Proving Grounds in the Darkness

Proving Grounds in the Darkness
Date of Scene:	13 October 2012
Location:	Fluorgis
Synopsis:	After the Fun in the Sandpits, Reize reflects on the night, thinking about his recent failures and an important mystery. Riku and Reize have a heated exchange of words, which becomes a fight for survival. Was it just a dream?
Cast of Characters:	Riku, Reize Seatlan, Shiki Misaki

---

Reize Seatlan has posed:
Day falls, night rises.
Different paths intersect.
Memories sail out.

Night time has fallen in Fluorgis, the moon shining brightly in the heated desert. With its fall of the heat, the cool water offers a bit of humidity. Yet, that cool water offers reprieve from the heat.

It is what makes the town a beautiful place to be in despite of the desert.

However, night time is when many of the residents have decided to enter their houses, inns, or have a time in the local pub.

With the waterfall going downstream and the trees about, Reize is standing along one of the bridges. Many of the Shard Seekers have likely fallen asleep or are attending their own business.

Reize is leaning against the bridge, a smile wane and a look of somberness comes across his face. Even a tad melancholy.

The boy reaches along his pouch, procuring a deck of cards. He lays them all along the bridge. They display different worlds... The fragmented shards.

Shibuya, Cosmopolis, Elfheim, many other worlds that fell to the Heartless. To his friends, those cards represent their worlds that were taken.

"..."

To Reize, they're something else.

"...The person whose face I never seen..." He stares at the tarots. "...No name... all what I have are these."

The mother he never knew.

Riku has posed:
Riku lay awake staring at the ceiling, arms folded behind his head. He felt exhausted, not only because of the things that have happened but the things he knows are going to. It's so eerie seeing this play out again.

His eyes start to close of their own accord and he lays there, letting his defenses slip from his fingers for a few moments. Feeling the faint rush of warmth along his skin. Riku turns onto his side, smears of light punctuating the darkness of his closed eyes. People. He watched them move around on the floor, listening to the far distant murmur of conversations.

He stays like that for awhile, completely still, but sleep and nightmare doesn't come to claim him and eventually he gets restless. He sits up and goes to find a place with less people in it. The cold is almost soothing after the heat of the day, and having gotten 'most' (not very much) of the sand out of his clothes, Riku sedately wanders out of the inn.

He remembers a little waterfall not too far from here and on reaching it, frowns slightly to see Reize. The youth snorts faintly, irritable and frustrated by his inability to sleep.. or maybe just not wanted to see what he finds there.

"Oh. Hi Reize." he doesn't say-- well.. he doesn't say many things he's been meaning to say to Reize. Instead he just leans his arms on the bridge, looking over at the cards. "Didn't expect you out here."

Reize Seatlan has posed:
He wanted to get away from the group for a while. It's normally not like him to do such. However, one particular failure had been eating at him. There was something very important to him.
He reaches his fingers towards his neck, thumbing in general.
Except, he doesn't find it there.
Instead, he opted to look into the tarots. It reminded him of a single person that he never knew about. It reminded him of the one thing that he never had. A feeling that he always watched the other kids in the village, yet done well to hide his inner jealousy.
It hurts.
It---
 !!!!
Reize jumps slightly, the antenna hair rising up before he turns to face Riku. He puts on a bright smile, grinning at Riku while he slowly gathers the cards.
"Couldn't sleep?" The attention is filled with concern for the older teenager.

Riku has posed:
Riku just stares at him, leaning on an elbow. A sheen of green makes his stare slightly eerie and even more penetrating than usual. He glances at the tarot cards, then at Reize and the bright smile. He caught it this time.

His eyes narrow minutely with an all too obvious disgust at Reize stuffing whatever he was really feeling into a sack. "Why do you do this to yourself, fearless leader?" the words are softened only by the sardonic honorific towards the end. He wishes for a moment he could take them back, but bulls forwards anyways which makes his next words harsher than he expected.

"Do you really think your friends are going to prop you up forever?"

Reize Seatlan has posed:
"..."
Reize looks over towards Riku, looking at his friend with a more perplexed statement. He clutches onto his card tightly. The eyes widen when he looks at Riku.
Can he answer that? ...Why is he doing this to himself?
Reize only offers his friend a faint smile, "...No." He notes towards Riku, turning to face the sky. "While your friends are always there to help you when you need it, an adventurer has to be able to stand on their own at times."
He turns to face Riku, "Knight's Vow #04: Don't depend on others. Walk on your own two legs." He recalls the advice that his father gave him, "He had companions from time to time, but even he knew that he would have to face some challenges alone. It was something that I did when I first found myself in a strange place." He muses, "However, I faced it because there was no other way. ... Even though I had a voice guiding me, I didn't know if the voice was trustworthy." He smiles more subdued, "I followed it in good faith."

Riku has posed:
"Guiding voices lie." Riku bristles at this explaination even more, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. He glances from side to side as though he suspected that he was being watched. He shakes his head angerly, and it all just comes pouring out of him in a torrent.

"Speaking of NOT.. depending on other people, I think that hobo would have snapped off your feet along with taking your pendant. I think that plant thing would have taken off your head and used you for fertilizer. Didn't your dad give you that pendant?" he slams a fist into the bridge, now all but snarling at Reize.

"Does it mean so little to you that you won't even LOOK for it? Or do you rely on your bottomless well of blind faith to sustain you in your beliefs that everything will work out okay?"

Reize Seatlan has posed:
Lie.

Then how did the voice lead him out in the first place. Reize looks at Riku, "...I..." He shakes his head, "That voice was how I learned about the Heartless in the first place! It was how I managed to unlock what was the pendant's gift ---"

The next blow is pretty piercing. It is true. Reize did fall into the trap of getting his feet snapped off by that strange hobo. That strange, ugly hobo. And then he brings back the sandragora. He winces a bit.

The thump resonating from Riku's fist to the hard surface causes Reize to jump up. The sudden sound is nothing compared to the next words that Riku exchanges to the boy.

The pendant, meaning very little to him? Admittedly, the boy had been trying not to let the fact that he lost the pendant eat at him. The lack of clues of knowing where to start gnawing at him. It was only through trying to get the group going that he could distract himself.

What hurt the worse was that there was something about the pendant which has secrets that he doesn't know about. And it is in the wrong hands.

Teeth grits as his eyes cut to Riku with a glare. Something... snaps.

"Do you think I don't know that?! I don't even know where to start! Do you /really/ think that this is something that I've been able to ignore?! Do you really think that I don't think about how something that I don't know about being in the wrong hands?! Or the fact that I could hear people's wishes through touching an orb that I touched that reacted to it?! Do you really think that it couldn't gnaw on me as I try to go on through the day?!"

The boy falls silent, "...I have no clues where to look. And where I try to look around in my travels, hoping to find some clue, I come back with nothing to show for it in my travels." His hand reaches to the spot where the pendant would normally be at. However, the empty feeling of what he would normally clutch onto earns the tightening of his fists.

"...I couldn't even sleep tonight, knowing that today's search was fruitless for clues."

Riku has posed:
Riku rocks back on his heels and smiles. It's not a very pleasant expression, but the disgust goes out of his eyes. He nods to Reize. "Yes Reize." his voice is calm now, all the anger leaving him.

Or perhaps it has been transmuted into something else. "That is exactly what I thought. But I only know you through an echo, through a friend I do know that acts very much like you. Your friends know better than I do. They go along. They trust. They hope."

Riku takes a step towards Reize, the faint shimmer of heat mirage flickering across his outline as he does so. "But I don't know. I don't trust that you'll be able to get it back, even if you did know where it was." he shakes his head slowly, taking another step closer. His voice is calm, almost conversational, but his words carry the same shimmering and oddly cold chill as his aura.

"I don't hope for you, just as I don't hope for your friends-- because I know whatever fate you earn for yourselves, you will fail if you are not ready. If you are not worthy of whatever destiny you have locked up inside. And I don't know, Reize. I don't know if you will EVER be worthy, no matter how many friends you gather or how many vows you make."

Reize Seatlan has posed:
The heated gaze is intense, eyes locked with Riku. The boy grits his teeth, unable to hide the anger any longer. The anguish of his failures that he had hoped to hide, mentally hoping to find some sort of clues. It all, for the most part, has felt fruitless thus far.
However, Riku's next statement earns a raised eyebrow, "... Is he the friend that you are searching for?" He asks Riku, "...He is, isn't he?" However, then Riku's steps is more intense.
Reize, although unable to see the presence of magic without his pendant, is able to feel that something isn't right. Riku states his doubts. He isn't the first. He isn't the last.
"...You know, you aren't the first that has doubted me." He adds, "...Many of the others doubted what I can do. ...Even the kids at my village doubted me all of my life." Fixed at Riku, "I proved them wrong."
"Just as I will prove you wrong." As he steps up towards Riku, Reize tenses. That cold chill sends shivers along his body, yet he does not yield before Riku.
"I don't follow destiny.... I follow my own path... and I will get it back."

Riku has posed:
"Prove it."

Riku slams his hands into Reize's chest, pushing him backwards. Even though there is solid ground behind them, everything seems to shift and there is an expression of falling that seems to surprise Riku just as much as Reize. The world goes silent, as if everything in Flourgis had been entrapped in amber, washed out with a bluish sheen as if the world was being seen through dark water.

Riku looks slightly alarmed but gains mastery over his expression within a few moments. He takes in a deep breath, the sword appearing in his hand a moment later. It blazes with ghostly fire, a fire that races up his arm. Oil put to the torch. He stands there as the flames consume him, that chill and abstracted look still on his face. When the fire dies away to smouldering embers and shimmering waves of pressure, Riku extends a hand, beckoning forwards.

"Show me there is any hope for you at all, or I will cut you down and skip to the inevitable end of your doomed adventure."

Reize Seatlan has posed:
 !!!

'Prove it.'

Those simple words carry so much meaning. Accenting that meaning is the actions by the resounding smack of Riku's hand impacting against the boy's chest. Eyes widen as he stumbles back. As the boy's arms flail and he kicks his legs back as quickly, each step he takes sends to send the area around him into some cosmic shift.

The surroundings that was once Fluorgis disappears. No longer could the boy see the waterfalls. No longer could he see the stars. No longer was he able to see the lights that shined from the pub and the houses.

This felt different. Everything was different in this place. As he looks around, he sees that Riku is just as bewildered as he is. And yet, the sword that manifests in his hand is looked at once more.

"...When I first met you and that reaction you had... your sword always appeared like that." He narrows his eyes, "I never questioned it..." As the older teenager beckons him onward...

Reize drops his hands low to take a hold of both of his boomerangs. Flipping them to the back of his hand, he leans forward to take a more aggressive stance.
"I'll show you...!"

Reize charges into the range of Riku, his stance fully aggressive. The boy swings the boomerang left boomerang out to rake downward across Riku's chest, then the left comes forward with an uppercut. He brings the left leg up to follow the strike with a roundhouse kick towards the teenager's head.

After the kick, Reize lunges himself forward, bringing his right arm up to have the boomerang unleash an uppercut while the other arm trails off to slam down at Riku, "HAAAA!"

Riku has posed:
Riku doesn't make a sound as the boomerang strikes him. He doesn't bring his sword up to block, to counter, he just continues to give Reize that calm, even glare with each attack that lands.

He doesn't even seem to feel the blows. His head snaps back as the roundhouse kick smashes into his jaw. As Reize lunges forwards, he moves just enough for the boomerang not to strike him with the uppercut. The other hand slams down into him, and it's as if every blow has fallen down a deep well. Riku simply does not react.

A dark wind blows through this changed space, the bruising effects of Reize's assault fading with each passing second. He raises an eyebrow, not even having raised his sword to defend himself as of yet. A silent query is as loud as the spoken words that follow.

"Are you done?"

Reize Seatlan has posed:
The assault on the older teenager was not Reize's best, per se. However, it was a good warm up in the start off. The two are in battle and Reize had already dealt the first blow. The strangest thing was that Riku had not been reacting to the strikes at all. In fact, Reize had kept pressing on with the assault if Riku was not going to move.

It was after the initial assault.

This place was weird. Everything feels like a dream. Riku's ghastly presence feels like a dream. The fact that Riku is not reacting and doesn't seem to be fazed is even weirder.

Is that all? Is he done?

"I am not done!"

His teeth grit as his rage rises. Reize levels forward to launch towards Riku. "Harrgggghh!" His right launches him off of the ground, sending him moving towards Riku while his left knee rises up to smack against the teenager's face. Then, he sweeps his body around to whip out the left leg for a roundhouse kick and then the right heel sweeps back for a hook kick.

To top it all off, Reize brings his body down into a roll, slamming the heel towards the older teenager's head.
He will show Riku.... He'll show him!

Riku has posed:
Riku starts to chuckle.

A low, amused chuckle that continues as Reize launches himself towards him. He moves again, just slightly enough so that the knee doesn't connect with his face. His free arm jams it, pressing hard against the blow while the roundhouse kick slams into his ribs. The hook kick slams home, sending Riku flying back off his feet. The older teen twists in the air, flipping into a crouched position. He lingers there, taking in several deep breaths before looking up at Reize.

His eyes are blank yellow as he continues to give him that level stare, leaning an elbow on one knee with his sword held loosely in one hand. He coughs faintly, his breath faintly wheezing as he continues to chuckle.

"You really are just a shadow." Riku slowly rises, pushing himself up onto his feet with only a hint of difficulty. He starts laughing harder, although it seems self directed now. "But who am I really to say that.." he beckons Reize to attack again, sword hanging loosely at his side as he waits. A ripple shudders across the world, bringing with it the smell of rain and the mounting pressure of an incoming storm.

Reize Seatlan has posed:
The strike.

It nails some purchase as the boy continues to fight against Riku. However, it is becoming more perplexing and bothersome as to why Riku is not even fighting back. The boy shifts his stance towards Riku, after the teenager gets up to his feet.

His eyes squint, then he narrows as Riku finally rises with a statement.

"...What do you mean, just a shadow?" His eyes narrow, looking over Riku. As his eyes slowly shut, the boy frowns at the older teenager. "...I am no shadow."

His eyes fall shut, slowly mentally working on mentally prepping himself. "...I am Reize Seatlan." The young adventurer looks towards Riku, "An adventurer. I have my own identity..."

Slowly, Reize is starting to calm, finding his center.
"...I won't fall. I will not fail."

He can do this.

Riku has posed:
Riku smiles, and it's the first expression on his face that hasn't looked eerie or somewhat sinister on his face.

He nods to Reize, inclining his head towards the boy as he raises the blade into the guard position. Another ripple pulses across the 'boundaries' of this frozen space, this time bringing the sound of the ocean. Not a calm and peaceful one, but an ocean under storm. An ocean that cracks ships across razor sharp rocks and batters coastal towns.

A surge of poisonous dark energy blazes down the corridor behind Riku as he blinks out of sight, here one moment and gone the next. He reappears behind and above Reize, a shadowy claw forming around his free hand as it slashes down at the boy's back while others reach up from the ground trying to pin his legs.

Attempting to sandwich him between himself and the onrushing wall of darkness.

Reize Seatlan has posed:
There is a smile on Riku's face. It is not as alarming as the past expressions that the older teenager has made. It lacks the sinister demeanor that he had during the fight.

When Riku finally rose the sword into a guarding position, Reize shifts his stance. He no longer took the aggressive stance, which involved both boomerangs held invertedly. This time, the boomerangs flipped up, both held up right as he kept his guard together.

That is when the ripple pulses across the frozen space. It brings forth the sound of the ocean storm. That storm is coming forth as the dark, poisonous energy blazes behind Riku as he blinks out of sight.

Reize is without his pendant. However, it is not just the pendant that offers such power.

Reize's will is just as strong. In fact, it is Reize's will that defines him. It is his will that makes the pendant react to him.

Riku is fast. So is Reize.

When Riku moves behind Reize, the boy quickly moves along side of the motion where Riku is at, positioning his head to where he can catch that shadowy claw along his back. He leans his body forward, letting the arm sweep over his head. As the other tries to reach for his legs, the body pushes forward and his legs spring away from the seizing shadowy claws aiming for his feet.

When the onrushing wall of darkness wells upon Reize...

The boy rushes towards it. It is his will that guides him. It is the force that wills him to move on.

And it is also his quick thinking that saves his life from being severed.

His feet plants against the earth, pushing back against the incoming wall. The boy blinks out of existence.

Except, he reappears behind Riku, moving to push off of the ground with his legs. His right leg sweeps up into the air, aiming to catch Riku at his chin for a flip kick to send him off of the ground.

The next maneuver following it would be the twist in the air as he seeks to catch Riku across the head with the roundhouse kick and then a spinning heel kick to send him to the ground.

Riku has posed:
Riku whirls around to face Reize just in time to jerk his head away from the flip kick. The next two manuevers also land, but not on their intended target. Riku brings up an arm to deflect the spinning heel kick, taking the roundhouse kick on the shoulder. Each of the attacks seems to be significantly blunted by the armored jacket and the aura pouring off of the older teen. He gives a short, amused laugh.

"Okay. Try this one." He seems slightly winded now, not as invincible as before but still seeming not to feel most of the force of Reize's strikes. He flips backwards, gravity seeming to lose its hold on him as he arcs back much longer than seems possible.

As he passes the top of the arc upsidedown, his aura flares into life again. He throws a sphere of dark fire at Reize, the attack quickly followed by a sphere thrown both behind him and in front of him. As the second and third sphers smash into the ground, pillars of flame roar up from the places they fell.

Reize Seatlan has posed:
The strikes that Reize performed did not hit the intended target as what Reize aimed for. The boy's kicks, unfortunately, never yielded any success against the teenager. That coat is blunting the impact of the boy's strikes.

Fortunately, it proves to be true when Reize was able to see that even Riku, as invincible as he seemed earlier, was starting to weaken, or at least become winded.

However, when he passes at the top of the arc, the dark sphere of flames are launched his way. Another sphere is tossed behind him and front of him. The boy takes a guarding position, channeling his mental power to deflect them. However, when he sweeps forward to strike against the spheres....

The impact strikes true to the ground where the boy stands. That first sphere is lobbed against the boy's form. The clothes become scorched with flames that erupt along him. "Gaahhhh!" Then, the pillars of fire rise up from where they fell, sending him off of his feet.

The rough, erupting pillars of flames tear against his clothing, beating against his defenses. In a way, the body is frail, where attempting to take the defensive side was not one of the better ideas. The boy screams, now rolling himself forward to pull back from his spot.

~ He's tough... but I can't fall now! ~

Now airborne, Reize will use that to his advantage to throw the boomerang towards Riku's form, seeking to have the boomerang strike him against the head. It intentionally misses his head...

Only to strike the ground, then it bounces off. Then it strikes the 'wall' and bounces back. It starts bouncing around repeatedly to strike Riku against his head.

And then... Reize comes down towards Riku like a comet, the foot planted out to slam at his solar plex.

Riku has posed:
The setup this time goes perfectly to plan.

Riku's guard is pulled out of position by the intentional miss, the boomerang striking him in the head as he starts to fall. It does so several times, head whipped from one side to another with each ricocheting strike. Riku groans through grit teeth as Reize plows into him, body bowing around the impact as the wind is knocked from his lungs.

As Reize makes contact however, the sword disappears from Riku's hands as he uses both hands to grab at Reize's foot. He tries to lock it in place with one arm, twisting in the air as he reaches out with the other.

The shadowy claw forms again, the aura intensifying as the claw this time reaches out for Reize's chest, plunging towards his heart as Riku attempts to manuever in the air so that Reize lands on the ground first.

Reize Seatlan has posed:
Once the guard is pulled, the intentional miss was all that Reize needed to have Riku distracted. That distraction gave Reize what heneeded to dive down and impact his foot against Riku.

As the boy finally makes impact against Riku's stomach, the boy starts to bring both of his feet to the ground. Riku's sword was unnoticed.

Wait a second...

Riku's hands grabbed the foot and the boy is now locked by Riku. With his body twisted, Reize is alarmed as his body spins out of place.

This puts him in a bad position while in the air.

The shadowy claws form and the aura rips against Reize's form. The boy can feel the plunging claw tear towards his heart.

Both eyes widen...

He can feel that existence slowly start to fade. He can feel that will suddenly driving him into the darkness as those dark, shadowy clears reach through his heart.

...This can't be how is journey ends.

This can't be how everything ends for him. Falling into the darkness...

And yet....

~ "Knight's Vow #09: Fall down seven times, stand up eight." ~

The boy is on both knees, clutching onto his chest as he hits the ground. He can hear his father's words, the mirthful chuckle stirring.

~ "Knight's Vow #14: Even a small star shines in darkness." ~

Then, he can hear Ivo's voice. The voice of the older man who is a big brotherly figure. He felt that bond forged together through the friendship and their common goals.

~ "After all, we're the Shard Seekers. There's nothing we can't do with our fearless leader..." ~

Then, that little girl. The girl who has no memories of herself. Someone who doesn't know much about herself. And yet, that girl placed full and all of her trust upon him. Lily....

~ "It's not true. Following Reize brought me out of the darkness! I was stuck there for so long, trying to do it without a light to follow...." ~

There is Riku. The boy who he is facing now. The older teenager, who not long ago, was his friend. He feels like he is fighting someone different. That teenager, who seems to have his own deals, left him with something...

~ "Prove it." ~

Faruja, the religious bermucian. He had a strong feeling and affinity with the boy. It was a kinship of a knight and a knight-to-be. The nezumi had his wisdom to share.

~ "Several...ahh, friends of mine within my Order and the Church are most interested in the possibilities your group raises. I intend to judge whether such is possible, and whether your group...whether /we/ can accomplish the recovery of those lands lost to darkness." ~

Then, one of his new members... Lenn.. An elf who lost her world. Yet, she joined the Shard Seekers. Then, Skoll, who willingly watched out for him when the muggers came. Zia.... many of them...

Then, there is the girl.... Shiki. The girl who he helped in his journey. That bond has grown since she traveled with him. The two learned about each other. He knows the real her. He can hear her voice...

~ "If he's still around, you'll stop him from turning me into a Shish-ki-kebab. I know you will." ~

...And then...

He hears a scream. He hears...

- Her scream. -

Both eyes snap open.

His eyes narrow towards Riku....

And the boy's body becomes a blur. Reize is no more.

"NOT DONE YET!!!"

> Reize has unlocked Limit Break: Storm's Eye

Instead, Reize appears right beside Riku with an incoming foot towards the older teenager's chest. The boy then zips in front of Riku with the boomerangs striking out towards Riku's chest. The assault becomes a blur as Reize drives on full momentum and the drive to fight.

Each strike is for his friends.

For Ivo.

Then, the boy quickly vanishes, ending up on the other side behind Riku with a kick towards the gut. For Lily.

The boy vanishes to come forth with an elbow and the boomerang follow up. For Riku.

The boy starts to vanish from the view once more. This time, the movements is like a whirlwind. The strikes from the boy are not visible, but the impacts are striking everywhere around Riku as they can. It is a whirlwind...

It is the Storm's Eye.

And then....

Reize springs out of that storm, spinning his body in a full spin. That right leg whips out to smack against Riku's face as hard as the boy can.

"THIS IS MY WILL!"

Riku has posed:
The shadowy claw pierces Reize's heart as the two of them slam to the ground, and Riku touches it. The smear of brilliant light flares up at the touch of darkness, then begins to gutter like a candle flame.

With the touch comes an all consuming hunger. All he needed to do was strike again, to strike harder, to strike once more-- and he could have it. He would dig the light out of Reize, stealing it for himself. Consuming it to keep the despair at bay a little longer.

Riku, at some remove, realizes where his thoughts have gone as if he were outside of himself. So, this was his life now..? Scratch the surface, and reveal just another monster.

He feels Reize's life begin to fail, and is momentarily terrified of what he'll do if that light goes out completely. This moment of doubt and division, where he is screaming at himself not to strike again but so hungry that he can't help himself proves to be his undoing.

Reize vanishes. Then the strikes begin to fall home, one after another. The strikes come from everywhere. They cannot possibly all be blocked, and in fact few of them are. Riku is battered from every direction, by every type of manuever with each strike powered by pure willpower. The shimmering walls of dark water shudder and convulse with each strike and they shatter as Riku is pounded a final time by the last kick.

He flies away from Reize in a low arc, smashing into the ground and exploding into a cloud of dark smoke. A scattering of dark motes is left behind, but nothing more. The blue haze on the world shatters, life and color and time returning to this small corner of Flourgis as the last tendrils of darkness disappear.

Reize Seatlan has posed:
Everything...

That fight. That fight for his life.

That will to survive.

Reize has proven that it is possible to face the darkness. He will face whatever comes his way. That final kick, that struck Riku, sends the dark being flying across the air. And then he disappears in a purple haze.

....

Snapping back to reality, Reize finds himself 'awaken' from a dream. He was no longer in that sequence. He was no longer in that fight for his life. He no longer was fighting his FRIEND.

...He was staring at the tarots before him.

Blink.

Was that a dream? Did he seriously fall into a daze? Was that hypnotic gas from the Sandragora still in effect?

Riku has posed:
"Reize." Riku's voice is barely louder than the waterfall nearby. He approaches the bridge, leaning heavily on one wall as he looks out at the night time scenery. He brushes his hair back with one hand, leaning his head on one hand as he looks over at Reize, glancing at the tarot then at the place where the pendant would be.

He stares at that place sans pendant for a beat too long, then looks away. Riku gives the night time scenery a weary and strained smile. "What are you doing out here. You can't sleep either?"

Reize Seatlan has posed:
Blink.

The boy's eyes widen a bit. He can see the weary and strained smile on Riku's face. The boy leans against the ledge. "...No. I've been formulating ideas on how I will get my father's pendant back..." He leans his head over to the sky.

"...You know, we should lure that hobo out somehow. He seemed to dislike presense of cheer." A grin forms up.

Riku has posed:
Riku raises an eyebrow. "Yeah? Hmm." he turns his back on the bridge, smirking lopsidedly at Reize. "I was wondering if you were going to do something about that. Come on." he gestures back towards the inn.

"We'll think about how to lure the hobo of malice out of hiding. Maybe-- with cake of some kind. Or a bag of cute puppies. I don't know. Let's get something to eat first.." his words are very dry as he continues. "Rather than almost get eaten by something at least once today."

Shiki Misaki has posed:
Speaking of which.

Remember that screaming?
Here it is again.

And more things, besides.

Now, technically, the status of Players in the multiverse is one that only allows them to form temporary pacts. And that's just what they're supposed to be; transient. Furthermore, players can't read one anothers' thoughts using the inherent ability of the player pin, the tool used to form pacts in the first place.

Therefore, what happens next is completely inexplicable.

Shiki Misaki is on the back of a chocobo, fleeing for her life across the bare desert outside of Fluorgis. Something with wings and fangs, and claws, and a jacket, and a ponyt- wait, scratch that. Not someTHING. SomeONE.

Shiki, squeezing out tears, clutches her player pin as she clings to the back of the bird.

.oO(Someone, help me, please! Oh my god why does this keep happening? Someone, Reize, help! She's going to kill me! She's going to EAT me! WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING? Reize, /HELP/!)

Reize Seatlan has posed:
As Riku gestures towards the inn, Reize offers his friend a smile. "Yeah..." The inn sounds good about now. He muses, "Actually, Riku. Don't forget, we have our headquarters now! There's still a room there for you to rest in!" He grins, then he starts to make his way to the place.

"We even got a garden that Lily is setting up." He brings his hands over to the back of his head, "Our base of operations. It still needs a bit of cleaning and love and care, but...."

He grins once he mentions about the inn's food. That is true. They would have to go to the inn for some food. "You're right, sounds good." His demeanor is cheerful.

...until...

He feels that faint urge... or a vision stir in him. The boy can see a presence out at the Bare Desert. He can feel the presence.

 !!!!

"...Looks like I have to hold that thought! Shiki is in danger!" He can feel it. He can feel her thoughts. He can hear her thoughts. Not good. Reize is already springing off of the bridge and to the ground. "We'll have to catch up on that, Riku! Unless you feel like following!" The boy sprints ahead towards the desert.

Riku has posed:
Riku stares after Reize until long after he has disappeared, and then crumples slowly onto his knees when he can't be seen. He catches himself with one hand, sliding down to sit up against the wall of the bridge. He takes in a few shaky breaths, leaning his head against the wall. He knocks it, very softly against the wall of the bridge and sighs. After awhile, when his breathing has calmed and nobody is around to see him.

Riku picks himself up, muscles trembling. He ought to go after them, but he was too tired. Far too tired. As he passes a deserted corner, he pauses for a moment and smiles faintly to himself. "It's a start at least." He snorts faintly to himself, and vanishes between one frame and the next.