kingdomdressing | (no subject)

[There's a place that looks awfully like Castle Oblivion, here. And a rather confused looking white-haired boy stepping into it, out of a room full of the sounds of wild falling waters. He turns, looking back the way he came, yelling back-]

Grandfather? Terra? Can you see this? I-

[Peek in. Peek out. Rub his head. Something's wrong - something's very wrong. But he'd just stepped from home, with his grandfather-namesake and his older brother and all his family, to out here, and that isn't something that's supposed to happen. You don't just - step out of the world. Not out of somewhere you're meant to fit in.

Still, curiosity's built into Xehanort almost by definition. Muttering directions under his breath to make sure things are okay, he heads onwards, through the shining white corridors... because he's going to get to the bottom of this.

The fact that he never had a grandfather or a brother in that sense isn't occurring to him right now.
Nor is the fact that the room's changing behind him.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yeaaaaah, let's just say there's bad blood there. I mean, sure, it wasn't like we actually knew each other but hey, a job's a job.

A job? He's your nephew! My brother! And you ... who ...

[Still stammering here, and backing away a little.]

But you - what do you mean, you didn't know each other...

Okay. From the top, then. Xehanort - Master Xehanort, not you - isn't my dad. He's some old coot who came to the Garden looking for a bit of help in a couple of things. Terra... hell if I know who's kid he was, but I don't exactly have brothers.

So, the old coot asked, I helped because he had a good offer and well, you saw what happened. Wasn't expecting the darkness though.

[He drops his head into his hands. All those words - so cold, so chilling. His response is weak when it comes.]

Is that what you meant when you said I don't have a family? Is any - are any of you ... are we all just meant to be enemies?

Trust me, kid. It's a lot worse than you know. I mean, you n' me, we aren't enemies, but a happy family? As if.

[He slumps against a mirror; images flicker in it as he does so.

Happy, so many of them.
But fragmented and false.]

... How bad is it?

You sure you wanna know?

I don't want to know. I want things to be alright again. I want to be talking to my favourite uncle and not some guy who Grandfather hired to try and fight with someone who I thought was my brother...

Is that really all I am to you? I'm still me. The background's just changed.

I don't know who you are. That's the problem. I don't know how much any of what I know has to do with reality...

[Tired and subdued-]

...Show me something. Anything. I don't want this to be all there is.

Aaaaaaaalright.

[The mirror flickers restlessly for a moment, before settling on a scene of happier days, from before the Garden had fallen to darkness. Just another day in the castle, with people talking and good spirits all around.

And if Braig is getting up to no good - and he is - it's at least the harmless sort.]

[He manages a bit of a smile.]

So at least that's real.

Yeah. You've still got all of us.

Ah, I should mention we aren't related, though. Not by things like blood anyway.

I worked out that much. You and me, I mean... so, how do we all know each other?

[Hoping like anything that it's not going to be 'hired to beat each other up' all round.]

You wouldn't happen to know Ansem the Wise, would you?

My teacher?

[Not 'father' for once in his life given the situation.]

He was the ruler of Radiant Garden. Kinda hard to get away from a dude like that if you're in the castle guard, much less if you're one of his apprentices.

[A bit of a laugh-] I was almost expecting it to be worse. Are Even and Aeleus and everyone still his apprentices too?

Yep. Good luck getting Even out of the labs, though.

[He's smiling, now-] At least that's still as I remember.

It'd take more than a world's worth of difference to change Even. D'you know he's still at it even after the Heartless came?

Edited 2012-07-16 22:12 (UTC)

... I can believe it. Whatever those things are you keep mentioning.

Right, forgot about that. They're darkness. Look kinda like this.

[And lo, the mirror helpfully displays a Shadow.]

... I'm not sure if that's adorable or creepy.

They'll steal your heart if you aren't careful.

(no subject)

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