just this once, everybody lives!

[sageprincess]

Characters: Everyone.
Setting: Anywhere.
Format: Party style.
Summary: Post-Ex Machina catch-all mingle.
Warnings: See individual threads.

[After a long, drawn out battle, the infiltration team returns to the residential portion of the Tower, weary, battered... but victorious. Some catching up is in order.]

Comments

[fionnuisce]

...Is that a new record for us?

[That was probably meant as a joke, but as he said it Waver realized he sounded like he was genuinely asking.]

[attheclocktower]

[Indeed, Xion gives him a bemused look]

Have you never been on an infiltration before?

[fionnuisce]

Do I really give off the impression of 'someone that should be anywhere near the front lines'?

Because while it would be nice if I did, the idea is so far from the truth it's almost laughable.

[attheclocktower]

[Xion just shakes her head.]

From the way I understand it now... people wouldn't expect me to be down there either.

[Not to mention she didn't even really know Waver all that well, up until recently. She'll fully admit she hasn't paid that close of attention before. But yes, she's learned that "impressions" aren't everything.]

Yes, the last time I went down there... we broke into groups. From the way I heard it... most of my group got wiped out. [Including her] We found out important things before then, but...

[fionnuisce]

I'm not suited to an active combat role, I'm afraid. If I were, I might have risked something stupid at least once.

[Waver paused, idly rolling his left shoulder.]

Truthfully, I entertained the thought of joining the rest of you this time, but things would have been very, very troublesome for me if I had died. But for what it's worth, I certainly had a lot of shit to do up here.

[attheclocktower]

Yeah, it sounds like it would've been a bad idea to send all of us down there anyway.

[She's even glad herself that she didn't die. Trying to regain her powers at this point would have been too problematic. This way, barring any extreme circumstances, she'll be able to have her powers, her real ones, right up until the end]

I'm glad everyone up here is okay too though.

[fionnuisce]

With a small amount of difficulty, yes. We're lucky we had someone capable enough to build a device that could disable electronics.

[attheclocktower]

I don't think it was just luck. Even if they hadn't been up here, you guys would've found another way.

[She has full faith in that. There was probably a dozen other different ways they could have done what they did down in the admin levels. Maybe even safer ones. But in the end...]

The important thing is that we did it. [beat] And what we proved when we did.

[fionnuisce]

[Waver managed a very small smile at that--true, this was leagues beyond the social revolution he'd intended to be a part of, but it was defiance and revolution all the same. Certainly, someone like Waver would gladly advocate metaphorically (and literally) flipping off those on high and their ludicrous sense of regarding others as less than human.]

You've all done well. I only hope that machine actually can restore the worlds we came from.

[attheclocktower]

I think... Zo can do something. Dax's research said he's really powerful by now. And he wants to help us... actually help us.

[Her voice suddenly goes stronger.]

And that's something I asked DJ - he said there's no way Riki could have tampered with Dax's files. Anything from there... it's as true as Dax knew it was when he wrote it.

And the machine is used to focus Zo's powers... There's got to be more we can do but... I think we can do this.

[Maybe it's just the emotional high from what they just accomplished, but the impossible just doesn't feel so impossible right now.]

[fionnuisce]

I'm optimistic we stand a chance, but I'm realizing lately that every single time I've been optimistic things have gone horrifically.

Even so, things are not looking terrible at this moment in time.

[attheclocktower]

[Xion looks straight at him, smiling]

There's got to be at least one time where your feelings are right.

[Being determinedly optimistic about this.]

[fionnuisce]

[Waver gave that genuine thought, frowning as he concentrated. After a minute or two:]

...Not in recent memory, no.

[attheclocktower]

[Xion giggles. That hadn't been quite what she meant, but]

Well now can be the first in recent memory, then.

[fionnuisce]

Better than being wrong constantly, isn't it?

[attheclocktower]

[Xion isn't quite sure what he means by that, but it's not that big a deal. She gets the jist of it, she thinks]

If there was ever a time to be right, this is it. And we'll make it right.

[Yeah she's really channeling Sora right about now.]

[fionnuisce]

I really, really hope we don't fuck this up.

[attheclocktower]

We won't. I know we won't.

[Channeling Sora really hard.]

[fionnuisce]

If you're so insistent, I suppose I've no choice but to have a measure of faith in the matter as well.