-04 | Locked to Xion, Terra and the Anguished One, if they feel like being woken by exhausted Keybitties]

[If Riku were to think about it, he wouldn't be able to think of the last time he had been this exhausted; in this particular way at least - his left arm feels like on fire, the pain a constant throb on his mind and he is utterly burned out on both magic and Darkness. The only reason why Way to the Dawn is still in his hand is because he is clinging to it like a lifeline; as long as he is holding onto it he has at least something to defend himself with, even though he is not sure just how long he'd hold out, if he were to be attacked now.

Xion... doesn't really look much better - she isn't injured (not majorly at least), but the tiredness is written all over her face, and if one thing is clear, it's this. They need a safe place to stay for the rest of the night. Well... that as good as excludes both their rooms already, Xion's for obvious reasons and his just to be careful (even though he thinks/hopes he has not given himself away to Ganondorf) and leaves them... with very little.

They need someone trustworthy... someone stronger than either of them.

Someone who hopefully won't mind them knocking even though it's long past midnight.

There's... really only one person who fits that bill... and who Riku feels somewhat comfortable going to. And so he finds himself steering Xion towards the third dormitory floor, towards Terra's room.

He flinches just slightly when he lifts his left hand, pain racing across his skin, but he needs to knock and he can't let go of his Keyblade, not yet.

Not until they are safe.]


[B | Floor 29, 29th September | Locked to Zelda and Gandalf]

[It takes a while until Riku finds the strength to move and do what has to be done - his arm might still be hurting and the exhaustion drawn over his face, but his mind is clear and he is sitting on knowledge that needs to be passed on - starting with the attendance of that 'reunion' (or at least the names that he had been able to make out) as well as the plans he had come to overhear, ending with... whatever Reno had gotten himself into.

So he sneaks away to deliver some notes - neat, simple and to the point; a meeting spot, a time and a signature... he usually doesn't do things like this, but he hopes that Zelda and Gandalf will follow his invitation.

On the next day he finds himself sitting right in the middle of the garden in center of the maze on Floor 29, sorting through the information he had gathered, trying to figure how to best approach each topic. There isn't much else for him to do as he waits ...that doesn't involve scratching at the bandage on his left arm anyways.]


[C | all around, 29th-30th September | Open]

[Even though he is still kind of unable to let go of his tension and can't help but stop before he enters a floor and sense for certain people, he refuses to let himself be effected more than that - he's gotten away clean after all; and even if he hadn't... by now it's too late to do anything about it.

So he spends his day as he always would (except for that little tidbit of extra paranoia of course) - wandering the floors, lingering at the libraries to look for one book or another (or pretend to anyways).

And well... if that leads to his running certain other people... he certainly won't be complaining about it.

Catch him if you can?]

Comments

[pitiedthefool]

[Pretty much the only word for it. (You mean they weren't silently celebrating it already?)

To be honest, the only reason he was able to read it with any semblance of ease is because he's given the same look a lot the last sixteen months. It's almost odd how they both seem to be able to read each other's looks even with this short amount of time. He nods once. That's good, at least... but 'incident'?]

I see.

[Lead the way, Riku. If you want to talk about it, he'll follow to somewhere a little quieter. Hell, he'd even brush up on his acting skills (thank you Drama Club route) and make it seem even more like they're just hanging out.

But that's only if Riku wants to; after all, it's only fair and he doesn't want to butt in on something okay, so that's a partial lie but he respects Riku's personal space.]

[justabignobody]

[Well, there is always 'totally messed up'. Even though that's three words. (Of course. It's a perma-party.)

Odd indeed. Though maybe not all things considered... they are kind of similar after all, aren't they?

Riku hesitates for a moment, before he nods and jerks his head towards the exit; he's not entirely sure how much to tell Yu or even where to take this, but off this floor is a good start.]

[pitiedthefool]

[Okay, that's a valid choice. (Oh hey, one of his first perma-parties.)

A little bit, but it wasn't hard to find similarities on occasion with the many worlds out there (he just had no idea just now many there were even after nearly getting eaten by his TV that rainy night what seemed like a lifetime ago). Even with differences, there was bound to be some threat of familiarity in the mix. Something that they could all be comfortable with (or not, depending on what that familiarity is).

Yu nods, following silently. Whatever will be shared will end up remaining between the two of them, at least. That was one thing he could rely on. To the stairs, they go~]

[justabignobody]

[Riku's had quite an idea of just how much was out there, how many other worlds there were beside the one he's grown up in, besides all the other ones he's been to, but admittedly, between so many different universes and alternations in timelines, the Tower has had quite an impact on his perception as well. Between all those differences, the familiarities are probably indeed all the more apparent.

He leads them up to the 11th floor - between all the noise from the waterfalls and the restriction of certain abilities they should have a reasonable amount of privacy.

Now... where to start this off best?]

...A few nights ago, Ganondorf held a get-together for the morally-more-flexible-citizens of this place.

[He glances over to Yu, not sure if he needs to make any elaborations into this... Yu has been quite long in the tower as well by now, he does know who he's talking about, right?]

[pitiedthefool]

[Yu follows, almost privately smiling a bit. The 11th floor... how fitting. He listens carefully to what Riku had to say, the beginning of what he had to say. Ganondorf? The name was familiar, and his eyes probably gave away as much as he considered the rest. Morally flexible...

...

His summoning hand may have just twitched a bit on reflex. Wait, that's it! That's where he'd heard the name before; over the network.]

The one Reno was body-swapped with?

[He never met the guy before, but just even thinking the name sent a tremble he only felt in battle go up his spine.]

[justabignobody]

[Riku can only blink at that particular piece of news, understanding dawning a second later - so that's probably how Ganondorf had gotten at very least some of his information, how he had gotten confirmation of Reno's intentions, most likely.]

...I guess, that's how he knew.

[Not that it makes him any less angry at Reno - it's not about him getting busted, but about how wide open he had left himself to be hurt, after all. Xion had been glaring as bright as a supernova as far as weaknesses go and given Reno's activities, she shouldn't have been.]

Yes, the same.

[pitiedthefool]

[The only way he really knew was because Reno said as much on the network that first day. Still, the fact Riku hadn't known before was telling enough. Was there something bigger going on?

Guess it was up to those involved to reveal more on that. He sighs.]

Never met him personally, but you hear rumors when you take time to listen.

What happened?

[And does he need to sleep with Yoshitsune equipped.]

[justabignobody]

[Well, it's not exactly like he didn't know as his mun found out upon re-reading threads; faaaaiiiiil - Ganondorf himself had mentioned it even; it's just taken him until now to make the connection between the events. He had been a bit too concerned with Xion to consider just how Reno had gotten himself busted.

But yeah, he's heard some rumors himself, has seen some things in Zelda's dreams and witnessed the man kill his best friend. So yeah... he knows.]

I... happened to listen in on that exclusive meet. Remember the kids that suggested working together with the "villains" during the assembly Princess Zelda called a few months back? They were invited to join for a bit.

[Riku's lips press together in disapproval and anger - he had so fiercely argued against that for more than just one reason... he can see his own history repeating itself right in front of him and he really, really doesn't like it.]

One of the main points discussed before their arrival was how to best utilize them in order to exploit the rest of us. To start with.

[Exactly like the rest of them had predicted from the start. Stupid kids.

But as angry and worried Riku might be about that particular piece of information - it really pales in face of what really has him agitated. He sighs, then pauses. The really bad part is coming now.]

By the end of it, Ganondorf kept Reno behind. Turns out that Reno had been spying on him for at least a while now... and Ganondorf captured Xion in order to corner him and confirm it for good, probably.

[Disgust flashes over his face - it's both Ganon and Reno that he's angry at. Ganon for... well... being Ganon and Reno for leaving his weaknesses so damn apparent.]

...Or maybe he just caught her for the heck of it. Who really knows with that kind of man.

[He doesn't really care either way. He's just glad that she got out okay and mad that she was put into that situation in first place.]

[pitiedthefool]

[It wouldn't be the first time he was the one the help put two and two together. ...No really, it wouldn't be. He's the one who did back in December, after all. Still, mun derping is a serious problem especially when threads have gone on for this long he waits and listens, though inwardly seething at what's mentioned about the meeting of those of a more questionable morality and what was discussed...

To be frank, it left a sour taste in his mouth. There had been a reason why he didn't side with that naivety. A reason he was far too intimate with to be comfortable speaking of, and while hearing that they wanted to use them here like some of them more than likely would back in their own worlds made him feel repulsed, the slight wince and barely-visible brow furrow (he really should get a haircut sometime) is the only visible clue.

At least, until the mention of what happened to Xion was made known. If it wasn't a given that he knew her, the look on his face and the next words out of his mouth were a dead giveaway.]

Is she alright? [Because it's him; friends are always on the higher end of the importance list.] Tch... You'd think someone like him would know better.

[Yeah... Staying calm is one of his strong points, though this was pushing it when he is suddenly very disappointed in one of his social links.]

[justabignobody]

[Riku for his part is not quite as experienced in classic investigation matters, but he does alright with putting things together when presented with all facts. It is, but what can you do when the threads are too awesome to be dropped.

Riku is similarly disgusted by the group that so casually had discussed the manipulations they had planned, but his anger at them is nothing compared to the fury that he feels towards certain other people. It's easy to see it burning in his eyes, even as he nods almost stoically in answer to Yu's question. ]

She's shaken up right now, but she'll be fine. I got her out of there, somehow.

[Barely. And probably only because Ganondorf had ultimately not cared all that much whether they escaped or not - Riku is well aware of that. They had been lucky.

Reno had been less so, but really... Riku can't bring himself to have all that much sympathy for the red-head.]

You'd think, huh? Anyways... I've been looking for him now.

wow i can't believe i never got this notif D:

[pitiedthefool]

[There's a bit of relief at that, though the quiet fury is still there.]

That's good. [He will silently thank whatever deity that will listen for their luck stats at that point.Though, with Reno...

He shakes his head.]

I'll let you know if I run into him again.

[justabignobody]

We've been hiding out at Three-Four and my room the last few days... she'd probably benefit from a visit from a friend.

[And yeah, given Riku's default luck stats thanking whoever was watching those is probably on order.

Riku just nods, a small grateful smile on his lips.]

Thanks.

[pitiedthefool]

I'll visit her soon. [Likely "this afternoon" soon. Because what is protective urges?] Any time.