(no subject)

[dawnrise]

[ Riku would like to think that, one day, she'll get over this. She knows she's herself now, no one else, but there are times when the effects Ansem had on her really make themselves known. And she's really getting sick of this neverending cycle. Especially when even her skin changes colors.

She's kneeling just inside the entrance to Halloween Town, bent over so far that her hair brushes across the ground. Her forehead rests across one arm for support, fingers digging into the dirt, while the other hand clutches at her chest. Her altered appearance aside (and we don't mean her normal black costume), there might be something more worrying about this picture. There are Shadows rising from the floor around her. ]

Comments

[dawnrise]

[Here comes that miserable expression again. She looks away from him, up at the trees.]

It's me.

[summer_poprocks]

[he's ignoring the feeling he has of something in his jacket in favor of going over to her, one of his legs dragging a bit along the ground]

What happened to you?

[dawnrise]

[She slowly tenses as she hears him, but just lifts a hand to scrape it through her hair. It messes with the half-blindfold, but she doesn't care.]

I'm not balanced.

[summer_poprocks]

Balanced?

[h-hold on, he's squirming again]

[dawnrise]

My darkness.

[She stops at that, though, and walks over to him with a hand held up. If he doesn't want to figure out what's going on, she'll do it for him.]

[summer_poprocks]

[well he's kind of. attempting to shake something out of his sleeve when she walks over. when she holds up her hand he stops, looking at her questioningly]

[dawnrise]

[She just keeps walking until she's within reaching distance, and grabs him by that shoulder to feel up his arm. What's in there?]

[summer_poprocks]

[whatever it is, it's moving]

That feels strange, Riku.

[dawnrise]

[She's not sure what he means by that, but she lets go of his shoulder immediately, not wanting to risk it.]

Get it out.

[summer_poprocks]

[he shakes his arm some more, but when she frisked his arm whatever it was moved]

It won't come out.

[dawnrise]

[That makes her frown. Either it's something dangerous, or it's something creepy. Either way, Riku doubts it's something Roxas wants in his clothes.]

Take your jacket off.

[summer_poprocks]

[it takes some doing, since he's having a bit of trouble getting his limbs to respond properly.

when he does manage to start pulling his jacket off, where the back of his shirt should be is the rotting expanse of his back. at first glance it might appear that the skin is moving, but closer inspection and the white things dropping to the ground prove it's really just a simple infestation of maggots]

Wha- Ahh!

[dawnrise]

[Riku steps back like he's going to explode, face twisted in horror.]

Oh, jeez...

[summer_poprocks]

[Ri's flailing has nothing on the flailing Roxas is doing now, trying to reach back enough to brush them off]

Get them off, get them off!

screw being restricted to proper icons

[dawnrise]

[Riku has a hand over her mouth, and it looks like she might gag. Darkness? Sure. Heartless? Why not? Rotting flesh covered in maggots? That's an entirely different story, and not something she's used to seeing at all. Sorry, Roxas, but she doesn't want to touch them.]

It's just part of the costume.

XD /runs to work

[summer_poprocks]

[whimpers and shoots her a pleading look, his hands unable to reach everywhere they need to]

But I can feel them, Riku!

damn you I am gagging at this image

[dawnrise]

[But how many of them are there? The expression on his face is what does it. She takes a deep breath through her nose and forces herself to move over, starting to bat them off to the ground. She really wishes her own costume came with gloves.]

I figured if it grossed me out... 8D

[summer_poprocks]

[there's quite a nest of them, as if he'd been a real corpse for more than just the short time he's been here. as they're batted away they reveal even more rotting flesh, the ripe smell soon filling the air and making Roxas gag when he happens to look down and see all the maggots on the ground that had been feasting on him only moments ago]

[dawnrise]

[Riku stumbles back quite suddenly, coughing into her arm and trying very hard not to gag herself. Breathing through her mouth sounds like a better idea, but then again.]

I think they'll be gone if we leave.

[summer_poprocks]

Which way is the door!?

[because if he loses his lunch in here, there's no telling what state it'll be in]

[dawnrise]

[Grabs him by the shoulders to turn him in the direction of the hall.]

There.

[summer_poprocks]

[and he'll reach back to grab her hand and drag her with him on his way to the door, not wanting to leave her behind in case those black things come back]

[dawnrise]

[She wasn't expecting him to do that and stumbles as a result, but she'll go along with him anyway.

...his hand isn't rotting off, is it?]

[summer_poprocks]

[don't worry, it's the other arm that's loose. once he gets through the door the change is immediate, his clothes turning back into his usual clothes and Roxas himself looking infinitely more alive]

What was that place?

[dawnrise]

Halloween Town.

[Her clothes change to her ordinary t-shirt and jeans as soon as she's in the hall, too. But before she does anything else, Riku's making sure Roxas doesn't have any more maggots on him, looking him over and running a hand down his back.]