• day 6 •

[otherness]

[Roxas looks worse for wear. He's tired and exhausted if his face is anything to go by. His signature black coat is gone, leaving him in a dirty, bloodstained shirt and pants. All the fight in his eyes has gone. The blood is old, at least.]

Didn't think I could still come here. [His voice is quiet, almost disbelieving. He gets up, carefully feeling the air in front of him for hidden walls, and then he begins to walk. His steps are slow, careful, and tender.

He stops in front of the movie theater and doesn't move for a long time, just looking at the sign.]

Comments

[desertdaggers]

That's something. [but…]

Your punishment? Why? What happened, anyway?

[otherness]

[Roxas keeps his eyes down.]

Because I had to kill one of my best friends. And the other-- he didn't want me to leave.

[They'd talked about it briefly before, so Roxas is okay with just coming out and saying it.]

No matter how I look at it, there's no way I could save anything. There's no way I could change anything. I'm probably... going to die here, all locked up. The scary thing is... I think I'm okay with that.

[desertdaggers]

[he hisses a breath out through his teeth still, fingers clenching.]

Why, though? Why any of that?

[he can half understand that, not that that makes it any better, and he puts his hands together, knuckles turning white.]

No. What's done can't be changed… but you can't do anything to make sure something like that doesn't happen again- to someone else- if you're locked away.

[otherness]

[Hawk, too, has had to lose a brother. Isn't that what he said before? Roxas can open up that much, knowing-- knowing he's not alone, but he still feels miserable.]

Because I couldn't stay. The people I was working for-- they were wrong. They just wanted to destroy everything. I couldn't allow that.

[Hawk does have a point. Roxas looks up at him, eyes wide.]

... You really think I could do that?

[desertdaggers]

Yeah. I don't think… no, I couldn't stay with people like that. Not if there were any other options.

[he gives Roxas a firm nod- he managed, one way or another. There's no reason Roxas couldn't.]

I'm certain. And if you wanted a hand- or two-, I'm happy to lend you mine.

[otherness]

[That kind of faith in others is astounding. Roxas' respect for Hawk just went up like three hundred percent. Maybe someday he can be like that... He has a hard time to believing in anything right now.

But there's someone who can believe in things /for/ him. That makes a difference. He lets out a little breath.]

... Thanks. It means a lot.

[When he gets back...]

I'm being kept in a place that doesn't have a lock. So if I want out, I think I have to find outside help.

Maybe Riku...?

[desertdaggers]

You're welcome. [he smiles, glad to have helped even a little. It's that belief that something can be done that keeps people going, after all- the hope that nothing is set in stone. It's important.]

Without a lock? That's tricky… not quite my field. What about the rest of the room? [assuming that's what it is.]

[he tilts his head a little, leaning in] Riku? Someone from your world?

[otherness]

[He's starting to feel a little like it might not be hopeless.]

It's nothing special, just an old basement.

[He wiggles his toes, thinking.]

Yeah... He can come to the Plane, too. But we're... not really friends.

[desertdaggers]

So… a trapdoor with something on it? Something like that?

[tricky. he wriggles his fingers, and then puts his hands together, stretching out a little.]

But… not enemies, either, I hope. [otherwise going to ask him for something doesn't quite add up.]

[otherness]

Ah... actually, there's some bars, but I'm not strong enough to bend them. I can see the door and I know there's stairs and another room beyond that.

[Roxas watches Hawk stretch. He looks like he has experience getting into all sorts of places. Or getting out.]

... No, not really. His best friend is someone I... I'm connected to.

[desertdaggers]

[he nods, brows furrowing] Well, that's something to start with… we just have to figure out what to do about the bars. I'm probably not strong enough to bend them either. [given he kind of threw himself at the ones back home and that didn't work out so well…]

[more or less!]

How so? [he tilts his head a little, eyebrows raised.]

[otherness]

I'll think of something. There has to be a way.

[He brushes his bangs out of his eyes and looks away.]

I was... split off from him, like a copy.

[desertdaggers]

Mm. If we bounce ideas off each other, I'm sure we'll find something.

But- with your own will? [otherwise- they'd be exactly the same, and both able to come to the Plane… he doesn't remember seeing anyone else like Roxas.]