[open]

[dreamprotector]

Who: Riku (dreamprotector) & OPEN
What: Riku wakes up after three days in stasis. Somehow the world seems different now.
When: 7/11-ish, before the next wave of awakenings
Where: Thesa station
Warning(s): KH-spoiler for 3D and 0.2, Kingdom Hurts is its own warning?


[ A – Destati ]

[Awaking is a sluggish process (or at least that's how it feels like), a feeling as though someone glued his eyes shut and put his body into ice water while he was sleeping or something. He recognizes the station as he stumbles through it, but it and the life he's lived here for months almost seem like a distant dream now.

(Dreams can be so very deceiving; Riku knows that for a fact.)

It must have been real though… and now he can't help but wonder how much time has passed since he fell asleep again, if Sora, Terra and Axel (Lea?) are still awake as well– and then stops when he passes by a monitor showing the frozen El Nysa, shivering involuntarily at the sight of Yversai's large undead form, then frowns.]

…Well, I guess it hasn't been that long if he's still around.

[…Unless the Natha somehow have taken months being unable to fix this. So yea, he really needs to track down a date. And/or people. Whichever comes first. If he only wasn't still feeling so damn shaky on his feet…]


[ B – Sweet Spirits ]

[After having assured himself that no more than a few days must have passed, Riku is making his way to the mess hall right after making a short stint to his room in the station – he doesn't have the suit case with the new set of cloths that Master Yen Sid had gifted him with anymore, hasn't even gotten to see them yet, but at least his younger self was smart enough to keep a set or two of wyver-styled threads around; it really is time for a change after all.

Dressed in comfortable black and red cloths, a little taller and without the blindfold he looks probably somewhat different to anyone who knows him – even his body language seems to have changed into something a bit more self-assured, tension drained away into what appears to be the casual arrogance of a teenager.

What really may or may not catch one's eye when he enters the mess is his companion(!?), the colorful bat flitting around the room before settling comfortable on Riku's shoulder after he gets his share of alien food. Riku really can't help but grin as he feeds small bits of blue potatoes and green jelly to the curious bat, laughing lightly as he pulls a face.]

Yea, I know. The food here doesn't quite satisfy your sweet tooth, huh? Well, it can't always be candy and ice cream, Highwind.

[The bat makes a low sound of regret, but then trills as Riku reaches up to rub his chin, eyes changing from yellow to blue. Then he pushes off of Riku's shoulder, fluttering away to see who else is in this strange new place! Maybe he can make a new friend!!! :D]


[ C – Hold Up Your Wildcard! ]

[ooc: Riku is around Thesa station and may or may not be visiting the Stasis Unit a lot more than usual, so come at me! Or maybe contact me on plurk (iceyly) and we can work out something if my prompts above don't work for you! :3]

Comments

B

[maipokerface]

[The station really isn't the most colorful of places, even if the alien food can be at times. Mai deeply regrets not getting the spicy beef jerky she always kept on hand when she rushed out at the Yversai's first bellows. Now she's stuck with blue potatoes and green jello and she's not even sure what this pink thing is but--

And then there, perching on the edge of her tray, is something way more colorful than the food. And Mai just sort of stares at it as the thing trills away at her.]

Well aren't you just eye-searingly colorful.

[Her tone of voice is droll and her expression neutral.]

[dreamprotector]

[Highwind hops forward, trilling once more cheerfully at the acknowledgment before tilting his body(?) at that pink thing. He hasn't tried that yet; is it a sweet? :o

Before he can plead Mai to give him a bite, Riku sighs and calls to intervene.]

If he bothers you, he won't mind if you chase him away.

[A tiny lie, because Highwind will be very sad not to have made a friend, but well. The bat will have to get used to that, probably. :(

Meanwhile Riku continues:]

He's just arrived, so he's very excitable.

[maipokerface]

[At the same time Riku advises her to chase the blindingly bright thing away, Mai offers it up some of the pink stuff with a spoon. Apparently it must be a dessert of some kind because it actually is sweet.

She looks over to Riku with brows raised, then shrugs nonchalantly.]

He's fine, just bright.

[Honestly he makes her think of the whelps she helps raise in the Fields. A slight pang of regret slips through her and her expression tenses briefly before it smooths back out into something neutral. Sort of.]

At least he's not bitey.

[dreamprotector]

[Highwind leans forward to try the pink food, his fur shivering with delight at the sweet taste. He trills a thanks at Mai, but stays around… maybe she'll feed him more after all! :3

Riku on the other hand laughs faintly.]

Yea, all of his kind are like that.

[Dream Eaters are kind of required to have bright colors, probably. There is no use trying to camouflage them.]

Not unless you're a Nightmare.

[Or Riku's enemy anyway. Highwind is very loyal to his partner after all.]

[maipokerface]

... Guess it depends who's opinion you take on what a nightmare is.

[She can't help but quirk a smirk there. She finds a seat and ends up alternating between eating and feeding the technicolor bat-thing more pink whatever.]

[dreamprotector]

[It's probably supposed to be a joke – even though Riku can't see what kind of nightmare she's supposed to be, he knows better than to judge by appearance. It usually doesn't end well, after all. Anyway, he might as well explain, right?]

Well, in this case Nightmares are the other side to Highwind's kind. He's a Spirit that's made of good dreams and consumes nightmares… whether they take physical forms or not.

[Highwind puffs himself up a little; even if he can't quite understand the words, he can certainly hear his name being said! Also oh yum, more of that pink stuff! Thank you, Friend!!! :D]

[maipokerface]

... Nightmares have physical forms?

[She pauses a moment.]

Real ones?

[Sure Azula and her gang were impersonating the Kemikurage which was about as nightmarish as anything she had ever seen. They were people though and not actual personified nightmares.]

C! Dated the 9th.

[icingonthecake]

Axel loved napping, but the waking up part? Not so much. Especially when he found himself waking up... standing up. Trapped behind glass.

"Wh--?"

A brief moment of vaguely claustrophobic horror later, Axel realizes that he hasn't been buried alive in some vertical glass coffin (not exactly)--it's one of the Natha's pods. He's back on El Nysa.

--Wait, had he left El Nysa? What in the worlds had happened? He remembered having been here before, but while he'd been living his real life back home (which made no sense anyway, if the worlds had been destroyed) he can't recall having had any memory of the events that had taken place here.

There's a hissing sound and the front of the pod slides open, and Axel plants a hand against his forehead, grimacing a little. He's a bit groggy, and remembers that from last time as well, but somehow his head feels so much heavier this time. Maybe because he, um. Died. According to Sora, he gets better (somehow??) but the fact remains that he still died back home, just like Sora said, and he guesses there's no more wondering whether or not the kid was telling the truth.

As the pod opens up, Axel coughs into his shoulder and groans as he leans forward to sort of stumble out of the pod, then pauses, startled when a pair of shoes meets his downturned gaze. He snaps his head up to see a familiar shock of silver hair (though much less of it).

"R... Riku?" he asks, making a face, and then his eyes narrow. "Were you... watching me sleep?"

Weirdo.

[dreamprotector]

Honestly, Riku hadn't really meant to watch Axel… or to be here the moment he woke – that's just how things turned out while he had searched the stasis unit for more or less familiar faces. He'd frowned when he'd discovered the pod about two minutes earlier, closing in on it to try to make out any differences… if it's Axel or Lea that's sleeping.

He jumps back when Axel starts to wake up, a bit startled, but also kind of obligated to stick around now. Might as well compare notes right away, right? Right.

But before any kind of kind of greeting can make it past his lips though, Axel-Lea comes stumbling out of the pod and then accuses him of what–? Okay well, in this case:

"Of course not." A small pause, a hint of mischief flashing in his eyes before he continues. "I was making sure that you don't hurt yourself waking up."

And well, wondering if he actually was going to wake sometimes soon; if he'd been sent back to sleep for the same reasons that Riku had.

[icingonthecake]

Well, there's a lot to be said for good timing, and while Axel isn't sure that watching him stumble groggily out of a glass tube is the show Riku was hoping to see today, he guesses there are much worse people to wake up to.

He squints at him, like maybe he's slightly out of focus, and then arches one eyebrow.

"Yeah, really gotta be careful, waking up," he says with no shortage of sarcasm. "All that... stretching and stuff, I could'a pulled a muscle." He drops a hand on the younger man's shoulder and gives it a gentle shake of solidarity. "I appreciate you having my back."

Oh, wait a second. He withdraws his hand then and sort of holds both of them up then, as if to show Riku he was just playing around. Sorting out the memories of what's from having been here and what's from home is going to take a moment of percolation--last he checked, Riku still doesn't trust him as far as he could throw him, really, even if he tolerates his existence somewhat. Back home, they'd reached something of an understanding, but Riku's already broken his arm once, and he really doesn't particularly want a repeat performance.

Taking a step back, he rolls his shoulders backward and stretches a kink out of his neck, then gives Riku a wary look.

"Do... you know how long I was out?" he asks, almost looking a little guilty. Well, he's pretty sure that Sora and Ryoko, if no one else, would likely have noticed his absence, and he doesn't like the idea of having worried them.

[dreamprotector]

"Well, you do look like you are just about to fall on your face, so excuse me for having some concerns. It won't happen again." Riku teases more than he is serious about that, but doesn't move to shrug off Axel-Lea's hand, comfortable enough with the contact.

He isn't about to break Axel's arm for it anyway.

As for how long he, they were out… he turns from playful to serious within seconds.

"Not for long; we must have fallen asleep around the same time; and from what I've seen it can't have been more than a few days since then, here."

Yversai is still around, anyway.

[icingonthecake]

"Well, I haven't had my coffee yet, so I have an excuse," he says with an affected huff.

He looks a little startled then when Riku continues.

"Wait, you too?" he asks, rolling one shoulder back and then stretching it. Boy, those pods are kind of uncomfortable, his back aches something fierce! He makes a gentle gesture toward Riku's face then. "That explains the haircut, I guess," he says, and then grins cheekily. "Unless it just shrank when you washed it."

Instant rimshot.

He pulls at the back of his neck and looks a little embarrassed then.

"Well, Sora was right, so far," he says, and then shakes his head. "I'm still not caught up, apparently," he says. "No Keyblade yet... but he was right about... well." He gives Riku an uncomfortable look. "I'm not see-through, am I?" he asks, almost actually sincere as he glances down at himself. "Guess I'm looking kinda spry for a dead dude..."

[dreamprotector]

Riku doesn't even bother to hide the way his eyes roll at those comments – the only person who actually thinks that Axel's jokes are funny is Axel himself probably. The best way to deal with them is just to ignore them entirely in his book – especially since they have much more serious business to discuss anyway.

He just nods when Axel trails off – he has a good idea of what time the other must be from… there is just that hint of emptiness in his scent, nothingness that Riku will always attribute to what Nobodies at least start out lacking, even if by now Axel must have something of a fledgling Heart at least. There is no way that he is as empty as the Organization made him think he was, especially not around the time of his death.

Still, he can't help but snort and comment: "I'm pretty sure that ghosts aren't supposed to have legs, so you are good on that front."

Or at least that's how the ghost stories on the Islands go. Anyway.

"Say… how much did Sora tell you about the future before anyway? I mean aside of the Keyblade-part."

Sora's sense of priority is somewhat different to Riku's and he isn't sure how much he got around to tell Axel about Xehanort's plans… or if Sora wouldn't even have tried because Axel might not believe him anyway, at least at that point. Now that Axel knows more about the future, he is probably more inclined to believe that and well… Sora probably would only downplay the Organization's interest in him anyway.

A!

[happylocksmith]

[Sora doesn't do misery.

Not outwardly anyway, but it doesn't make him feel any less miserable. He smiles, puts on a brave face, but spends more than a little bit of his time in stasis, visiting Kairi and Riku and Axel. It had been a horrible shock, and he doesn't quite know what to do about it, losing two friends so close together and with so little warning. Maybe they'll be quick waking up. Maybe it will take months.

He finds, inexplicably, that he seeks out Terra and spends the time that he's not in stasis talking to the older boy, learning about where he came from and how he had spent all his life learning the art of wielding a Keyblade. He's a little in awe, honestly. It must seem so strange to Terra that Sora's relationship with the Keyblade had begun under such extraordinary circumstances.

But it's not the same.

And what is also not the same today is Riku's pod. The door's ajar and Sora has to stop for a second to process what it means for a second before he starts to run. He doesn't know why he's running and he doesn't care.]

Riku? Riku where are you?!

[He skids round a corner and slides to a halt as he catches sight of a familiar figure from the corner of his eye. He doesn't even stop to process the new short hair before he's throwing himself at his best friend without any thought or consideration that he might knock an unprepared person flying- though, to be honest, he's really made enough noise that you'd have to be deaf not to hear him coming.]

Riku!

[Sora wants a hug and he's not about to stop until he gets one.]

[dreamprotector]

[Riku blinks as he makes his way down the corridor – his eyes still feel as though someone had taken glue to them, his limbs heavy and what feels like weakness weighting heavy on his being. It's annoying really, especially when he has so many questions right now that he wants to see answered.

He frowns when he hears the ruckus someone is making not too far from him, trampling like Pete locked into a ceramics store probably, then turns just in time when he hears his name being called.

His eyes widen a little when he recognizes Sora racing up, surprise flickering over his face (though he really shouldn't be that surprised by that reaction, really).]

Sor–

[Before he can even finish Sora's name though, the other has already collided into him and while on any ordinary day Riku could easily handle the impact, fact is that he only just woke. So, congratulations Sora! You've officially managed to sweep your BFF off his feet!

(Sheesh, was that really necessary?)]

[happylocksmith]

[(Yes Riku. Yes it was.)

Sora's never been very good about hiding his joy, he's one of those people where it radiates out of every pore of his body, makes his smile burn brighter and his laugh that much bigger that he has to let it out before it just explodes. It's only been three days, but it's been three horrible days and he has missed his best friend so much that he just can't contain his delight.

They topple to the ground like skittles and Sora's laughing in delight, trying really hard not to fall too hard on Riku or accidentally jab him anywhere with his elbows or knees.]

You're back! You're really back!

[It's a proper hug, and he'll address the other questions he might have in a moment, once he's confirmed that everything's okay.]

[dreamprotector]

[Sora's attempt to be at least a little considerate is appreciated, even if the tackle really is not. Still, it's hard for Riku to feel peeved for long when Sora is radiating so much joy with his entire being (and if Riku were to close his eyes for even a second, he's sure he'd feel his best friend's Light outright sparkling with happiness).

After a second, he closes his arms around Sora for the proper hug, turning his head a little to hide his own smile in Sora's shoulder – this much delight is kind of invective.]

I must have been asleep for a long time, if that's the greeting I'm getting.

[Which. Doesn't quite line-up with the things he's seen on the screens – if Ysverai is still a problem, then it really shouldn't have been more than a few days, right? But then again, Sora has never quite been on the other side of this particular equation, huh?

(That'll teach him not to go to sleep for a year, at least, if nothing else.)]

[happylocksmith]

[Okay, maybe it hasn't been that long, and admitting to being completely miserable over three days without his friend seems like overkill, but Sora's never had any qualms when it comes to letting his true emotions show around his best friends.]

It was three days but didn't know when you'd wake up! I thought-

[And then something registers and he draws back to look at him and his eyes widen in recognition as he takes in the shorter hair, the taller frame... it's exactly as Sora remembers leaving him in Yen Sid's tower after he passed his Mark of Mastery exam.

He laughs joyously and throws his arms around Riku for another hug.]

It doesn't matter what I thought! You're back! Did you pass the exam? You look like how I remember seeing you last before I wound up here... Master Riku.

[dreamprotector]

[Admittedly that's exactly what makes Sora himself – the care that he shows for his friends and the carelessness with that he let's his emotions show, and maybe latter is something that Riku wants to emulate just a little. Be a little Sora-esque, so to speak.]

Well, that ought to teach you about taking any unannounced naps yourself, I'd say.

[Because there had been a couple of times that Riku hadn't quite known if Sora would wake again either.

This time, when Sora throws his arms up for another hug, Riku is more prepared (it also helps that they are already sitting down). He lets his arms come up to hug Sora back and for a second he considers just answering with the straightest face and "What exam?".

He discards the thought quickly though; he supposes he can let Sora off easy on this one. Especially since they have important things to talk about anyway. Aqua's story… even if Riku was the one saved at the end, there is no denying that they couldn't have closed the Door to Darkness without her. Sora has a right to know about this too.

So…]

Yea, I passed. And while I have no idea what you've been doing since leaving the Tower, I already got my first official assignment as Keyblade Master done.

[…Granted, that assignment was to fetch Kairi, so that Yen Sid can ask her about becoming a full-fledged Keybearer, but Sora doesn't need to know that just yet. There is always a little time for teasing after all.]

B

[earthy]

[It's been a long three days.

Terra hadn't seen it coming. He'd gone to the stasis unit just to visit with his friends again. At the end of that visit, he'd decided he should go say 'hello' to Kairi, too. Maybe he'd even go check on that one stranger he'd noticed recently, if he had the time. But then he'd found Riku. Not stopping by and talking to Kairi or wandering the rows of Refugees, but trapped inside one of those pods of metal and glass, his eyes shut, his expression relaxed, almost peaceful.

Sleeping again.

There'd been a sharp, cold twinge in Terra's chest. For a while, he'd just stood there, feeling very numb.

Not him, had been all he could think. Not him.

And then later, as he'd been leaving the stasis unit: It should be me back in there. He has a lot more to offer this world. If he doesn't wake up again...

Sora had materialized at Terra's side some time after that and made himself a short, bright shadow. Terra hadn't minded his company one bit. It made sense that they should stick together, really. Maybe if they kept an eye on each other, neither one of them would follow Riku (and Axel? Terra thought he heard Sora say something about Axel...) into that strange slumber.

Two days and two nights, they'd hung out together, holding informal Keybearer sleepovers in Terra's room, talking about their worlds and friends and training and lack of training. And Riku. The possibility that he might just be sleeping for a couple days, that he might wake up remembering more of his life. After all, that does happen sometimes.

But by day three, doubt had started to creep back into Terra's heart. Those people who fell asleep and then regained some future part of themselves... They'd only slept for a day or two, right?

It's been a very long three days.

Terra's sleep is particularly fitful the third night. The nightmares only let up in the early morning hours and he ends up sleeping in late. When he finally wakes, he discovers Sora's missing from the bed over on the side wall. Panic starts to well inside him until he realizes the younger wielder's probably just off visiting Riku's pod again. Or rearranging the decorations around Kairi's.

(If they're going to be stuck up here much longer, they're going to have to get some paper and figure out origami flowers for Sora to decorate with.)

Hauling himself out of bed, Terra gets dressed and cleaned up enough to be presentable, and then he's off to catch up on his daily routine. He'll get a quick bite to eat and then head to the stasis unit. He might have to give Sora a little trouble for not waking him up earlier... or for not leaving a note or something. Maybe they'll go by the simulation rooms later, try another training session in the cold.

Still groggy and lost in his thoughts, Terra shuffles into the spacious mess hall and... promptly runs face-first into something fuzzy. Jerking backward, he finds he's staring at--]

A monster? [The Keyblade flashes into his hand as he jumps back and assumes his battle stance. Okay, now he's awake.] Here?

[He fixes the flying creature with a (admittedly slightly confused) glare. It's... so pink. And bright yellow. And really smiley? Maybe its appearance serves as some sort of ruse...? Well, Terra's not about to be caught off-guard here.]

I won't let you cause trouble! We've had enough of that already!

[Come save your batbat from being smashed into a fine pulp by a Keyblade, Riku.]

[dreamprotector]

[Highwind keeps flapping his wings, smiling widely at the newcomer. Friend? Friend!! :DDD

The appearance of the Keyblade doesn't seem to bother him at all – he's helped Riku consume plenty of Nightmares after all – but why is his new Friend claiming that he's causing trouble? He is just introducing himself, he isn't causing any trouble at all; it's not like he's a trouble maker like Veles, the Majic Lapin! D:

Thankfully, Riku is picking up on the trouble quickly enough – how can he not with Terra basically radiating threat from the entrance into the mess hall – though, from one second to the next he kind of feels just a little self-conscious

(Facing Terra here is different from Sora or Axel-Lea, because of who Terra is to him and because of what he remembers now, the Keyblade that is now his, the things he has learned and the title he has earned himself.)

He ignores all those thoughts and the sudden awkwardness in favor for rescuing his bat partner.]

You don't have to worry about him causing trouble. Highwind is a well behaved Dream Eater.

[Hearing his name, the bat zips away and over to Riku, readily letting himself be petted. Pats are always welcomed!]

[earthy]

[Terra's so focused on the big, 'bad' bat, he doesn't notice someone stand up from a table and start to walk over. He's just wondering why the monster isn't attacking him, and if he should try to goad it into doing so to get a feel for whatever powers it might have, when a familiar voice interrupts his strategy pondering.

His head turns to follow the monster's hasty retreat to the source of that voice.

To Riku.

Terra slowly straightens up out of his fighting stance. And then he just stands there, staring. It takes him a moment to find his voice.]

You're awake...

[Sorry, Highwind, you've been temporarily forgotten about. :( Although, that may be a good thing, all things considered.]

[dreamprotector]

[Riku briefly pulls his attention away from Terra, a faint smile on his lips as he combs his fingers through Highwind's fur, letting the komory bat settle on his shoulder.

Then he lets his hand drop away, resisting the urge to scratch at the back of his head. He is so not going to act awkward now, nope.]

Uh yea. I woke a couple of hours ago.

[Most of which had been taken up by Sora catching him up on the last three days, sort of. (Or more or less, Sora making sure that Riku wouldn't go back to sleep the second he turned his back anyway.)]

[earthy]

[Terra goes on staring at Riku, like he can't quite believe what he's seeing right now.]

Your blindfold's gone.

[His grip on his Keyblade starts to slip a little. Absently, he dismisses the weapon.]

Your eyes...

[They're not gold anymore. They're the same color they were the day they first met, back on that small, warm world that was Riku's home.]

[dreamprotector]

[Sheesh Terra, if you keep staring right that Riku is going to start wondering if he has something on his face or so. Especially when he starts commenting on the sudden(?) lack of a blindfold and the color of his eyes… yea, his hand may or may not start twitching a little as he fights the urge to comb his bangs into his eyes to hide them at least a little. It wouldn't do any good anyway, at its current length.]

Uh, yea… I don't need it anymore. We found a way to- well… around that.

[Him being stuck as Terra's evil twin and such.

If a "way around" is exposing yourself to the focused Light of who-knows-how-many bottled-up hearts anyway... not that Riku really had expected the result he had gotten at the time, but well… Ansem the Wise did say that anything could happen.]