subdivided | week eight: mingle

week eight: mingle

Week Eight
9 in Competition

As the sun rises on Monday morning, all participants will find themselves awakening with a sense of purpose. Regardless of where they slept the night before, they’ll find themselves compelled to return to the main meeting hall first thing in the morning.

Approaching the hall, however, they will find three large, swirling masses grey in color looming near the sakura tree. These swirls cannot be approached just yet, but seem to be locked and waiting for something more. Later in the day, if those in the village approach the third mass they will find themselves in a version of their home world. This world is completely void of people, but seems to be just as they last remember it. No darkness will be found in this world as well.

As the last member of the village enters the hall, they will find Lune and Sol at the head of the room. They don't speak immediately, but wait for all to settle.

Welcome to your week eight mingle! We have now hit endgame week.

In addition, ensure that all of your week seven private conversations were reported on the page. If you'll be taking anything from locations, please report that as well.

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Failed where? Didn't you do everything the universe ask this whole time? Didn't we?

[ he's held it in pretty well for nine weeks but sometimes you just get fucking tired ]

Was it always going to end this way?

I don't know. [He's not exactly yelling, but it's a tone that Axel will probably recognize as the one that Roxas tends to take when he's thisclose to losing his mind because he's frustrated.] We tried everything, we've done everything and then everything started happening over the last couple of weeks when we were affected the same way you guys were.

[His friends sacrificed so much already, and then this happened. All of these people sacrificed so much in the last nine weeks, and to be told their efforts are essentially all for naught...] None of this was supposed to happen!

[There's a pause...and then, quietly:] I don't know any other way to make this right again yet.

Edited 2019-07-30 02:19 (UTC)

[ ... and most of axel's frustration falls there, and he just looks... sad. ]

None of this has been right. I wanted to be there for you guys, but there's never anything I can do.

[ maybe if someone else had been brought here, things would be different. but it's too late for maybes right now, and he shakes his head. ]

... Do you know when it'll happen?

Are you kidding me? You've done so much for all of us. [And given the incredulity in his tone, he 100% believes that. But that same air of sadness is around him as he looks away again.]

We're not entirely sure it'll be Thursday again, but we at least have a few more days.

[ doesn't feel like it, axel doesn't say, because he doesn't want to argue about it. but he does look dubious because. sure ok. not that roxas can tell since he's looking away! ]

... A couple of days, huh.

[ and then his summer vacation is over. he leans and puts his hand on roxas's shoulder ]

We told Naminé the same thing. So let's-- hang on for a little longer. It'll work out.

[ he could SOUND a little more sure of himself but you know ]

[Thanks Axel, please don't argue with him right now he can only keep his chill for so long...as it is, he's tense under Axel's hand even if he's still not looking at him.]

...yeah, I know. [He could also stand to sound more confident, but. You know. It'll work out somehow. It just might not be the way they want it to.] I'll think of some way to fix this. And then...everything can go back to how it was, and I can get the answer we're looking for and we can go back.

[ ... he squeezes the shoulder he's holding a little ]

It's not all on you. We can figure it out together.

[Thanks Axel.]

... [He can, like, accept that even if he hates it. A lot.] This shouldn't be something you have to do, Axel. The universe has to know that.

[But the universe apparently doesn't care.] And what about Xion? [He thinks about the question she had asked yesterday when they were together, and how he didn't have an answer then. He kind of wishes maybe they didn't have an answer now.]

I don't think the universe's ever given much thought about what I should and shouldn't do. Here or back home. [ he looks a bit wry ] Rogue agent, right?

[ but he can't keep that up for long, removing his hand and rubbing the back of his head. xion... ]

... She's a part of this, too. We've been trying to shield her this whole time, and that wasn't right.

[He just stares because, like, yeah. He has thoughts on that but he won't mention it.]

We can make a choice here. So what one are we going to make now?

... Do we really have a choice?

[ he's looking away. the choice he wants to make is to take roxas and xion and run as far away as he can, which is-- impossible.

and a fun callback to last time he'd wanted to. ]

[No. They don't. And they both know what, which is maybe even worse, so there's another pause.]

...can we go home for a while? ["Home" being synonymous for the portal at the moment because this sucks and maybe if they just...ignore it...for a day....they'll come up with a solution.]

[ ... he nods ]

Yeah. Let's go home.

[ even if that gateway wasn't there-- his home is wherever those two are. he at least has that much. ]

[He doesn't want to stray too far from Lune most of the time, especially right now, but certain people still take precedence. He waits until it looks like things are winding down, conveying a brief look to Lune before he begins to walk away. He doesn't take Axel's hand or anything like Xion has before, but he's also not walking too fast to make sure Axel follows him back to the portal to go home.]

[ the way axel follows might be reminiscent of that first time they walked through twilight town-- not that roxas would remember, but he does. it feels like forever ago. it might as well have been a lifetime ago. ]

... Wanna get some ice cream?

[ he doesn't know what to say. doesn't wanna talk or deal with what might happen. what has to happen. you're all getting this angst all out in public. ]

[Here we are, airing all this angst. Roxas isn't so much leading as he is aimlessly walking, but he's on autopilot and knows where to go. There's a slow nod at the question at least.]

...can we?

'Course. Why wouldn't we?

[ it's their go-to comfort. ]

[He's not going to say anything, so he shrugs and continues walking.]

Even if I got the ice cream right, I could never recreate the sunset to look like it always has. That's what was missing, I think.

... Even having that sunset and the ice cream... It wasn't the same without you guys.

[ it's probably more honest than roxas is used to, but. it bears saying, axel thinks. ]

Yeah...that's what makes it a tradition, right? Or something like that. [It helps, given that he's letting his shoulders relax a little and actually looking up at Axel then.] ...it's something to look forward to again. The real thing.

... Yeah. We'll get there again.

...you promise? No matter what. [Whatever has to happen.]

I promise. And... you know I always keep those.

[ no matter how hard or what it takes. ]

I know. [It's the one thing he really does cling to, at least. But he falls silent again as they enter town and he buys them their ice cream (buys, as in, just takes because nobody's here) and heads for the tower.

What else can he even say now?]

[ he follows, quiet. he doesn't know what to say, either. he barely knows what to think.

why... do things always have to turn out like this? ]

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doublebladed - 2019-08-02 02:31 (UTC) - Expand

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