old and new and older and newer

[poisonousflame]

Characters: Axel and Sora (and open to other roomies!)
Setting: Dormitory, Room 01-06
Format: action / brackets
Summary: Roommate meetings. Slightly backdated to shortly after Axel's arrival.
Warnings: AWKWARD?



[This trunk is messing with his head.

[Of all the things that Axel could be choosing to deal with right now — Xion's additional years of life, Roxas' memory, or that look-alike Reno guy existing, for starters — Axel has chosen to deal with the contents of the trunk at the foot of his bed.

[Maybe it's because, no matter how odd they are, the objects are easier to deal with than anything else.

[He has them laid out on his bed in a neat line, as though organizing these things will explain why he has them. The clothing is a no-brainer, and he appreciates having found it; the last thing he'd want to do is wander around a world this strange without his coat. The pen is self-explanatory; it goes with the diary, which he guesses he'll be writing in later. The other objects, however....

[Axel picks up one of the frisbees, turning it slowly as he examines the image on its front. These are his. Or ... they were his. If not the exact same ones, then extremely good replicas. And the keffiyeh — he used to wear that thing around his neck all the time.

[But that was back when he was human. So why are they here?

[He puts the frisbee back on his bed, maintaining the neat line, and folds his arms. If he just stares these things down long enough, maybe he'll get some answers.

[... Or maybe he'll get a headache. Probably the latter.]

Comments

[derping]

[As far as days in the tower went, Sora had been having a pretty good one so far. He had spent it training and, luckily for him, no actual monsters had shown up. Which happened, sometimes. More often than usual lately, though that might have less to do with the monsters actually showing up with more frequency and more to do with Sora spending a whole lot more time on other floors trying to figure out how to get better at using the Keyblade.

And he was glad that he was doing it! Sure, maybe he wasn't as good as most of his friends still, or as good as he could (should?) be, but he really was getting better. He was sure of it.

Besides, after Kairi vanished again, it gave him something to do - something to think about that didn't have anything to do with how worried he was, because he knew that just doing that wouldn't help anybody. Even though the colder temperatures really weren't making it any easier to get moving on most days...

He's about to open the door when he notices something different - there's a new name on the door. This wasn't the first time, of course, since roommates came and went way too often, but he always liked to stop and check the name anyway, just to see if...well, mostly just to see it, but also to see if he recognized it. Usually - actually, he never did, but there was a first time for everything.

Axel. He definitely recognized that. Was this the Axel that Xion was friends with? Had he come back?

He finally opens the door, sees Axel standing there looking at the stuff and...yeah, that's him alright. There was no way Sora could forget that ridiculous bright red hair not that he was one to talk about the ridiculous part, at least.

But was it the same Axel? He comes in, walking closer as he let's the door close behind him and...huh, is that all from his trunk? What's he doing with all of it? Besides staring really intently, because it seemed like just doing that would be really boring.]

That's a lot of stuff!

[Well, it's as good a place to start as any!

While Axel looks just the way he did the last two times they met to Sora (both in the Tower, both different Axels), Sora will look noticeably different from the boy Axel will remember meeting in Castle Oblivion. He's at least a year older (though, sadly, not much taller) and wearing different clothes - clothes from a time that he still hasn't experienced, and that he might never get to, if they all don't find a way to fix their worlds. Not that he knew that. In any case, it would be hard to guess from looking at him just how early on Sora had been pulled away from their worlds.

There's also a...dog?...thing...bouncing in behind him. Since that's probably hard to miss.]

[poisonousflame]

[Axel doesn't jump at the unexpected voice. If anything, he stands even stiller, his eyes remaining fixed on the objects before him. Of all the people that could have snuck up behind him....

[Slowly, he turns his head, just enough to see the boy out of the corner of his eye. And there he is. The keybearer, in the flesh. Looking different than Axel remembers — and isn't that getting old real quick — but unmistakably:]

Sora.

[He turns now, all too-friendly smiles and bright eyes. Sora bested him in their last fight — he'd been better than Axel anticipated — but Axel's not planning on backing down. Not that Sora looks particularly ... upset, by their last meeting. Or even surprised to see him alive and kicking.

[... Well. Better figure out what the kid knows.

[He puts his hands on his hips, still smiling as though he's so happy to see the keybearer.]

Fancy meeting you here. Does this explain where you've been all this time?

[He catches something bouncing out of the corner of his eye, but for now, it's ignored. All his focus is on Sora's expression.]

[derping]

[Sora, for one, is belatedly pretty happy with himself - wait until he tells Riku that he finally managed it sneak up on someone! It only took a whole year.

(Even though it wasn't hard at all, given how distracted Axel was, but at this point Sora will take what he can get. He's been at this for awhile, okay?).

Axel's demeanor, though, caught Sora by surprise. It was hard to explain why, because even though Axel had been in the tower twice before, Sora had never gotten a chance to really get to know him all that well. Even his other two times meeting Axel didn't give Sora good points of comparison - the first time had been when the trouble with Namine's memory powers had made him look like Vanitas, and the second had been him, Axel, and Xion stumbling around on that one pitch-black floor with all the whispering and weird things wandering around. Neither of those had been anything even close to a normal first meeting, like this was.

But even so, something about the way Axel looked, with all the smiling and stuff, seemed kind of...off. Like it was almost too friendly, even though it wasn't like he had ever seemed unfriendly or anything before...

Well, maybe it was nothing. After all, he doesn't have any reason to be suspicious or anything, and he didn't know Axel well enough to really judge if he was acting weird or not. Why overthink it?

(meanwhile, Excalibur - the mysterious bouncing dog-thing - has never had the chance to meet Axel, and is looking up at him like he would very much appreciate an introduction! not that Axel is likely all that worried about that.)

Axel's question, though, confuses Sora, which of course shows plain as day on his face, before he manages to figure out...well, not what the question means, but something.]

Oh...you don't remember meeting me here before, huh?

[Because if he did, Axel would know that Sora has no idea what he's talking about. Or no idea about pretty much anything, when it comes what happened in their world after the storm on the islands (which, he had learned over time, was a lot of stuff to not know).]

[poisonousflame]

[Were it not for Xion's explanations, along with that Reno guy somehow knowing him, Sora's question wouldn't have made a bit of sense. Fortunately, Axel's had the introductory class, so to speak. All the question causes him to wonder is: how many people did those other-Axels meet? He's not crazy about people knowing more about him than he knows about them. Puts him at a disadvantage.

[Of course, that's not a concern when it comes to Sora. Unless some other-Axel decided to spill his whole life's story — which wouldn't be his life, anyway; even if Xion is Xion and Roxas is Roxas, that's different — then Axel's got nothing to worry about.

[He's seen the keybearer's memories, after all. Watched them, and watched as they were transformed into things false and twisted and useful.]

Not here.

[The emphasis is entirely intentional. If Sora remembers their last encounter, his oh-so-honest expression will tell Axel all he needs to know.]

Why don't you tell me about it?

[derping]

[Though Sora catches the emphasis, it isn't much of a surprise to him - he had already known that Axel knew him in the worlds they came from, or at least knew of him. Whether that was just because of Xion or because of that weird Organization thing she had told him about that was taking his memories (or something like that) or what, though, he had no idea, and honestly he hadn't tried too hard to figure it out. Wherever or whenever they had met, would meet (would have met?) was just another item on a long list of things that were supposed to happen to Sora that he didn't understand, and that he wasn't sure if he ever would fully understand without seeing it all for himself.

The lack of reaction to Axel's words, though, probably says a lot.

Sora wasn't really sure how - he wasn't very good at this whole explaining thing - but he should probably try to tell Axel as much as he can now just to clear things up.]

Well...I've met you two times before, both in this tower, so I know that we're both from the same world. Or, worlds, it's...[He scratches his head absentmindedly, trying to think of a way to explain it that makes sense and failing.] Kind of complicated. Has anyone told you anything about this place yet? About all the weird world and timeline differences?

[Please say yes. He's terrible at playing the infodump guy.

Like really terrible.

He'd probably just have to go fetch Xion to do it for him.]

[poisonousflame]

[TWO!? Two times, huh? And, based on both the Keyblade master's words and his definite lack of reaction — only in this tower. So, either Sora didn't remember any of it (which would be no surprise, considering the circumstances), or....

[No. There's no denying that Sora is undoubtedly older than he was when they last met. Time differences or no, he should have explored Castle Oblivion some time ago.]

Time differences were covered in the introductory class. Didn't catch the weird world sequel.

[Still friendly. Still smiling. Still happy to take advantage of any opportunity the Keyblade master offers.

[Man. It's almost nostalgic.]

[derping]

[Yes, TWO!? two times. Crazy, huh?

Honestly, Axel has it even better this time. Sora isn't lost in a strange castle, searching for his friends and trying to find the right enemy to defeat to get out with them safely. There's no distrust, no anger, no confusion - in fact, because of his connection to Xion and their past meetings, Sora considers Axel a friend, or at least friendly.

So, really, it's no effort at all to get Sora to be helpful.]

Okay, good! That makes this a lot easier to explain. I mean, don't worry about the weird world thing right now.

[One thing at a time, okay?]

I'm from a different time than most of the people from our worlds. Last thing I remember before ending up here is a storm coming to my island, so...I don't remember meeting you anywhere that wasn't here. Sorry.

[And he really does mean that apology - even though he certainly knows that it's not his fault that he's so far behind everyone else, he also still feels bad every time he should know someone and doesn't. Even if he doesn't know much about the circumstances.

Still, that should clear up the most confusing stuff, he hopes. At the very least, Axel will be able to tell that he's used to having to say stuff like this.]

[poisonousflame]

[Having been a part of the team sent to Castle Oblivion offers Axel with a rather unique perspective, when it comes to Sora's memories. He doesn't have to ask what island Sora is talking about. He doesn't have to wonder when said storm occurred. And he knows that it was more than just a simple storm.]

A storm, huh? Those can be pretty rough. Especially if they're the kind with a big hole in their middle.

[He lowers his voice, as though telling a secret.]

Not to mention the glowing yellow eyes.

[derping]

[Unfortunately, if there's one thing that Sora has stopped being impressed, or even surprised by at this point, it's other people knowing just as much (or, usually, more) about his life as he does. In fact, most people from their worlds who don't are either from the past, or from a version of their worlds where very different events unfolded.

That means that there isn't even the faintest flicker of surprise when Axel lowers his voice, hinting at the shadows that had destroyed the islands the night before he woke up here. Actually, it's probably kind of a good thing he knows, because that means that Sora doesn't have to explain anything else about it, and that night is not exactly one of his favorite subjects in the whole wide world.]

Yeah, those are the worst.

[In other words? Nice try, Axel.

He turns away for a moment, walking over to his bed to sit down, taking the few seconds needed to do so to think. On a more serious note, he's kind of curious about something.]

How do you know about that, anyway?

[He's half-expecting not to get a real answer, but it's not like he'll get anywhere by not trying. He doesn't really mind Axel knowing, but...it'd be nice to know what happened, for once. Did Sora tell him about it, if they met before, or did he learn from someone else?]

[poisonousflame]

[Not the reaction that Axel expected, but he would've been wiped out long ago if he hadn't learned to adapt and improvise.

[The redhead folds his arms as he watches Sora, choosing not to follow for the time being. He has no issue with invading people's personal space — but, for now, it seems best to observe from a little distance.

[When Sora asks his question, Axel's too-friendly smile threatens to twist into a smirk.]

I saw it happen.

[It's not a lie. Of course, it's omitting so much that it might as well be. But where would the fun be in telling it all right off the bat?]

[derping]

What?

[Wait, was he serious? Sora tried to think back, but he was sure that he didn't remember seeing anyone else around but Riku and Kairi. Then again, he hadn't spent much time on the main island. Could he have been there?

No, something about that didn't seem right...]

Seriously?

[Sora may have developed more of a cautious streak in the tower than he had back home, but he's still pretty gullible at times. It's easy to tell that he's not really sure what to think about this; that he's not quite convinced, but could be, easily.]

[poisonousflame]

Yeah.

[The smile finally drops away, and Axel shakes his head. It's probably not appropriate to smile as he talks about this, after all.]

Looked pretty bad. It's pretty impressive you made it out in one piece.

[He pauses and turns his gaze away, just long enough for an appropriate 'moment of reflection.' Then, he's back to watching Sora.]

Do you know what that creature was?

[derping]

[It was pretty bad, and Sora's still got a lot of questions (both for Axel about this, and just in general), but Axel asks his question before Sora has much time to think about it.]

Yeah, my friend told me about them.

[While he wasn't nearly as familiar with them as he would have been had his adventures gone as they should have, he did remember what they were called.]

They're called Heartless, right? They're here, too, but they're different.

[poisonousflame]

[Any lingering doubts Axel may have had are wiped away with that answer. Sora's not telling him what he knows; he's repeating what he's been told. He knows even less than he did at Castle Oblivion.

[In this place, the hero with the key barely started his journey.

[In answer to Sora's question, he nods. Then, it's time for a question of his own.]

Different, huh? How so?

[derping]

Well...

[Just as Axel has figured out, he's mostly working off of what other people have told him (at least, when it comes to the Heartless back home - he's had a good amount of experience with the Tower variety), so it takes him a minute to think.]

They're a lot more dangerous. I'm pretty sure someone told me that the Heartless back home don't try to eat your actual heart, or make you explode from the inside, or grind up your feet or anything like that, but the ones here do. They can really hurt you if you aren't careful.

[Sora's had experience with that, too - if Riku and Xion hadn't been around for the fight with that Invisible so long ago, he probably wouldn't have come out of it with just a concussion. Actually, he probably wouldn't have come out of it at all.]

That goes for all the monsters here, though.

[poisonousflame]

[Those descriptions get a slow eyebrow raise from the redhead. No widening of eyes, or look of shock or surprise — just that slooooow eyebrow raise.

[Even if he were surprised, it's not like he'd want Sora to know that. Come on.

[Still, the descriptions are ... strange, to say the least. Since when were heartless interested in grinding up feet?]

Nope. Can't say I've met any with a thing for feet. You sure they're really heartless?

[He'll get to those "monsters" in a moment.]

[derping]

Yeah, I'm sure.

[Mostly because Riku was sure, and he trusted his best friend's much more educated opinion on the subject. He was as sure as he could be, at least.]

This place does weird stuff to the monsters it brings here.

[poisonousflame]

["Brings here." Same as he was brought here, he guesses.

[Being careful not to disturb his neat line of items from his trunk, Axel perches on the edge of his own bed. He draws a knee up to keep his balance, folds his hands on top of it, and focuses his attention on Sora.

[For all that the Keyblade master doesn't know, he still knows more about this place than Axel does.]

Do you know anything about the other monsters?

[derping]

Yeah, lots of stuff.

[It would take awhile to make a list, if that's what Axel was going for, but Sora didn't really mind.]

What do you want to know?