damned_institute | Day 26: Cafeteria, Lunch

Entry tags:

Day 26: Cafeteria, Lunch

Scar felt cold and sick, though more the latter than the former. As he rose from his bed, he didn't quite know which way was up, and the artificial light coming from overhead seemed as hot and as blinding as the Ishbal sun.

His head hurt, but that was nothing new. After all, the last thing he remembered from the night before was fighting a homunculus off of Lust and then having a conversation about events best left forgotten. The man hadn't been his brother. He just hadn't. And if what Lust had said they'd done to her was true...

Scar stood with shakiness that he wanted to attribute more to a bizarrely weakened physical state than a mental one. Had he been knocked out by some kind of lurking monster before the morning had come? He felt as if he had been out for days, being a veteran of such circumstances, though as he took the practiced role of being an obedient follower behind the nurse and orderlies that came for him, it didn't seem as if much had changed.

This place was probably just playing tricks on him again, and he was tired of being the man left out of the loop. He grabbed some food he didn't really care for and sat down, not seeing anyone he knew already seated. On one hand, he wished he had someone to talk to, and on the other, it scared him that he was no longer used to being alone.

He dug his fork into his food and tried to block out any related thought.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I've no reason to leave; you killed me and I've no way of regaining my heart. Therefore, nothing to return to." Insolent child. Had he not interfered, X would not be in this situation in the first place! There came the intense need to slit the Keybearer's throat with a stray card then and there and rip the boy's infuriating heart out with his bare hands… but that would mean solitary refinement for who knows how long, and Luxord truly did not like being locked away. In its stead, he only crossed his arms over his chest and remained calm despite the discussion.

"Do tell," the Nobody spoke once more, back to examining the half-empty glass, "what became of you and your friends when I passed? I'm quite fond of happy endings."

"So are you just trying to make the best of this place, then?" Sora took another bite of his food and then pulled his legs up into his chair, crossing them Indian style. It wasn't like the Nobody had any other option - but at least he had some second chance as opposed to nothing at all. Though he was sure Luxord would have preferred that Xemnas' plan had been a success and he had gotten his heart back...

Sora blinked over at the man at the question. Was he serious, or was he just being sarcastic? Still, there was no reason not to tell him, so... "We defeated Xemnas, and then Riku and I found a way from the World of Darkness back to our home, where we met up with Kairi and the others. Oh, and Roxas and Naminé were reunited." Hopefully, Luxord would at least be happy to hear that last bit.

The Gambler had to raise an eyebrow at the boy's question. "You enjoy asking redundant questions, don't you?" Logic would dictate if he was staying he would have to make the best of it. ~~Redundant Sora is redundant.~~

Sigh. He'd be better off conversing with one of II's Snipers. Or a Dancer. Although the latter tended to drag him into impromptu dances for no reason.

So, Naminé and Roxas had their happily ever afters at the expense of everyone else. While Naminé at least deserved one, Roxas… Had he not been Sora's Nobody, Luxord was sure the brat would have perished too. But that was how it always worked out, wasn't it? In the end, Luxord only seemed to become dour, head turned away from Sora.

Hmph.

Honestly, Sora didn't see any reason to respond to that, seeing how he wasn't the one who had approached Luxord wanting to chat. He made a face at the Nobody before turning his attention back to his food. He was a little better about not completely slurping the noodles this time.

Couldn't the Nobody find someone else to talk to? There were a few other Organization members around, and this conversation of theirs wasn't going anywhere. But maybe he had more to say - for some reason, Sora couldn't flat-out tell him to leave. It was his fault Luxord was dead, so the least he could do was give him the light of day when he wanted to talk, even if it was annoying.

If Sora would not speak, Luxord would not fault him. The Gambler only stared off, eyes unfocused and posture becoming gradually lax.

"Why do you wish to escape?" It came eventually, quiet and calm. "You choose to run when you could just as easily fight."

That was actually a good question, and Sora's attention turned back to Luxord as he pushed his plate of food away. He'd had enough.

"I'm not really sure what I should do. Part of me just wants to go home, but I also think that what's going on here has to stop. I just don't know if there's actually any way to stop it." Usually he didn't engage in that kind of hopelessness, but had they really been able to make any progress thus far? He was doing what he could, but he wasn't sure if that was good enough.

The awareness returned to the Nobody's mien, and he shot Sora a small grin. "You've protected the worlds, overcome countless enemies, slain a thousand Heartless with naught the help of another… and yet you find the outcome of these odds bleak." Luxord tsked, shaking his head in mock shame. "I truly believed you'd more resolve than such, child."

"However can you trust those friends of yours to help your plight and desire of exodus, yet cannot find that burdening strength and 'love' for them adequate to defeat a man behind a microphone?"

He smiled grimly, eyes making a point to sear into the Keybearer's own. "You're pathetic."

Oh, so now he had taken to insulting him for seemingly no reason? Sora tensed, balling his fists as he glared across the table at Luxord.

"It's not like I'm giving up! I never give up. But this is a little different from what I'm used to. There aren't any Heartless, or Keyholes, or even new paths to open. Everyone's been captured here, and we're weaker than usual. I can't always call my Keyblade when I need it, and it won't even unlock doors like it used to. I can't even cast a basic Cure spell!"

Maybe he had been strung a little tight over the passing days. Maybe things had been harder than he'd expected. Maybe he wasn't as much of a help as he was used to being. He wasn't the one true hero that fixed everyone's problems this time, and that frustrated him more than he'd realized.

But one thing he didn't need was for someone to point it out and mock him for it!

He slumped in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest as his mouth pulled into a pout. "Will you leave me alone already?" His reservations about shooing the man away seemed to have disappeared.

How simple to twist the heart and procure the desired emotions. Luxord eyed the Keybearer like a child would a kaleidoscope; fascinated at the endless combinations and colors. How simple it was to break…

Once more, the Gambler flicked his wrist, three cards appearing in his hand. The Queen of Hearts, the Jack of Diamonds, and the King of Clubs all stared back at the boy, seemingly hand in hand. One by one, they fell; slipping from the blond's hand and without his stopping them, they tumbled to the table's surface.

"So it would seem your proclamation," and here he mimicked the child, "'my friends are my power' is simply that of a fool wishing to cast a veil on their reality." Luxord waved his hand dismissively, his cards vanishing as effortlessly as they came. "Or do you not believe in them now that you've all grown older and farther away?"

This time, Sora couldn't help paying attention to the cards. King, Queen, Jack... He almost had a feeling for what those were supposed to represent, but he wasn't going to make any guesses aloud. If he got it wrong, the gambler would just mock him for it.

"That's not it at all," he said with a firm shake of his head. He had managed to calm down fairly quickly, mainly because he had realized that Luxord was probably trying to get him to react like that. It wasn't like he could feel anything, so maybe he thrived off of observing emotions in others? Whatever.

"We're finally together again. If anything, I feel closer to them than ever! Knowing they're here, and that we have to look out for each other, makes me determined to beat this place. And really, it doesn't matter where we are so long as we're with each other." His optimism would probably just make the Nobody groan, but Sora was fine with that - he was asking for it, after all.

"Which begs the question," Luxord replied, fingers tapping against his chin and head canted in an oddly innocent gesture, "why are you not watching them now?" At the last word, his eyes went to glancing over the cafeteria, one minute to gaze at a certain silver-haired boy conversing with II, the next to take note of the Princess of Heart happily playing with VIII. "For ones so close… you are dreadfully distant."

Curiouser and curiouser. One would think that with all their time apart, nothing could separate them now. But the proof only lay right in front of him; hearts were not as linked as he imagined, it seemed.

How depressing.

The Nobody fixated Sora with a smirk of that of a Cards Dealer, of a Ringmaster, and held his hands to the boy. As before, the cards slid from his sleeves, and he placed them in a pile between them, despite their distance. "Let's play a game," he said, voice inviting, yet oddly sinister, as he placed his hands onto the face-down tower. In a blink, his hands moved, separated, and in their wake lie three groups of six cards, faces hidden and aligned in vertical rows.

"I truly question what cards Fortuna has concealed for you and your friends, if you are as connected together as you claim."

It wasn't like Sora didn't have an idea of where his friends were. As for Kairi, Sora knew that Axel wasn't going to do anything to her. Sure, he had been the one to take her before, but it was the rest of the Organization who had locked her up. And Riku? Well, Sora knew that he could handle himself. If he went over and tried to act all protective, his friend would probably just get irritated.

"Distant? Nope! We were all together last shift, so..." Looks like this time around, the Organization wanted to bother all of them. It almost felt planned, except that he knew Axel didn't work with the rest of them any longer. "It's not like we have to be together all the time, you know! So long as I know they're close." Everyone needed their space from time to time, after all.

As for the game, Sora wasn't so sold on that. He eyed the cards that had been set down and then glanced up at the gambler. He was in enough of a mood that he was able to reply with a decidedly bratty, "Why should I?" This was just going to be used to make him feel bad about something else, so he saw no reason why he should go along with it.

~~Besides, he didn't want to get turned into a card or die again.~~

If Sora would not rise to the bait this very moment, it was fine with Luxord. After all, mere suggestion was a powerful thing indeed. He'd let it go for now, so long as the idea had been implanted…

At Sora's snappish answer however, Luxord only chuckled. He gestured to the cards with one hand, a perverse grin on his face. "Because, dear boy. They know something you do not." He folded his hands back into his lap. "Aren't you curious?"

Usually, Sora would have been all over playing some sort of game. After all, games were supposed to be fun, and who was he to say no to something like that? He'd gotten to play lots of stuff during his journeys and really enjoyed some of it. Like sliding down the trees with Tarzan!

But this just seemed like he was being lured into a trap. "It's not like that stuff means anything. I'm not gonna listen to what it says, anyway." There was usually one thing he fell back on and listened to when he was unsure of something, and that was his heart. And right now, he got the feeling that playing along wouldn't do him any good.

Why, that loathsome little… How dare he insinuate…!

Hmph. Seems the brat held more in common with his Nobody than the Gambler took notice.

Although his eyes held a menacing glare, his mouth kept the grin. In one, swift motion, the cards were back into Luxord's palm, only to slide down into that long sleeve of the Landel's-issue coat. "They mean more than you know," he shot back icily.

It looked like Luxord wasn't going to push it. That was good. Maybe he would have been more inclined to play along if the Nobody hadn't put him in such a bad mood beforehand. But it didn't really matter, since the shift was ending, anyway.

Luxord's comment didn't seem to have much weight to it, but Sora had been enough of a brat for now, so he didn't toss back an obnoxious response. "I'll... see you around," he said, though he didn't sound too happy about that fact.

Now, showers. Augh.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Day 26: Cafeteria, Lunch

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject