While Sora had been worried over Scar and that stranger getting into a serious fight, it had all been cut off when people had come around to take Scar away. After that, there had been a whole lot of hustle and bustle as they were all escorted to the music room.
There really were a lot of new patients, weren't there? Sora wasn't sure what to think of that. On one hand, meeting new people was never something he wanted to miss out on. On the other hand, that meant there were so many more people that were stuck in this place.
And he got the feeling they were replacing people that had been lost when all the damage to the building had been done. He still didn't know where Riku was.
Frowning as he entered the Music Room, Sora noticed that Scar was settled and seemed to have calmed down slightly. Since Lust was speaking to him, he figured they wanted their privacy. Since there was some nice music playing from the speakers, Sora found an armchair close to one and sat down-- doing his best not to worry over the current absence of his friend.
Axel learned a lot of things during the past 30 minutes.
For one, running fast didn't exactly mean that you'd get away if there were orderlies grabbing at you and holding until you were finally able to calm down. Also, apparently all the men had sacks of steel, which he learned 5 seconds attempting to calm.
And the third thing? The redhead finally had some kind of epiphany for interior design after he was lead down the identical hallways, stairs, rooms, etc. until they reached some kind of Music Room filled with other patients. He'd never tell Marluxia this, but the redhead was starting to think that Pink was starting to look heavenly.
"But I'm not this 'Mr. Flynn' you keep blathering about!" Unfortunately Axel's voice fell upon death ears as he was taken inside. He gritted his teeth and crossed his arms, finally giving up and maneuvering to one side of the room. The redhead was seething enough to create a path of lava underneath him, but relaxed a moment afterwards after reminding himself that this was probably what DiZ wanted.
But apparently his mind wasn't all clear, as he didn't notice the figure that was sitting on the armchair and practically flopped himself on it.
"... ‘Least they could do is make their furniture a little more comfortable." Axel grumbled and moved around a little.
The music was pretty calming and when Sora got to thinking about his days back home, where he could sprawl on the sand and let the sun beat down on him and just doze--
Even though he had felt so well-rested upon waking up that morning, he couldn't help getting drowsy. There was hardly anyone in the room thus far, anyway, so it wasn't like he could find someone to talk to. If he had any musical aptitude (other than what he'd learned in Atlantica, anyway), he would have tried plucking a few strings or pressing a few keys, but no.
Therefore, when someone fell on him-- no, no, sat on him-- he was completely ambushed. Ow ow ow ow. "AGH!" he sputtered. Heavy! Sora focused on shoving whoever it was off of him first and foremost, wriggling out from underneath the other person and getting to his feet.
This wasn't an old patient.
Wait.
"...Axel." He stared, eyes wide and confused and slightly relieved. But Axel had died! He'd sacrificed himself...
Sora had heard of other patients who had arrived here after dying, but he hadn't yet met anyone he had once known who had passed away. It was shocking and a bit frightening, but he was honestly just happy to see those bright green eyes again.
It was safe to say that Axel wasn't expecting to the armchair to start wiggling all over the place, but laziness leeched to him like a hooker on the streets and the redhead found himself entranced by its cheaper rates (In this case, less calories to burn) than following his instincts to get up or else whatever was behind him would bite his face off.
But aforementioned 'thing' finally managed to squirm out from underneath him, giving the redhead a clear view of what was behind him in the first place.
...
"Sora?" Now this was like getting a skateboard rammed right in the face. DiZ was an idiot, yeah, but why would he have some kind of carbon copy of the Keyblade Master running around in this place like it was nothing at all?
In the equivalent of .5 seconds Axel was on his feet and all over Sora, feeling the teen to make sure he was real.
Whoa! Sora gasped and pulled away when Axel got a little too close a little too quick. The question the redhead blurted out was a bit strange, too.
"What is what?" he asked with a tilt of his head, staring at the taller man and wondering if perhaps Axel, at least, truly did belong at Landel's. Shouldn't he have been a little more freaked out? He should have faded away into nothingness, but instead he'd woken up in a mental hospital. Sora would have thought that was cause for alarm.
Then he remembered what Cloud had told him before-- that people were sometimes taken from different parts of their lives.
Frowning, he regarded Axel carefully. "What's the last thing you remember before this place?"
"And why should I tell you that?" Axel narrowed his eyes suspiciously, not really trusting Sora despite how confused he looked. Besides, this probably wasn't even the real Keyblade since the last time he heard about the boy was when he was informed that the teen was stuck in some kind of pod Naminé created.
But real or not, this kid was an enemy. Not because of what happened in the past, but what will happen if he didn't complete his mission.
Roxas...
Axel's face softened a little at the thought of his best friend, but his determination caught up with him again and he stared down at Sora like he was a leech on his foot.
What was with the hostility? Sure, he and Axel had never known each other that well, but at the end there Sora had felt a real connection between them. Not just because he was Roxas' Somebody, but merely for being Sora. Maybe he'd been presumptions to assume that, but he'd always felt he had a good gut instinct for that sort of thing.
Then again, chances were that Axel had been pulled from a time before that--which meant that they weren't on the best of terms in the Nobody's opinion.
Either way, Axel was being nothing but disdainful toward him and Sora had to admit he was a little hurt by that. He blinked at the redhead. While he could explain why he had wanted to know how much he remembered, informing someone of their death wasn't the easiest thing to do. He'd stay quiet about it--at least for now.
"What is it?" he asked, because really, did Axel have to give him such a mean look?
Axel was a bit taken back by the question, Sora asking as if they'd been best buds for their entire lives and now he's just giving the boy the cold shoulder for no reason at all. So it was safe to say he was confused about the gesture, unless DiZ had programmed this Sora to think of it like that.
...Which could be true. But like mentioned before, DiZ was missing a few marbles upstairs so he probably couldn't have been that cunning.
"I don’t know about you, but I think the reason's pretty obvious." He frowned, giving the kid some slack with his mean look and replaced it with something along the lines of disappointment.
"Unless you forgot, because I thought I told you to get it memorized."
Sora had to smile slightly at that oft-used phrase. This was definitely Axel in some way, shape, or form, even if he had been pulled from an earlier time period.
"I could make a few guesses," Sora suggested with a small shrug. "But it really depends on that last thing you remember," he pointed out, poking a finger in the other's direction.
It could be that he was looking for Roxas. That had always seemed to be Axel's goal--pretty much the entire time he'd known him. He'd never really found him, either, which Sora found to be upsetting even though it wasn't completely his business.
Out of sheer reflex Axel slapped down Sora's hand when the boy pointed a finger at him, only to shrug a moment afterwards at the kid's answer. Why did it matter if he told the kid the last thing he remembered or not?
"Well, I'm not telling you until we find some Quid pro Quo." Since the redhead practically towered over Sora he found it easy to prod a finger right on the boy's forehead, pushing it to make sure he got the message.
Sora's eyes widened when his hand was literally slapped away. He hadn't been expecting that, but Axel wasn't what one would call... normal. Frowning down at his hand which was faintly red from the slap, he dropped it to his side and sighed.
"Quid pro... Wha...?" Sora had never heard of whatever weird thing Axel was mentioning. He'd probably be teased by the redhead for not knowing, but Sora had never been allowed to learn as much as he could-- no, he'd been too busy saving worlds and hearts.
"You don't know what that means?" Well, he knew he was gambling with the term, so he guessed he couldn't blame Sora too much for his lack of knowledge. Still, it was time for the kid to start getting a few lessons about these things. Can't keyblade all of life's problems away, right?
"It's simple really. It means an eye," Axel slowly brought his finger to trace underneath one of his own glowing orbs. "For an eye," And then he brought that same finger to point directly at the teen's own blue hue.
"I'll give you what you need if you give me what I want."
It was a bit embarrassing that he didn't know, but luckily Axel didn't get too upset over it. Sora listened carefully while the Nobody explained, though he couldn't help backpedaling some when the man's finger (which he only now realized was odd to see ungloved) ventured too close to his eye.
He didn't think Axel would actually go so far as to poke--but really, he never knew with the fire-user. It was partly instinct to move back, anyway. Eyes weren't things that should really be lost.
"Hmm." Tapping his foot and considering, he eventually shrugged. "All right. What do I need and what do you want?" It would be best to set those facts straight first, no?
Axel had to chuckle when Sora moved back from his invading finger, a far more pleasing reflex than to slap his hand away like the redhead achieved previously. But hey, everyone was different.
One found it a little strange for DiZ's creation to not be attacking him, but he had a feeling it was mostly because of the kid's need to know what he remembered last before ending up here. Can't damage the goods, right?
"Well," He began with a contemplating tone. "You do seem interested about knowing what I know. So I'll tell you what; I'll give you whatever information you want about me... if..."
Axel was always the kind of person to drive and drag a conversation around, dramatically delaying the rest of his words as he rubbed his chin in thought.
Good. At least Axel wasn't completely unreasonable. (Even if he had laughed at him, the big meanie.) Sora could handle some sort of compromise. Then again, it all depended on the circumstances.
And Axel seemed to want to goad him on. Sighing softly, he figured he'd bite. What else was he going to do?
"If...?" he asked, though he didn't sound as excited about it as the redhead probably wanted him to. While he might give in to the Nobody's will, he wasn't going to do it completely.
There really were a lot of new patients, weren't there? Sora wasn't sure what to think of that. On one hand, meeting new people was never something he wanted to miss out on. On the other hand, that meant there were so many more people that were stuck in this place.
And he got the feeling they were replacing people that had been lost when all the damage to the building had been done. He still didn't know where Riku was.
Frowning as he entered the Music Room, Sora noticed that Scar was settled and seemed to have calmed down slightly. Since Lust was speaking to him, he figured they wanted their privacy. Since there was some nice music playing from the speakers, Sora found an armchair close to one and sat down-- doing his best not to worry over the current absence of his friend.
He would find him at night.
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For one, running fast didn't exactly mean that you'd get away if there were orderlies grabbing at you and holding until you were finally able to calm down. Also, apparently all the men had sacks of steel, which he learned 5 seconds attempting to calm.
And the third thing? The redhead finally had some kind of epiphany for interior design after he was lead down the identical hallways, stairs, rooms, etc. until they reached some kind of Music Room filled with other patients. He'd never tell Marluxia this, but the redhead was starting to think that Pink was starting to look heavenly.
"But I'm not this 'Mr. Flynn' you keep blathering about!" Unfortunately Axel's voice fell upon death ears as he was taken inside. He gritted his teeth and crossed his arms, finally giving up and maneuvering to one side of the room. The redhead was seething enough to create a path of lava underneath him, but relaxed a moment afterwards after reminding himself that this was probably what DiZ wanted.
But apparently his mind wasn't all clear, as he didn't notice the figure that was sitting on the armchair and practically flopped himself on it.
"... ‘Least they could do is make their furniture a little more comfortable." Axel grumbled and moved around a little.
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Even though he had felt so well-rested upon waking up that morning, he couldn't help getting drowsy. There was hardly anyone in the room thus far, anyway, so it wasn't like he could find someone to talk to. If he had any musical aptitude (other than what he'd learned in Atlantica, anyway), he would have tried plucking a few strings or pressing a few keys, but no.
Therefore, when someone fell on him-- no, no, sat on him-- he was completely ambushed. Ow ow ow ow. "AGH!" he sputtered. Heavy! Sora focused on shoving whoever it was off of him first and foremost, wriggling out from underneath the other person and getting to his feet.
This wasn't an old patient.
Wait.
"...Axel." He stared, eyes wide and confused and slightly relieved. But Axel had died! He'd sacrificed himself...
Sora had heard of other patients who had arrived here after dying, but he hadn't yet met anyone he had once known who had passed away. It was shocking and a bit frightening, but he was honestly just happy to see those bright green eyes again.
"Axel!"
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But aforementioned 'thing' finally managed to squirm out from underneath him, giving the redhead a clear view of what was behind him in the first place.
...
"Sora?" Now this was like getting a skateboard rammed right in the face. DiZ was an idiot, yeah, but why would he have some kind of carbon copy of the Keyblade Master running around in this place like it was nothing at all?
In the equivalent of .5 seconds Axel was on his feet and all over Sora, feeling the teen to make sure he was real.
"What the-? What is this?!"
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"What is what?" he asked with a tilt of his head, staring at the taller man and wondering if perhaps Axel, at least, truly did belong at Landel's. Shouldn't he have been a little more freaked out? He should have faded away into nothingness, but instead he'd woken up in a mental hospital. Sora would have thought that was cause for alarm.
Then he remembered what Cloud had told him before-- that people were sometimes taken from different parts of their lives.
Frowning, he regarded Axel carefully. "What's the last thing you remember before this place?"
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But real or not, this kid was an enemy. Not because of what happened in the past, but what will happen if he didn't complete his mission.
Roxas...
Axel's face softened a little at the thought of his best friend, but his determination caught up with him again and he stared down at Sora like he was a leech on his foot.
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Then again, chances were that Axel had been pulled from a time before that--which meant that they weren't on the best of terms in the Nobody's opinion.
Either way, Axel was being nothing but disdainful toward him and Sora had to admit he was a little hurt by that. He blinked at the redhead. While he could explain why he had wanted to know how much he remembered, informing someone of their death wasn't the easiest thing to do. He'd stay quiet about it--at least for now.
"What is it?" he asked, because really, did Axel have to give him such a mean look?
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...Which could be true. But like mentioned before, DiZ was missing a few marbles upstairs so he probably couldn't have been that cunning.
"I don’t know about you, but I think the reason's pretty obvious." He frowned, giving the kid some slack with his mean look and replaced it with something along the lines of disappointment.
"Unless you forgot, because I thought I told you to get it memorized."
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"I could make a few guesses," Sora suggested with a small shrug. "But it really depends on that last thing you remember," he pointed out, poking a finger in the other's direction.
It could be that he was looking for Roxas. That had always seemed to be Axel's goal--pretty much the entire time he'd known him. He'd never really found him, either, which Sora found to be upsetting even though it wasn't completely his business.
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"Well, I'm not telling you until we find some Quid pro Quo." Since the redhead practically towered over Sora he found it easy to prod a finger right on the boy's forehead, pushing it to make sure he got the message.
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"Quid pro... Wha...?" Sora had never heard of whatever weird thing Axel was mentioning. He'd probably be teased by the redhead for not knowing, but Sora had never been allowed to learn as much as he could-- no, he'd been too busy saving worlds and hearts.
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"It's simple really. It means an eye," Axel slowly brought his finger to trace underneath one of his own glowing orbs. "For an eye," And then he brought that same finger to point directly at the teen's own blue hue.
"I'll give you what you need if you give me what I want."
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He didn't think Axel would actually go so far as to poke--but really, he never knew with the fire-user. It was partly instinct to move back, anyway. Eyes weren't things that should really be lost.
"Hmm." Tapping his foot and considering, he eventually shrugged. "All right. What do I need and what do you want?" It would be best to set those facts straight first, no?
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One found it a little strange for DiZ's creation to not be attacking him, but he had a feeling it was mostly because of the kid's need to know what he remembered last before ending up here. Can't damage the goods, right?
"Well," He began with a contemplating tone. "You do seem interested about knowing what I know. So I'll tell you what; I'll give you whatever information you want about me... if..."
Axel was always the kind of person to drive and drag a conversation around, dramatically delaying the rest of his words as he rubbed his chin in thought.
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And Axel seemed to want to goad him on. Sighing softly, he figured he'd bite. What else was he going to do?
"If...?" he asked, though he didn't sound as excited about it as the redhead probably wanted him to. While he might give in to the Nobody's will, he wasn't going to do it completely.
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