Endgame: This Broken Jaw of Our Lost Kingdoms; Part Two

[animusmods]

Characters: open
Setting: travelling through dead worlds
Format: any
Summary: The power has gone out, but a portal opens. Maybe all is not lost if you can gather up those who are missing...
Warnings: general animus endgame warnings

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[attheclocktower]

[Xion is more than relieved to be put down, not having felt the most secure. And not liking having to have been held the whole time. She smiles up at Naminé, relieved.]

Yeah, it-

[And then for a moment her eyes drift past out to the horizon, and she freezes, smile fading, almost as if she can't really believe her eyes. It'd been so long and yet-

Later. Later. She turns back to Naminé]

Yeah. We're here.

[lethechained]

[The boy is less familiar than his companion, but at the moment, Naminé is entirely too busy being relieved to do more than give him the benefit of the doubt, considering his company.]

[Her fingers curl inward slightly as she sees Xion look past her. The feeling of seeing that horizon is one Naminé is all too familiar with. Even so, she manages to keep her smile, weaker though it may be. It... almost makes her feel guilty, interrupting such a thing.]

I'm so glad...! What's happening--?

[With the tower, with everyone.]

[savedbyasong]

[Shion looks out as well, taking in the view. It is very beautiful and he looks back to Xion, noting her reaction.] We were all in cages and the power went out, however a portal opened and we ended up on Reno's world, every time we go through a portal we find someone else and every time we find someone we feel stronger.

At the moment the common theory is we need to gather everyone up and get back to the tower, to fight Ruana.

[attheclocktower]

[Xion smiles a little sadly, reaching over and putting a hand on his shoulder.]

Slow down a bit. [She doesn't even remember if she saw Naminé in the Hidden Floor before the fight. She might not even know what was going on in that regard. She turns back to Naminé.]

Riki is dead. He was trying to break into the Hidden Floor, to get to Zo and Aria, so we ended up fighting him and... we actually pushed him outside the Tower. [She shakes her head] Ruana came down after him. We... [She hesitates, but she knows better than to let Shion know what actually happened] We confronted her, and she lost her temper. She said she'd show us all, though what she wanted to show us...

[Xion shakes her head]

After that, it's like he said. A lot of us woke up in these cages, but not all of us. We're trying to find everyone who wasn't there.

[lethechained]

[One hand moves to cradle her opposite arm as she listens, silent, her lips curled into a thoughtful frown.]

I see....

[How much of it she was aware of she does not say, but it's good to hear at least what happened since she was sent away.]

How many of us are missing? [She can't help but ask, even though she expects it's probably not the easiest question to answer. Perhaps easier,] Or -- of the people you know? [Whom Naminé might also know?]

[savedbyasong]

[Shion blushed and shut his mouth, his tendency to babble was something that no one had been able to train out of him. He let's Xion explain more coherently what happened though he does frown. He knows that there is more to the story that she is not telling him, and he knows it's because it's so bad she fears he will lose it if he hears.

She's probably right, it doesn't stop him hating himself for it, that his sister can't confide in him because he can't be trusted not to lose his mind.

He let's Xion answer the next part as well, as Xion will know who Namine is worried about and who she wishes to hear of. Shion wandered to the edge of the tower, looking out onto the town below. It was beautiful in a way No. 6 never could be, in all it's perfection.

It felt weird that he was in a version of Xion's home.]

[attheclocktower]

[Xion does her best to smile reassuringly, even if she's not sure how well she can answer. She doesn't know the number of people who were currently in the Tower total, let alone the number that'd been in the cages to compare.]

I'm not sure how many. But... I think everyone else from our worlds are okay. I've seen both Rikus, Aqua... I haven't seen Ven but we seem to be going to worlds of people we know most, so I'm sure one of them will find him.

[There's a beat]

Is there anybody else you're looking for too?

[Because if Xion herself has made friends, Naminé will have too, right?]

[lethechained]

[Naminé at least does not seem put off by any babbling that might have taken place, nor does she pry for information where she senses a certain reluctance. The smile sent her way is repaid in kind, though perhaps more subtly. About as expected, then; she'd have been hard pressed to count such numbers, herself.]

I'm so glad. There's still more searching to do, by the sound of it, but-- I'm relieved.

[As for the question - the girl pauses, just for a moment.]

... Most of... the people I knew were gone already before this happened.

[She falters, then nods anyway.]

I have some people in mind, but that's okay. We'll meet back at the tower anyway, right? So-- I guess the best thing I can do now is help you two look.

[savedbyasong]

[Shion looked back at them from where he stood at the edge]Typically when a portal closes another opens, so we will probably find one soon and it will lead us to someone else.