behappyhere | You Only Live Once

You Only Live Once

[Riku doesn't know how long he's been drifting in the endless space of the Lanes Between with nothing but the silver gleam of his magic to shield him from the Darkness, how long it's been since he just narrowly escaped Xehanort's blade, how many seconds, minutes, hours since Highwind-

His side has started bleeding again a while ago and by now Riku has really started to *feel* the effects of this battle on him, minor tears and bruises, the cut splitting his lip, the sheer exhaustion...

(Highwind is gone.)

He. He needs to find a place to heal up and recover, a place that isn't with Sora and Kairi or Roxas and Naminé – he can't risk Xehanort following him to either of them. Mickey... Going to Mickey, to Master Yen Sid... that's an option, probably and maybe safe – or at very least safer, but.

(It's Xehanort. Nowhere is safe right now.)

There is a gleam of light, catching Riku's attention. A door.

It's instinct that guides his arm up, that twists his wrist so that Way to the Dawn falls into his hand, that give just that one push needed to invoke near age-old magic and in the back of his mind he can hear the sound of a lock clicking-

Riku blinks, almost reels back out of the door again, when he finds himself standing in front of a tower.

Possibly, probably the tower.

Right. He's known this place existed, Xion's told him, even if this is the first time he's seeing it himself. It's. As far away from Xehanort – the Xehanort of his worlds - as he can get. More or less safe. Maybe.

Xion hadn't said anything about monsters after all.

(And well. If there are any, well. With a little hope, he'll have a quick death after all. And Highwind won't be alone anymore.)

It takes a while until Riku manages to climb up to the highest floor – thankfully without any monsters jumping him – and by the time he does, his vision is littered with tiny black spots, his breathing shaky, the wound on his side burning and bleeding even as he keeps his right hand against it, as if to hold himself together.

There's so many doors, so many and Riku isn't in any state of mind to tell if he's seeing right or suffering double vision and he doesn't really care, not now. It's. He's gambling, he knows he's gambling – there is no telling what kind of world he'll end up at, but. But. There won't be any Xehanort after him there. Probably.

And with a little luck, he thinks as he steps through the door, he'll find a friendly face.

(Even if that might take a lot more than his luck stats should allow for.)]

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[Xion's timeline isn't too far off of his. Xemnas is still a problem, as are some of the rest of the Org. Xion herself has been laying low, with Suna and her menagerie. Not at the Old Mansion, DiZ had still set up shop there. She's been staying around Twilight Town, too. Maybe a bit predictable, but it was a good crossroads world to keep an eye on things. Things like the black-coated stranger that suddenly appears out of seemingly nowhere.

It's perhaps lucky for Riku. That nobody besides Xion was patrolling the town, and one of the few people who was able to recognize what a sudden appearance like that meant - goodness Shion had appeared like that enough times for Xion to recognize it by now.

However her excitement and joy at seeing him again turns to concern when she sees how he's stumbling. How his breathing is coming in shaky gasps. Something was very wrong.

She leaps down from the roof she was skittering across, stopping far enough away in case she startles him and he lashes out. It was more of a Tower instinct than a Home one, but this situation looked like one that called for Tower instincts.]

Riku? [It is you, right?] What happened?

[Riku blinks again when he's met with the reds of Twilight Town's sunset, relaxing just a little. It's familiar, this town at very least, and finding himself here means that there's a high chance he's going to run into someone he knows. That's. Everything he can hope for really. Even if this is Xehanort's universe, chances are he'll find a friendly face before that, right?

And then Xion's right in front of him, is looking worried rather than confused, is looking familiar and that's. Of course it's her. He's never wanted her to see him like this but. But he is glad to see her. To know that she's awake again. And things.

Focus.]

Xehanort. I-

[And that's precisely when his knees start to give out under him.]

[Xion sees that, and with a noise of alarm, ducks forward to try and catch him. She's never had the greatest upper body strength, and ends up going down on one knee herself before she's able to get herself underneath him enough to support him better.

A bit of shifting, and she's alongside him, able to drape his arm over her shoulder and push herself upright.]

Let's go somewhere quieter.

[Quieter and safer. Where she can help him better, and he can explain what happened without worries of interference from passers-by.

Light that was a lot of blood. She waves her hand, casting a Cure spell, and a Days-brand Cura (which functions essentially as Regen) in quick succession. From there she opens a quick corridor, the type that swirls up around them. It's not a far journey to the place she calls "home" here. The one she's set up with Suna and her menagerie.]

[There is a second or two that Riku fully loses orientation, his sight just a blur of black and red and up-down-left-right just concepts that he can't exactly comprehend right this second. Then he feels Xion support his weight, pillar and anchor alike as both Cure and Cura take hold.]

...Thanks.

[He closes his eyes tightly as he tries to shift his weight somewhat off of her – he'll try his best to help her heave him into the corridor and to whatever place she's deemed safe enough to recover and rest at.]

[Xion's tempted to try to stop him, since he really looks in no condition to be supporting himself at this point, but it'll help them move more quickly. Get to where she can help him better.

When they stumble out of the exit no more than twenty seconds later, there's a fair amount of noise. Suna, who'd been reading ~~some of DiZ's reports~~ a book she'd pilfered from the library at the Old Mansion looks up immediately, and starts.]

Xion? What's going on?

[Xion ignores Suna for the moment, ushering Riku over to her own bed, the only other really comfortable spot in the area besides Suna's. The whole room itself resembles the Usual Spot - discarded and abandoned furniture had been found and brought here, and repurposed into turning this little hidden cranny into an adequate living space. It's a bit more comfortable than the Usual Spot though, perhaps owing to the decent view of Sunset Hill from the opening, or the fact that it's used as a permanent living spot, as opposed to an afternoon hangout.

In any case, as she tries to sit down (thus pulling Riku down too) and settle him, she's followed not only by the former retrieval unit, but by the squeaks and squeals of a certain catpuppy creature, bouncing along. It doesn't take long for it to make note of the more... seriousness of the situation, however. It toddles forward, sniffing at Riku's legs, before adding its own healing spells to the mix.]

We're safe here. It'll be okay.

[They were going to need to get him new clothes, she thought dimly, and cleaned up in general. A shower was one of the things they didn't have here.

She looks up at Suna.]

Get some water... and probably bandages and stuff.

[Recovering, Suna nods immediately and turns to get the items Xion requested. The water - in a bottle - is there within moments, but she has to leave to find bandages. So for the moment, Xion and Riku are alone, save the cat, Sunny, and Excalibur]

Edited 2015-01-09 17:01 (UTC)

[Riku keeps most of his focus on walking rather than on where Xion is taking him – surely, wherever she's taking him will be a safe place. His head snaps up when he hears Suna speaking up, stopping and tensing automatically at the sight of the retrieval unit.

He doesn't quite have the strength to resist when Xion drags him over to her bed though, finally blinking when his legs give out for good once she's forcing him to sit. He just nods when she speaks up, keeping a tired, but wary eye on Suna even knowing that the retrieval unit wouldn't be here if Xion didn't trust it. He can't help closing his eyes once Excalibur comes bouncing along though and far too familiar magic washes over him - now that he's truly safe, the memory, the reality of losing Highwind finally catches up with him for good.

It's been over two years since Ruana gave him Highwind as consolation prize for not surviving Halloween – he remembers how distrustful he had been of the Dream Eater back then, it's almost funny to think now – years in which Highwind had become much more than a price or pet, a friend and partner alike, the one being that Riku had trusted to cover his back.

And Highwind had done just that, right to the very end.

(And at just the thought of that, he can't help a strangled sob, or the tears that escape him. But then, there is no need for him to keep himself together here. Not anymore.)]

[The sob startles her, scares her, because Riku had always been the one who kept things together when she was falling apart. When everything was falling apart. Like after the evil meeting, the one where Ganon had tortured her. After Roxas and Elena left. When they'd nearly died for real.

Now she just needs to do that for him. Cognitively it's an easy concept to grasp, but a lot harder to actually do. Especially when the person you've seen as your older brother is crying.

Something horrible had happened. But what could it have possibly been?

But she can't focus on that now. She can't. Not when Riku's clearly hurting - in more ways than one. One hand quests for some cloth - an old shirt or something probably - that she can use to try to clean the injury with the water bottle Suna gave her, but with the other she wraps her arm around his shoulder bracingly, leaning her head against his.

And instead she tries to fill the silence with... something. Anything, really. He voice is quiet, gentle. At first their just soothing words and reassurances, but soon enough she moves anything she feels might help soothe him somehow - warm memories, hopes and dreams, something to fill the silence. He doesn't have to respond - truthfully she doesn't expect him to. But she is watching to see if it helps at all.

And keeping an eye on that injury. Excalibur seems to be watching too, even as he's hopped up onto Riku's other side and curled up. But she didn't want it to get worse because she was careless or absentminded.]

[Riku would have preferred if she never ever had to see him like this – injured, weakened, shattered by the events, so very close to the verge of breaking apart. (He can count the times it's happened on one hand, even with all that's happened in the tower. The last time had been after he'd been forced to watch Sora's death at Ganondorf's hands, unable to do anything but stare horrified at the screen.)

There is no choice though and Xion definitely does belong to the rather small group of people that Riku knows he can allow himself to truly show his weakness to.

He doesn't respond, doesn't really react much beyond the flicker of gratefulness in his eyes when she starts talking, when she fills the silence with words of comfort, when Excalibur curls up at his other side. After a while he lets his head fall against the Dream Eater's fur, eyes falling closed.

Exhaustion spreads through him on more than one level, and now that he's comfortable and safe, he can feel it threaten to draw him into slumber. Still, before he fully drifts off, there is one last thing he needs to say.]

...Thanks.

[For helping. For being here. For not pressing for what happened just yet. He needs her to know that he is grateful for all the above.]

Of course.

[He's clearly drifting, and Xion isn't sure he's able to hear her reply. But the sentiment is still there - he can always count on her, no matter what.

Thankfully, with Excalibur there, Riku's sleep will be nightmare-free. And in the meantime, Xion's done her best to clean up and bandage the nasty injury in his side. Which, once she was able to get a better look at it, raised all kinds of questions as to who or what could have done that. They were questions that would need to wait until Riku woke up, however. It was clear he needed the rest.

It'll be hard to tell that too much time has passed, by the time Riku wakes up. Twilight Town is always perpetually bathing in the golden glow of late afternoon, after all. However, Riku will find Excalibur still curled up next to him. If he observes things a bit more closely around the room in general, he may notice Thalassa in a cat bed on top of some boxes across the room, and - beyond the ragged curtain shielding their spot from observation - Suna and Sunny keeping watch, the former partially absorbed in her book again.

Xion meanwhile, is asleep herself, curled up right next to the bed, her head resting on the mattress as she dozes and her hand holding one of Riku's own. However, if he starts moving about too much, she'll wake quickly enough.]

[Riku sleeps dreamless, in a dark place that is far beyond sound or sight or the realities of physical and emotional pain. It takes hours until he starts drifting back, the pain at his side a dull throb that does not want to be ignored any longer. He groans lowly when he starts to waken, his hand drawing away from Xion's as he tries to sit up out of habit; not the best course of action he finds, hissing in pain when he lowers himself back against Excalibur.

It takes a moment until he recognizes where exactly he is, what exactly happened just hours later, how he had ended up with that kind of injury in first-

He grimaces at the memories, grief flashing over his face as Highwind's loss hits yet again.

(His fault, his fault, all of it-)

He lifts himself up again, much more carefully this time, as he lets his gaze drift. Xion is...?]

[Xion is sitting up and rubbing at her eyes, Riku's hand pulling itself out of hers being significant enough movement to wake her. For a second, she blinks at him blearily.]

Riku...? [And then reality reasserts itself behind her eyes, concern chasing sleep away] Ah, careful!

[Her eyes rake over the area where his injury is with some concern. Thankfully it looked alright...

Excalibur meanwhile, turns his head and yips at Riku, wriggling his feet but remaining in place. If Riku finds himself wanting to lay back down, Excalibur will be there. You don't have to push yourself, friend.]

Do you need anything?

[Food? Water? She'll get it for you, Riku, don't you dare try to get it yourself while you're still hurt like this.]

[He may not have to, but Riku rarely ever refrains from pushing himself as far as needed, as far as it's possible. ...Not that that's very far right this second anyway. He turns towards Xion, frowning to himself for a second – though he resigns to the fact that he won't be able to move far by himself, not currently.]

I-

[He grimaces again, this time at the dry feeling in his throat – raw and dry and incredibly unpleasant.]

Water, please.

[That first, and then he'll see if his magic has been restored to the point where he can at very least take the edge off that pain at his side (if not speed the healing process along some). And then... and then he'll face the events of the past day, the costs of them, and of course, the consequences.]

[Xion nods once, getting to her feet. She shakes her legs out a little to try to get rid of the pins-and-needles sensation as she walks over to the other side of the room.

There's the sound of shuffling and clattering as she digs through the storage boxes they've been keeping. Within a minute she's back, water bottle in one hand. In the other she has some of the non perishable food and snacks they've gotten stored away, though it's not an adequate substitute for a proper meal and she knows it. Also the granola bars have the unfortunate tendency of reminding her a lot of nutrition bars, though at least there was more flavor and texture to them.

In any case, she kneels back down next to Riku and holds out the water bottle.]

Here.

[Riku takes the bottle from her hands with a short, tired nod, opening the bottle and taking a few sips of it. He sighs quietly as the dry feeling in his mouth and throat recedes some at least. He slowly downs the rest of the bottle before setting it down as he glances over to Xion.]

Thanks.

[Again. Not just for the water.

Riku lets his right hand drift to his side, eyes drifting as he probes at his injury. He needs to know just how bad it really is.]

[For a while, things have been silent once again. Since what happened in May, he hasn't heard much on the ongoings with the rest. Just visiting his friends again over the summer (and being ever more grateful for them simply being alive), laughing like they had after all that happened. Every now and then he'd see the doors, but having one suddenly appear in his room as he stared at the TV, as if almost daring it to show something again, was something new. Especially the sight he was greeted with barging through a tear in time and space.]

Riku?!

[Before even thinking about how loud he just spoke, or who was still downstairs, Yu was up on his feet at an almost unnatural speed. Almost as if ready to catch the friend he hadn't seen in ages.

He's bleeding. Damn, we're going to need something to stop the blood--]

Riku, what happened-

[knock knock]

Big Brother? Is something wrong? I heard you call out...

[Of course Nanako would be curious, but then that could help.]

Nanako, get the first aid kit and a towel!

Um, okay...

[Little footsteps signal that his cousin headed downstairs again, likely to get the first aid kit from the kitchen. With a request like that though, no doubt his uncle was going to make an appearance as well.

Well this was going to get interesting fast, considering he told no one what happened.]

[There isn't really much time for Riku to get a grip on his surroundings – he's wound up in some kind of room, someone's room, but who-

Oh.

And then he allows himself to fall forward against a familiar friend, relief washing over him. He's safe here.]

Y-Yu.

[He blinks at the sound of a girl's voice, before realizing. Of course, he wouldn't be alone.]

Sorry 'bout the-

[Trouble. Mess. Both. Either. Probably.]

[Yu catches him, shaking his head slightly. Sigh, whe n would Riku learn that he didn't care about troubles or messes. Especially after the hell they'd both been through together.]

Don't worry... about that.

[Just don't mind him carrying you to the two-seater sofa. It'd likely be more comfortable and easier to take a look at those wounds.]

Let's get you fixed up. Who did this?

[He had to keep Riku talking and alert, that much he remembered ~~from various sources~~. Ignoring the blood on his hands from helping Riku to somewhere he could sit down - gods, that was a lot of it lost and he's going to need more than magic and first aid at this point - he searches through his pocket for his cell and an ointment left over from their adventures in the TV world. If he can get the wound treatment started, then ...]

[Approximately never. He probably has too thick a scull for that.

Riku allows himself to lean onto Yu, to be guided towards the sofa, sighing when he as good as collapses once he actually sits, almost as if his strings had been cut. Despite feeling on the verge of passing out, he still tries to cling onto consciousness, tries to answer that question at very least.]

...Xehanort. I- I think I changed things, so-

[Enough to make Xehanort. Well. Nervous maybe? Riku would be happy to know that at any other time, but well. Maybe he'll take some satisfaction from it once he isn't suffering the consequences. (Except that it will always be bitter-sweet at best, because there is one consequence there won't be any coming back from. Highwind is gone.)]

[Belkend is a bustling city, but for all that it's known as the City of Sound Machines, the door Riku takes opens up to somewhere relatively quiet.

Specifically, it's the near-silence of a medical facility, and though it's mostly used for research, there is one patient, seated on a bench with a cuff around his arm and his back towards the door Riku came from. Asch's long hair is the only identifying feature of him visible until he flicks his head to look over his shoulder. It's the doctor examining the read-outs from the cuff from behind thick glasses who looks up at Riku first, though.]

My, my. What a surprise. It seems you truly do have friends, Asch, if they're so kind as to visit you in the hospital.

[Asch makes a faintly annoyed noise, swinging his legs around until he can actually see Riku without turning his neck. It's fairly obvious when he sees that Riku is injured - he raises a hand and starts getting up, only for the doctor to tsk at him strongly.]

Don't you dare disrupt this data by attempting a healing arte. Besides, you're still not very good at them. You may do more harm than good.

Fine, then you go fetch another healer. I don't need to tell you that he's at risk of bleeding out.

[The doctor makes a very put-upon, sarcastic sigh, then shrugs his arms widely.]

Very well, I suppose we can't very well let him die in here. Explaining the corpse would be too much hassle.

Just go, Jade.

[The doctor leaves out the door on the far side of the room, and Asch steps carefully over the tangle of cords coming from the cuff on his arm to offer Riku someone to lean on for support.]

Come on, sit down, I can at least clean the wound by the time Jade finds a Seventh Fonist capable of putting you back together.

[If Riku accepts the opportunity to lean on him, Asch will try to steer them both in the direction of his previous seat. If not, then, well, he'll still try to steer Riku that way. No dying on his watch, okay, he can ask which one you are after you stop bleeding.]

[Between bloodloss and good old plain exhaustion, it takes Riku a second or two to process the conversation before him. The place he's arrived at isn't familiar, but the people. He's seen the blond around the tower, he thinks. He knows he's seen the red head.

He's seen him with. He knows he's-]

...Xion's friend.

[Yeah, that sounds about right to him. It's enough to let Riku not be stubborn and accept the offer of a human crutch as he wrecks his memories for a name.]

Asch?

[Between the short hair and his manner of identifying the other, is it clear which one of the silver heads he is yet?]

[It's clear enough; it's the one he never interacted with much, of course, but at least they can do each other the mutual favor of not mistaking each other for their replicas.]

That's right. Here, sit down, I'll get some alcohol.

[He steps away just long enough to grab the bottle and some swabs from one of the cupboards, before bending down to get a look at the wound. Nasty and bloody, and even if he could get a clear view, Asch couldn't recognize the weapon, but that's nothing unexpected in these circumstances. He pulls Riku's hands and the cloth away gently.]

This is going to sting.

[Just a heads-up, half delirious near-friend.]

[At least.

Riku lets Asch do as needed, doesn't put up any resistance when the red head nudges at his hands. His thoughts are still hazy, but he still manages to reply to Asch's warning, grimacing faintly.]

Just get it over with.

[He'll do that, certainly; a pad of alcohol-soaked cotton into the wound, briefly, just long enough to disinfect it. Then Asch presses a different, clean wad in its place.]

Keep pressure on that. I doubt it will be long before Jade drags a healer back here, but you should minimize the bloodloss anyway.

[He'll step back at that, ducking over to the room's small sink to rinse Riku's blood from his hands with a kind of mechanical motion. He's just turning the water off when the door opens, the man from earlier leading a young woman with long brown hair inside.]

Looks like you got lucky. I'd hate to have had to explain this to one of Belkend's normal healers.

[Asch ignores the comment in favor of inclining his head towards the woman. It's not like Jade would have actually explained, anyway.]

Tear. Good timing.

[The woman smiles faintly before her face goes back to seriousness and she steps towards Riku, her heels clacking loudly on the floor. She lifts her hands towards the wound, though unlike Asch, she doesn't take the liberty of actually touching.]

Pull that cloth free, please, I need to see how deep the wound is.

[As soon as she has a clear view, Tear hums a note to herself before muttering an incantation. A gold light surrounds her fingers, moving to the wound and filling it in. The whole thing feels like it's humming faintly, until her hands fall away; even Riku's clothes are patched up over the top of the repaired flesh.]

That should do it.

[Tear steps back, while in the back of the room, Jade adjusts his glasses and gives Asch a look.]

Will the Seventh Fonons cause him any issue? I can't imagine he's acclimated to them, and I'd hate for your friend to turn out like Mohs. [The word "friend" is sharp, almost like a tease, but more a prod to see Asch's reaction.]

He'll be fine.

[Riku's grimace deepens and he grunts at the sting of alcohol against his wound, but then shifts his hand to press the new hand in place. He's only dimly aware of the conversations between Asch with his comrades, only glances up once Tear steps close (he remembers her, remembers meeting her in the Tower once) and pulls the wad away at her request.

He may be unfamiliar with this particular brand of magic, but the not particularly surprised by the effects. He exhales slowly before he lifts himself back to his feet – healing magic can only do so much to lift the burden of exhaustion, and even uninjured Riku is well aware that he's not at his best. He nods at Tear, allowing her a faint smile.]

...Thanks.

[Next up, is finding a safe place to stay and hole up at to sleep like three days. And then try to figure out the fall out of the last day.]

[As soon as Riku moves to stand, Tear is offering steadying hands if he needs them; Jade stays hanging in the back, hands in the pockets of his labcoat. Asch shoots the man a look and gestures at the cuff on his upper arm, still attaching him to the machinery behind the hospital bed.]

Are we done here?

I suppose. You can go ahead and strip that off.

[Asch does so, undoing the snaps securing the thing and tossing it on the seat behind Riku. He starts pulling the sleeve of his shirt back down over his arm almost immediately.]

Do you need a place to stay? [Tear's still giving Riku a look of concern as she speaks.] I have a room at the inn I don't mind sharing, though I'm sure Asch has better accommodations.

I have Father's manor in the city practically to myself until Luke gets back from visiting Sheridan. You're both welcome to come, Lorelei knows we have enough unused rooms.

[Tear looks a little awkward at the offer, her cheeks faintly pink, and doesn't immediately answer.]

[Riku allows Tear's hands to steady him for a second, then slips out from under her touch the moment he is certain that he won't sway on his feet. For a second he shoots Asch a curious look – what exactly had the other been with the medics for anyway – but he refrains from asking. He isn't that curious, not right now.

That Asch, apparently, is pretty high ranking in his world is yet another surprise, but also nothing to be commented on. By now Riku has enough royalty in his circle of acquaintances that it's actually not particularly odd. He shrugs faintly at the offer.]

As long as there's a room with blinds and a place to sleep, I'm not particularly picky. [Right now, he'll sleep in the stables if that's what it takes.] If you don't mind me crashing for a few hours, I'll gladly take your offer.

Crash as long as you like. It's not a problem.

[With a gesture at the door, Asch starts leading the way out of the room, leaving Jade behind to squint at whatever data he'd gotten from the test earlier. The Belkend labratories are a bit of a maze, but they're close enough to the entrance that it's easy to navigate through the square rooms full of scientists - this isn't just a medical facility, clearly, even if Riku probably won't recognize what they're working on - and out to the entrance hall. Tear follows after them without having answered whether she's going to stay over at the manor or not; mostly she keeps an eye on how much Riku might be wobbling as he walks, until they actually leave the main lab building.

Finally, she speaks up.]

I suppose I should stop at the inn to get my things, then...

[Asch glances at her, his usual slight frown decreasing enough to almost be called a smile. ~~Playing wingman for the replica always works right.~~]

I'll tell someone you're coming.

[Tear nods and heads off across a metal walkway and down the stairs - Asch leads Riku in the other direction, further along the path between lab buildings. Coming around the corner of the lab building brings them to the front of a large manor, complete with a metal gate and white marble columns in the front. Asch waves a hand towards the place.]

There's minimal staff right now, so I don't think anyone will bother you. I'll show you a room.

[Which actually means "a small suite with everything but a kitchen," because hey, nobility.]

[Riku nods in acknowledgement, then quietly follows Asch out of that... facility. Riku isn't even close to having a clue just what they are working here, but then science isn't really his thing. Maybe DiZ would know more, he wonders tiredly, not that it really matters.

He gives Tear a parting wave, then follows the redhead into the manor. ...Which is rather impressive, especially considering that Riku has spent the majority of the past few years (discounting the time spent at a certain tower) living in castles or abandoned manors as well.]

...You don't do small, do you?

[Not that it bothers him. Anyway.

Riku takes note to somewhat remember the way to that room, then takes a look around once they've reached the room. It is rather nice, but all that really registers is the bed and the utter exhaustion that he feels right down to his bones. Still, he can't quite let himself drop just yet. He turns back to Asch, lips twitching into a slightly awkward smile.]

...Thanks.

[For pretty much everything.]

I'm not the one who designed it. I'm more used to small, actually.

[Growing up in barracks will do that to you; the small spaces at the Tower weren't that bad, in that regard, though at least as an officer, he'd had private quarters. He lets the conversation drop there while they walk through the halls.

At Riku's room, Asch returns the small smile with an equally small and awkward one. They're not particularly good at things, these two.]

If you need anything in the middle of the night, my room is the last before the end of the hall, on the left. I'm more likely to be awake than any of the servants.

[Riku probably doesn't need to be told why. Nightmares are not exactly an uncommon affliction among the Animus survivors, after all.]

Get some rest.

[Yeah, he'll leave you to faceplant into that bed now, Riku. Enjoy.]

[Riku hasn't really had many nightmares, even in the Tower. Not since Ruana gave him- Anyway, he appreciates the gesture.

Asch gets one last exhausted nod, before Riku turns, let's the door fall shut and doesn't even bother undressing as he simply drops onto the bed and allows his mind to be dragged away from the worlds of the living and into the deep, comforting darkness of oblivion.

It takes until sometimes in the middle of the next night that he slowly drifts back, faintly uncomfortable, drowsy and utterly disoriented at first, but then the events come crushing back and he remembers...

There is no going back to sleep after that.

Half an hour later or so, Riku can be found sitting on the rail of small balcony that he's found while aimlessly through the corridors, thinking about too much and yet nothing at all. Right now he is just gazing up to the stars, watching the starry sky and the strange... nebula(?) that looks so different to the skies he's used to in his universe. It's a bit of a reminder... no matter how much he might have seen in the last few years, the worlds are so much larger. It's almost comforting in a way.

He'll be here for a while.]

*This world was, thankfully, not Enoch's own. It was a world which had clearly seen disasters. There were recent efforts to rebuild, but it certainly didn't look like a pleasant place to stay, to an outsider.

It certainly doesn't look like Enoch here fits, but here he is anyway, taking Riku's arm as he comes through the door. He can delay his own departure (he was going to get some fresh fruit from the garden he'd helped build) to help the other, someone he'd fought alongside (which would be nearly everyone in Animus, given how long he was there and how involved he became).*

Riku? What happened to you?

[Riku doesn't know Enoch well enough to recognize that this isn't in fact his own world, but at very least he recognizes Enoch as... well maybe not quite a friend, but certainly an ally and definitely someone who'll be willing to help him out.

He stumbles a little, trying to somewhat hold his own weight; though he isn't in a position not to let Enoch take on at very least some of it.]

Run-in with Xehanort. Went bad.

[...Obviously.]

*He doesn't know who or what that is, but now is not the time for conversation.*

I'll take you to someone who can heal you. How well can you walk?

*He asks this, but he's already leading him towards signs of population in the distance. Though the population isn't...entirely human. Some are even fairies flitting about. They fold their arms and glare at Enoch as he passes, but don't interfere with him otherwise.*

[Maybe Riku will try to explain once he isn't bleeding out. Maybe.

He grimaces faintly at the question, wishing he could affirm it and knowing that he isn't quite strong enough right now.]

...With some help, well enough.

[To get where they need to go anyway. He lets Enoch take the lead, unbothered by the appearance of the native population. He's seen weirder in his own universe.]

I'd be glad to provide that help.

*Enoch leads Riku towards a structure where several demons have gathered. There's a human figure among them. He calls out to them:*

Aleph!

[Aleph doesn't need an explanation once his attention has been gained. He presses a button on the Arm Terminal he's wearing, and a dog-headed demon appears.]

Anubis, heal-

[He doesn't need to tell him when it's obvious what the demon's been summoned for. Anubis is already casting a Diaharan, and the warm glow of healing magic will pass over Riku. Ought to fix him right up - Anubis has healed many, many injuries, some of them worse, with that spell.]

[Riku blinks faintly startled as the magic does its work; skin and flesh knitting back together seamlessly beneath his cloths – it's not that he isn't familiar with it, but this is definitely more potent than anything Riku himself is capable of.]

Thanks.

[Even so he pretty much slumps to the ground just moments after he has detangled himself from Enoch's support. His physical wounds may be taken care of now, but there is no magic that can do much of anything against the mental and emotional exhaustion that's crashing down on him.]

*Anyone who has been through Animus is likely to know that exhaustion. Enoch is quick to catch him and help ease him to the ground with minimal risk of extra bruises. He's all about helping him, still, his protective nature out in full force.*

Aleph, is there a place he can rest?

Come inside. There's beds, and he shouldn't be disturbed if I say so.

[Aleph's word carries a lot of clout here. He'll lead them in if they say yes, to a room with several beds and a cart of nursing equipment - used to be an infirmary.]

[Riku lets his eyes slip close and leans his weight against Enoch again, too tired to give much of a reply beyond a nod. For all that he usually loathes to be unable to carry himself – at very least partly – he doesn't have the strength to fight right now. His stubbornness has been drained to the point of near non-existence, making him rather compliant.

He won't protest against wherever those are guiding him towards.]

*Enoch leads him inside, unbothered by the other's weight, and helps him towards one of the beds. At least he won't sense as divine to bother the demons, right?*

Thank you, Aleph.

*He's still worried, considering he doesn't seem to be inclined to leave.*

No problem. I'll go make sure everyone leaves you alone.

[It won't take more than just asking everyone to not disturb them.

He'd ask to leave a demon in case he needs more healing, but magic isn't as good for fixing mental exhaustion.]

[Once they reach a bed, Riku doesn't bother to do more than to toe off his shoes before he slips beneath the blanket, ignoring the conversation between the other two.

He passes out soon after that.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You Only Live Once

Phonetagging whee

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Incoming--

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[YOU WANT DOCTORS? WE GOT DOCTORS]

all the doctors are very welcome

PRETEND THIS REPLY ISN'T SUPER LATE and that my paid didn't expire and force me onto subaccount

there is no such thing as too late <3

Yes there is, it's me; long tag is long

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tags suddenly out of nowhere SURPRISE, RIKU, THE GRUMP IS NOBILITY?

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time skiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiip?

Time skip!

For Mini too, eventually!

Alright, sorry for the late!

It's okay, I'm slow too!

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