Not Dreaming [Complete]

[dangeraddicted]

Character(s): Otogi, Axel.
Content: Otogi arrives in Paixao and meets Axel. Theme songs and general pyromania ensues.
Setting: Muspelheim Gate
Time: Mid-afternoon.
Warnings: Organization XIII time. :o

Comments

[firewheeling]

Axel quite approved of that train of thought--or he would have anyway, if he'd heard it. Fortune favors those who make it for themselves, as the case may be. Fortune favored the fool too, but fortunately for Ryuuji, he didn't seem to be one. "Not really." He shrugged absent, glancing back at the gates. "I just felt like hanging out for a while. I mean, you gotta fill your days somehow, right? You don't even need to work in this place, if you don't want to." His smile had changed--just a bit, almost as if he were letting Ryuuji in on a secret with that comment, taking him into his confidence. After all, it wasn't something one would immediately guess, was it? And it was a valuable tip around here, though it was bandied about readily enough by those who had been here for a while. So no harm done in giving it out, either way.

His smile faded a fair bit at the question, letting slip an expression of considerable frustration, with a cup of resignation thrown in, and sprinkled with unhappiness for flavor. The smile returned only a moment later, though--after all, didn't want to betray his emotions, did he? "Man, you people always ask the hard questions first, don't you?" He shook his head and grew a little more serious, taking a moment to apparently organize his thoughts before he started to speak. "Alright, I can tell you're too smart to settle for any of the junk the Mayor tried to feed us, so I'll give it to you straight. Pretty much nobody is sure why we're here, really, or how we get here--we all just show up for no reason, with no warning. Just like you did, I bet. You should make yourself comfortable, 'cause you're probably going to be here for a while."

[dangeraddicted]

He knew more than what he was letting on, that much Ryuuji was sure of. There were secrets in the way the man smiled, at how his tone changed its inflections, and therefore he was definitely more than what he was appearing to be. Otogi had been a gamer his whole life, and more often than not, he was able to realize when someone else was playing one.

Still, the dark-haired boy reflected, it would be much less risky to just play along for the moment. While Ryuuji liked taking risks, he wasn't about to do so in a completely unfamiliar place that he'd never even heard of before; such a thing would only be downright stupid. Even so, Ryuuji gave Axel a somewhat knowing smile, as if to say I know what you're doing. He didn't, of course, but that's why they were called "bluffs."

Now to see if the red-haired stranger was going to continue. "I prefer to get the hardest challenges out of the way while I have the most energy to deal with them," Otogi said playfully, flipping his hair. His attitude faded for a moment, though, and he frowned slightly, serious for a moment. "So there's no way out - and yeah, I just kind of woke up here."