((VitN: Fearful Forms))
There's a blurring in the shadows of the Nexus, and a man steps out of a dark portal. His face is hidden by the hood of his long black coat. He glances at the sign, and then turns to the Nexus.
"Let's say you missed your home, and wanted go back, but, due to a set of unfortunate events, you couldn't. What would you do then?"
Vincent replies, "It's a mute point, if you can't go back. Remember it fondly, I suppose."
"Is that really all one can do?"
"Unless you can change the 'set of unfortunate events'."
Riku-Ansem shakes his head. "I can't. Not yet."
"Then wait until you can. For now, if it's impossible to return, nothing will come of wishing."
Riku-Ansem looks down at his black-gloved hands. "It's not that it's impossible; it's just that I can't go back."
"Define 'can't'."
There's a pause - he's still looking down at his hands. "I can't. Not like this."
"Like what?"
"Like this." He gestures to himself, but makes no move to take off his hood.
"You disapprove of your form? You think others would, as well?"
"I know they would."
"But you are one of them."
He sighs. "It's not that simple."
"Tell me."
There was another sigh. "I fought with his shadow when it invaded my heart, and I won. But ... to use the powers of darkness, I had had to become him." ((Cryptic? But of course!))
"Him?"
A slow nod, and then Riku reached up and pulled back his hood. "Him."
"Who were you, before? How old were you?"
"I was me." There was a short pause. "Why should I tell you?"
"Nevermind." There was a pause. "So your form would be rejected by those you miss, because you chose a dark path."
He shook his head. "Say rather that he would never believe that I'm me."
"Hmmh. Is there a way to prove it?"
"Perhaps, but he would never believe it, coming from the man I seem to be."
Ah. "You believe you might return to your other form."
A slow nod. "Perhaps. But I can't ... not yet."
"I cannot answer for you, but I would wait."
A nod and the vaguest hint of a smile. "I suppose he does need my help."
"Who?"
"My friend."
"Can you help him without revealing yourself?"
He laughs. "Why do you think I've got this hood?"
"Why can you not go home, wearing that hood, then?"
"Because I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because it's still there. I can still smell it."
There is a pause. "You can smell what?"
"His scent." There's a pause. "Why do you care?" There's no anger in his voice, just confusion.
"You seem very young. You asked. You remind me of someone I know."
"Who?" There's a slight note of wariness in his voice.
"Hmmh. It doesn't matter."
A silver eyebrow quirks upwards - it would seem he doesn't quite believe you.
There is a pause. "I knew a man whose form frightened those around him."
"Who?"
Vincent looks as though he wants to say more. Instead, he turns and begins to walk away.
A black-gloved hand lands on his shoulder, effectively stopping him.
"Who?" he asked again, an unreadable emotion in his yellow-orange eyes.
Vincent stops, but doesn't answer. Riku may notice that the shoulder beneath his hand feels more like a segmented, interlocking wheel with a sphere in the center than it feels like a normal human shoulder.
Riku doesn't really notice, he's a little too busy being annoyed. "Tell me," he says, sounding slightly ... annoyed? Curious? Something halfway between the two?
"It- does- not- matter."
((Oh dear - this can't end well, can it?)) "It does," he answered sharply.
"Why?"
"Because I want to know."
Vincent seems to consider. There is a long pause. "I can't tell you that." He moves his arm forwards in a way a normal arm should not, trying to throw Riku's hand off, in order to walk away again.
It seems Riku's being rather stubborn today, he manages to hold on to Vincent's arm despite all odds.
"At least tell me his name."
There is another long pause. It stratches on for several, several moments longer than the last. "Myself."
There was a slight pause. "Sorry," he said apologetically. "Thought you were talking about a guy I knew."
"Hmmh." The sound is non-committal. Vincent again tries to walk away.
This time, Riku lets him - putting his hood back on as he does so.
((Who did Riku think Vincent was talking about?))
((DiZ.))
((*giggle*))
"Let's say you missed your home, and wanted go back, but, due to a set of unfortunate events, you couldn't. What would you do then?"
Vincent replies, "It's a mute point, if you can't go back. Remember it fondly, I suppose."
"Is that really all one can do?"
"Unless you can change the 'set of unfortunate events'."
Riku-Ansem shakes his head. "I can't. Not yet."
"Then wait until you can. For now, if it's impossible to return, nothing will come of wishing."
Riku-Ansem looks down at his black-gloved hands. "It's not that it's impossible; it's just that I can't go back."
"Define 'can't'."
There's a pause - he's still looking down at his hands. "I can't. Not like this."
"Like what?"
"Like this." He gestures to himself, but makes no move to take off his hood.
"You disapprove of your form? You think others would, as well?"
"I know they would."
"But you are one of them."
He sighs. "It's not that simple."
"Tell me."
There was another sigh. "I fought with his shadow when it invaded my heart, and I won. But ... to use the powers of darkness, I had had to become him." ((Cryptic? But of course!))
"Him?"
A slow nod, and then Riku reached up and pulled back his hood. "Him."
"Who were you, before? How old were you?"
"I was me." There was a short pause. "Why should I tell you?"
"Nevermind." There was a pause. "So your form would be rejected by those you miss, because you chose a dark path."
He shook his head. "Say rather that he would never believe that I'm me."
"Hmmh. Is there a way to prove it?"
"Perhaps, but he would never believe it, coming from the man I seem to be."
Ah. "You believe you might return to your other form."
A slow nod. "Perhaps. But I can't ... not yet."
"I cannot answer for you, but I would wait."
A nod and the vaguest hint of a smile. "I suppose he does need my help."
"Who?"
"My friend."
"Can you help him without revealing yourself?"
He laughs. "Why do you think I've got this hood?"
"Why can you not go home, wearing that hood, then?"
"Because I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because it's still there. I can still smell it."
There is a pause. "You can smell what?"
"His scent." There's a pause. "Why do you care?" There's no anger in his voice, just confusion.
"You seem very young. You asked. You remind me of someone I know."
"Who?" There's a slight note of wariness in his voice.
"Hmmh. It doesn't matter."
A silver eyebrow quirks upwards - it would seem he doesn't quite believe you.
There is a pause. "I knew a man whose form frightened those around him."
"Who?"
Vincent looks as though he wants to say more. Instead, he turns and begins to walk away.
A black-gloved hand lands on his shoulder, effectively stopping him.
"Who?" he asked again, an unreadable emotion in his yellow-orange eyes.
Vincent stops, but doesn't answer. Riku may notice that the shoulder beneath his hand feels more like a segmented, interlocking wheel with a sphere in the center than it feels like a normal human shoulder.
Riku doesn't really notice, he's a little too busy being annoyed. "Tell me," he says, sounding slightly ... annoyed? Curious? Something halfway between the two?
"It- does- not- matter."
((Oh dear - this can't end well, can it?)) "It does," he answered sharply.
"Why?"
"Because I want to know."
Vincent seems to consider. There is a long pause. "I can't tell you that." He moves his arm forwards in a way a normal arm should not, trying to throw Riku's hand off, in order to walk away again.
It seems Riku's being rather stubborn today, he manages to hold on to Vincent's arm despite all odds.
"At least tell me his name."
There is another long pause. It stratches on for several, several moments longer than the last. "Myself."
There was a slight pause. "Sorry," he said apologetically. "Thought you were talking about a guy I knew."
"Hmmh." The sound is non-committal. Vincent again tries to walk away.
This time, Riku lets him - putting his hood back on as he does so.
((Who did Riku think Vincent was talking about?))
((DiZ.))
((*giggle*))