pieces_net | His explaining. It's here... In video!

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His explaining. It's here... In video!

[We begin with a view of Sora's room in the Big House in the Woods. The placement of the camera suggests that it's sitting on the night table next to the bed. Sora is off camera at the moment and some paper can be heard being shuffled around. He walks into frame and tosses a small pile of papers onto the bed.]

Ok, this... is going to be a lot to explain.

[There's a slightly colder undertone to his voice, but it might only be apparent to ~~Riku~~ someone who knows him very well. At any rate, he picks up one of the papers he's tossed onto the bed and holds it up for the camera. It's a printed photo of a Shadow Heartless. He has to have gotten it from somewhere the little beasties are hanging out.]

It starts with the Heartless. Some of you probably know and one of you definitely knows that they're made up of the Darkness in peoples' Hearts. How strong a Heartless is is determined by how strong a person's Darkness is. The weakest Darkness leaves these or weaker.

[He emphasizes 'these' with a shake of the print, indicating Shadows.]

There are two different main kinds of Heartless, but the difference isn't all that important right now. At any rate, they can be made when a Heartless attacks a person and pulls their Heart into darkness or if a person falls into their own Darkness or otherwise loses their Heart. But.

[He tosses the paper aside and picks up another one. It has only a picture of an emblem on it. Said emblem appears to be a thorny cross sitting atop a heavily stylized, upside down heart.]

I have no pictures on hand and no art skills to draw them, so you get an emblem for the other creature than can be formed when a person loses their Heart. They're called Nobodies and they're only formed when a very strong willed person loses their Heart. The stronger the Heart, the stronger the Nobody. The strongest ones still look as they did before losing their Hearts, although there might be some differences. Nobodies are very rare compared to Heartless, but if a person had a strong enough Heart, there will be both a Heartless and a Nobody. Even the weakest Nobodies only come from fairly strong Hearts.

[He tosses this picture aside and is about to pick another one up when he pauses and seems to be listening to something. Someone's talking to him obviously. He sighs and then chuckles softly.]

Good point. By the way, this isn't Sora talking. My name is Roxas. I'm the one Sora was arguing with in that bunny video and there's a reason I'm explaining Heartless and Nobodies here. See, the thing is, Sora lost his Heart once. Or rather, he cast it out himself because someone else's Heart was hiding within and he didn't know how else he could give it back to her. Yes, her. A girl. Her name is Kairi. Aside from being a near suicidal gesture, it worked, but it had the expected consequence. There was a Heartless, a little Shadow, and a Nobody. A high level Nobody. Yeah, that's me. The Shadow, with a little help from Kairi, became Sora again. The Nobody... well, I don't really have anything interesting to tell. Obviously, at some point, we met up. Actually, it was a year later, which seems to have been long enough. Maybe it was because we stayed apart for so long, maybe something else caused it, but when he got back together, our personalities stayed separate. We're still learning to deal with it.

[Now he picks up the third paper, smirking. It's a picking of stick figures of varying kinds, some clearly meant to represent Heartless and some meant to represent people wearing cloaks. At least one of the cloaked figures is holding a Keyblade.]

This is what you would have gotten if Sora had his way for this presentation. Not exactly relevant, but I wasn't kidding about the lacking art skills. We both suck. Erm, obviously, we can take turns controlling this body and while it... isn't the most pleasant thing, either one of us can forcibly take over if there's a ne-- urgh!

[He stops suddenly and puts a hand to his/Sora's head. He seems to suddenly have a very bad headache or maybe even like he's struggling with something. He's clearly a little bit annoyed when he turns his attention back to the camera.]

Apparently, Sora thinks I shouldn't have told you guys that last bit. I don't see why not, though. Neither of us has ever done it with any intention of causing harm. If anything, we're still here because one of us had the sense to put a stop to whichever stupid mistake the other was making at some point or another. Anyway, I think that's everything.

[The video ends with him reaching to turn the camera off. Within a minute or so of the video going up, there's a text edit to the post....]

---

Edit: Sora here. Roxas forgot to mention he can be a brat sometimes.

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You must realize that all of this sounds rather insane.

I must concur with the young Sephiroth on this matter. While the subjects of reconstituted individuals, re-purposed hearts, and reintegrated minds remain plausible based on personal experience (and with two out of these three based on my own youthful handiwork), the blood-stained annals of Science! certainly leave no room for purely benign intentions behind any product of those blasted Sparks!

Still, the lad certainly seems to lack any external signs of a Construct nature. I will have to perform a closer analysis when we meet in person. Sora and-or Roxas, do you have a known maximum tolerable voltage?

...

I don't believe their situation was in any way caused by a Spark.

Ok, we have clearly missed something. What is a spark?

I don't know but, he blames them for everything without an obvious cause.

Maybe they're really troublesome on his world...

It's likely. I doubt they're the cause of every possible problem though.

That makes sense.

To hear that the extent of your youthful ignorance draws the very word "Spark" into its circumference brings joy to my heart!

I wish that I could join you in doubting their near omni-present proscription of peace but even the very weather sometimes bends to their ultimately nefarious wills!

If one cannot reasonably blame those that can create a rain of cow-weasel hybrids (especially fierce when sopping wet) for every other possible problem, who else can one blame?

...Othar, Sora's a good guy. I think we would have noticed by now if he was some mad scientist's evil creation or something.

Given your own nature as an unverified but nonetheless potential Construct, prospective sidekick, I suppose that you could have special insight into such an analysis. The tests can wait until the times put less strain on my heroic efforts.

I already told you, I'm not a--oh, forget it. Just keep your lab equipment away from any of us, alright?

That is creepy... I think I'm going to stay away from the island you came with now.

But... Aside from disagreeing sometimes, you're okay with each other, right?

'Creepy' might be a strong word, but it definitely is a little odd. That might be a good idea. So might staying away from the castle that came with Riku.

Yeah.

...You really don't think those Heartless things are creepy?

Well, maybe a little, I guess. Maybe I'm just used to seeing them. ~~Nobodies, on the other hand...~~

It's not really their appearance that's creepy...

Heh, I guess not. I don't know what to say really. Maybe I've just dealt with them too much to be creeped out anymore.

[If Riku hadn't seen this, he would have commented to Sora's last post right away, asking...no, demanding to know what was wrong. Instead, he listens to this, and...

Well.]

Sor-

[but the text ends right there. If one were to see him, they would know that Riku was throwing the laptop down (with no regards to it's safety), and leaving, walking straight to where Sora was shown in the video.]

Sora?

[Sora's flopped on the bed, netbook in his lap on top of one of the books he's swiped from Castle Oblivion, wondering about the cut off comment when Riku gets to him. Aaand... he sighs. He knew Riku was going to be worried. He knew they were going to have to talk about it... again. This timeline stuff was starting to give him a headache. At least it seemed that Riku hadn't seen the bunny cam post first.]

Yeah?

[There was always some stuff in this he was going to tell only to Riku, but that's a lame way to start the conversation...

[Too bad you're wrong about the bunny cam thing, Sora - he saw both, in rapid succession.

Excuse him if he's freaking out and being a little irrational right now.]

...that is you, right?

[It's not accusatory, but it is firm...but Sora, if anybody, will be able to hear the worry laced in those words.]

[This is also something he was kind of expecting. He remembers how it went in his own time, where Riku already knew about Roxas and he knows it's going to be at least a little different here.]

Yeah, it's me.

[And it really is. Though, he understands if Riku's a bit skeptical.]

Alright.

[For a minute, he doesn't look at Sora - he stares at a wall and takes a few steps towards it, as if trying to keep himself occupied while he thinks. Where should he even start? What should he ask?]

Just...start from the beginning, again. With the Nobodies.

[Sora closes the netbook and puts it aside. They had breezed through the explanation kind of quick, so it was only fair to fill it in a bit. There had been some information left out.]

Ok. Well, Nobodies are separate beings that can be created when someone loses their Heart. It has to be a really strong Heart, though and, uh... they're basically what's left when the Heart and its darkness are gone. And some of them can still look like who they were and remember who they were before. Those are the strongest ones.

[He pauses here, going over the information in his head. He's reasonably certain that what Riku really wants more information on is Roxas, but there's a joke about assuming and asses for a reason so he decides to wait until Riku actually asks for that info.]

They can be pretty cruel too, but that might be because they can't exactly connect with others without Hearts. Probably why they want so much to get them back.

Beings that aren't Heartless or humans...and the strongest look human?

[That sounds familiar. What does it remind him off...?

Oh. He suddenly turns around, looking Sora straight in the eye.]

Those people back at Castle Oblivion, in the black coats. Were they Nobodies?

[Well, he knew this question was going to come up eventually.]

Yeah, they were.

[He had met three of them - all suspicious, and all absolutely reeking with the smell of darkness.

...and Sora had one of those things inside of him?!]

Did your Nobody - this Roxas guy - work with them?

That was the question Sora had been expecting. He knew why it worried Riku and it really hadn't been that much different in his own timeline. Still, he had a question to answer and he had to try not to make Riku worry more with his answer.

"For a while, yeah," he said thoughtfully, certain he was still going to stick his foot in his mouth somehow, "Then again, somehow he didn't remember anything. They had promised to help him figure out who he was if he used the Keyblade to fight Heartless and collect Hearts for them. He was mad when he figured out that they weren't keeping their end and he left when he found out what they were actually doing with the hearts they were collecting."

He paused to let that sink in a bit and try to guess at what Riku might ask next. Roxas had other ideas, though.

Careful, Sora. If we're trying not to fool around with the way things will happen, he doesn't need to know now that he'll actually meet me. We don't even know if it would change things if he did know.

'And you don't think he already suspects that?' Sora replied, catching himself before he said it out loud, 'Think of the time he came from. He already knows who he's dealing with and now he knows what they are... er, were. That's why he's asking about your involvement.'

It didn't seem like Roxas was going to reply at first, but then, You know, if some of those science fiction stories you like have it right, we're either screwed already or making a new timeline...

[A thing born from Sora, without Sora's memories...working with those guys from the castle. One of them.

The situation may be completely different, but Riku's first instinct is the same - worry over Sora's well-being. Roxas - whatever he was - was still part of Sora. Not only that, but he betrayed the group he was working with. If all of that was true, then how awful could he be?

But Riku had learned to expect the unexpected. That's why he wanted to know everything...and understand as much as possible.]

And what was their game? What were they doing collecting Hearts?

[It's obvious that it's going to take a lot to ease Riku's worries. Still, Sora's reasonably certain he can.

Although that last remark from Roxas wasn't helping any...]

They were trying to gather enough power to rival the Heart of All Worlds and create a new world. I think their leader had convinced them that creating that new world was the way to get their Hearts back. I don't know quite what was up with the ones in Castle Oblivion, though...

[He regrets that last bit, about the half of the Organization in Castle Oblivion, even as he finishes saying it.]

You're saying that the ones in Castle Oblivion might have been up to something else?

[He won't let himself try to figure out the situation - not yet. Not when there's still so much he doesn't understand.]

[Sora wonders if maybe he was better off letting everyone thinks he was crazy, but shoves the thought aside. He has a question to try to answer.]

Yeah. Some of them at least. I don't know a whole lot about it, but I think maybe some of them figured out they were being used. I, uh... I don't remember what happened in there, really. Everything I do know, I was told about later.

[Sora ignores a mental nudge from Roxas here, as he's intentionally mentioning the memory tampering.

When I was there, it seemed like they were...experimenting, for some reason. But they weren't saying much.

...but, if you were there, too, then why don't you remember?

[Or, more accurately - "Does you not remembering have anything to do with Roxas?" because that topic is burned onto his brain right now.]

I think they were.

[Ah, that question. He knew it was coming.]

Part of their reason for luring me there. At least two of them were trying to take over the Organization and their plan called for having another Nobody who wasn't part actually part of the Organization rewrite my memory. She... didn't really want to do it though, so when we wiped out the others, she did what she could to fix my memory. That included erasing memories of what happened in the castle.

[Oh, Sora suspects that, but he's not sure how he's going to explain what Roxas has to do with it. He knows Riku's worried because he has or had his own problems with an entity within and he wants to make sure Riku understands that Roxas isn't a threat. Boy does he have his work cut out for him...]

[Yeah, you have your work cut out for you, Sora. You have no idea.]

But why would she have to take some of your memories to fix the rest? It sounds...!

[He's almost ashamed to realize that his first instinct is to assume that this Nobody girl is hiding something...especially when it sounds like Sora trusts in her unwillingness and desire to fix what went wrong. On the one hand, Sora doesn't remember everything. On the other hand, he himself knows nothing.

...he had to calm down. He couldn't jump to conclusions so quickly. Leaping before he looked had never gotten him anywhere good before, so he shouldn't do it now. Riku takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly while he tries to get his thoughts in order.

He doesn't know, he doesn't know...there's so much that he doesn't know that he can't figure out where to start.]

...sorry. So I guess Roxas told you about all of this?

[He sees how unsettled Riku is, which why he's doing his best to stay calm. Patience isn't exactly his forte, but he's aware of how important it is right now.]

The memories of what happened in the castle were made while she was taking the rest of my memory apart and rearranging it.

[Buddy, he's trying to tell you in a way that won't upset you too much. And it has occurred to him that he might have to tell Riku just who that Nobody girl is, but how to go about that... And for that matter, the fact that Sora slept for a year while his memory was being fixed and while lost ones were being found... On thing at a time.]

He told me what he knew of it, which wasn't much. They kept him out of the loop quite a bit. He knew something important was happening there and he knew there'd been one Nobody there who had faked dead to me after I fought and didn't return to their home base right away when it was all done with.

[No more dancing around - Riku wants to know so much...but there's one thing he needs to know.]

Is Roxas a threat?

[At least it's an easy question to answer, though he's pretty sure it'll lead into more questions somehow.]

No, he's not.

...alright. If you can trust him, then so can I.

[It's almost the truth - after everything that has happened, he trusts Sora's instincts now more than ever. But he's suspicious. He can't not be.

...but he has to try not to be, at the very least. For Sora's sake.]

Thank you. I know it was kind of weird to find out about him like this.

[Sora knows 'weird' is the wrong word. Roxas suggests that 'scary' is probably correct, but probably also putting it mildly. Sora ignores Roxas for the moment.]

[Roxas is very, very right. Still, Riku sees no reason to correct his friend.]

Yeah, you could say that.

But...I guess it could have been worse.

[And here he tries to force a smirk - which works, mostly.]

I suppose it could have been worse. But I don't think worrying about what could have been is very helpful.

[He sees that, buddy. You're still worried, he can tell. Still, if you've calmed down sufficiently, he's going to relax a bit too. He's considering asking Riku if he wants to talk to Roxas himself, but decides maybe that can wait.]

[He considered asking to talk to Roxas, himself. But right now...

He couldn't do it right now. Something to save for later.]

Yeah. Maybe you're right.

[Whenever he was ready, he just needed to let it be known. Sora would wait until then.

In the mean time, if there is anything else Riku wants to ask that can be answered without screwing time over ~~any more than he probably already had anyway~~, Sora is ready to answer. Of course, he's just as willing to let things descend into goofing off or a less loaded topic of conversation. Either way, he gives Riku a confident, and maybe slightly mischievous, smile.]

What do you mean 'maybe'?

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His explaining. It's here... In video!

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[action] *also curses notifs for misbehaving*

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Urg, prose tag because there'd be way too many italics otherwise... That and the brain wants it...

sob, I am too derp for prose right now. ;;

It's okay.

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*punts E-mail* I want my notifs without refreshing the inbox, dammit

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x_x Let's try this again logged in...

fff, logging in is overrated.

Maybe a little, but it is useful.

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I have no idea where else we would go from here...

[action] also curses notifs for misbehaving

punts E-mail I want my notifs without refreshing the inbox, dammit