[closed log]

[followsorders]

Who: Axel, Naminé
What: Catching up after arriving, so to speak.
When: Nowish?
Where: Naminé's room (6-15a)
Warnings: None come to mind!

Comments

[followsorders]

There is a whole beat before he contemplates what he's meant to do, and then he angles his chair and sits down, legs stretched out, and arms splayed oddly at his sides. Then again, he's never really known what to do with his hands when he's idle. Axel's used to standing near here, but there's really no need for that-not anymore. It's funny what a simple little act can show. He's still willing to play it cautious, but there are certain things that aren't as necessary between them.

"Nice place you've got here. It's almost like you've made it your own little home." He waves a hand in the air at the surroundings. "But it's a little sparse, isn't it?" He leans forward a little. "But hey, maybe that's just how you like it." Axel doubts that, actually; Castle Oblivion wasn't exactly the warmest of places.

"Either way, we're not here to talk about your interior decorating, or even that you might need some posters to liven up the place. You're here, and so are some friends of yours." The purposeful detachment is there, but his voice does inflect differently on "friends." "And some trouble. Anything I should know?"

[howsketchy]

Some of her friends, not his. He probably doesn't remember Xion then; Naminé makes a mental note to warn the girl about this later. This isn't the sort of thing that should be left as a surprise, after all. Considering that Axel won't be likely to believe her until he meets the girl himself, Naminé chooses to start with a somewhat easier topic: The Organization, or at least, what's left of it here.

"Xigbar has been here longer than I have," she begins. "There used to be others, but they've all been wormholed-- that happens a lot, so you'll have to get used to it. He hasn't really been much of a threat, but I still keep an eye on him. He has been acting kind of suspiciously lately, but it's not much to go on."

She pauses, mulling over if there's anything more to add to that. No, Xigbar is pretty straightforward, but Axel may still have questions regarding that. Either way, Naminé could return to that, so she continues speaking. "A few people may recognize you as a member of the Organization. Some of the others have been a little... talkative about things. I'm not sure how many refugees remember any of that, but don't be surprised if someone asks you about it."

This time the pause is longer. She's waiting for his response, his direction for where he wants this to go next.

[followsorders]

"And what kinda thoughts do people have on the Organization?" he asks, because that's the natural follow-up. "Should I be looking into a new wardrobe?" Not that he was particularly opposed to the idea. The jackets themselves had a specific purpose, and he has a feeling that purpose is more or less nullified here. Sure, he'll need it to travel through corridors, but the last thing he wants is to be associated with something that has a negative connotation. That might not work out so well in the end.

And the last thing Axel wants is trouble he doesn't see coming.

[howsketchy]

That is... admittedly, a good question. Those who knew, say, Demyx probably wouldn't think too much about it. But then there were others, like Zexion or Saïx, who most likely didn't have many admirers. And then there are the people who actually know, in actual detail, what the Organization was. Read: people who know that they're bad guys. And for those who know nothing at all, in all honesty, a black cloak does scream out 'suspicious'. For a group who focused so much on stealth, their fashion choice wasn't that subtle on the fact that they were up to things.

"Some people may not be too happy about it," she finally replies. And then hesitates, because it's obvious to her what she should explain next. Axel is going to find out that this is technically his second stay on the ship, so he might as well hear it from her than someone else. "And some may recognize you."

[followsorders]

There has already been a little of that covered, too. Axel counts himself lucky for reading back far enough to get an understanding of this place. It unsettled him, the fact that someone could arrive without their memories intact like that; it hits a little close to home for him. It's not just the Roxas thing, either. In a way, it defies an entire part of who he is, though he figures some people would laugh at him for it. His features go stony all the same, without much quick recovery.

"What kind of impression did I make?" he asks, tone completely flat. His head goes down somewhat and turns away, so he's not looking at her directly.

As for the Organization's impression of him, there was no secret that he decided to ditch them. Dropping a coat except for moments of convenience wouldn't be too bad of an idea in the end.

[howsketchy]

Her response isn't immediate; this has always been a delicate subject. Granted, one she doesn't exactly have a good track record with when it came to softening aspects of it. Axel isn't as emotional as Roxas, though, so she could afford to be blunt about it. Still, she can't really imagine how it feels to receive the news, with always being on the other side of it.

"Someone named Envy may bother you," her tone isn't too favorable of this. "He's strange, and spends most of his time talking about how much he hates humans. I'm not sure if you made any... enemies, or if you did, whether or not they would still be here."

Most likely not. She recognizes many of the people who were around for years, even if she doesn't know them personally. Naminé does, however, follow the conversations of those close to her, and none of the people left seemed to have reason to harbor any ill feelings.

[followsorders]

"Guy's got quite the name, huh? At least it probably gives something away." It's his way of assessing the information, and he figures that Naminé is able to tell as much. "Anyone else I should keep an eye on? Someone Sora or Riku might not have made too happy." It's not like he figures he'll be able to keep a disconnected association for long. That generally isn't how things work anywhere.

[howsketchy]

Again, she takes a longer moment to reply. It's pretty easy to tell that she's going through names and faces as quickly as possible. After about a minute, the girl shakes her head. "For Sora, no, I don't think so. A man called Kiriko isn't too fond of Riku, but I doubt he's much of a threat. Riku normally hangs around two people named Shinpachi and Katsura, but they don't seem too worrying either."

[followsorders]

"You've really got quite the set up around here, all the world ending stuff aside." He shrugs that off, because it doesn't mean a thing to him. He figured to people like Sora and Riku, it just might, but Axel's not exactly keen on getting mixed up in that mess. Naminé especially probably knows how interested he is in stuff like that. And if she's here and Sora's here, there's not much he can really worry about.

"Kinda nice to see that what you advertise is the real deal. Count me in for Thanksgiving, by the way." Not that he knows, exactly, what that holiday is, but enough questions were answered about it. Axel finds it strange how easy it is to relax on this information, as if things fell into place too nicely.

Was another shoe about to drop?

[howsketchy]

She almost laughs at that, although she sobers up quickly. There's still a small hint of a smile on her face, but that's more to keep the atmosphere relaxed than anything else. He just gave her a good lead in to what will undoubtedly be the trickiest topic to be discussed, so she may as well take it now instead of stalling any longer.

"Do you know the girl I was with, Axel?" she says it calmly, her tone nothing but pleasant. Although that itself probably hints that the reason it's being asked is anything but. The girl laces her fingers together, awaiting his reply and hoping that it'll go at least half as smoothly as the rest of the conversation had so far.

[followsorders]

There's a moment of deep concentration as he seems to be searching his memory banks. There was something familiar about her, or else Naminé wouldn't be asking. His arms cross over his chest to show his visible discomfort with the matter. "She looked a lot like Sora's friend, Kairi. Sounded like her, too." His lips twisted. "But that ain't her-that name doesn't show up anywhere."

He pants out something that sounds like a laugh, and he drags his hand up from its previous position to rub at the back of his head. "Why don't you explain?"

[howsketchy]

"It's complicated."

Well, duh. It's another dilemma between going straight to the point, or trying to soften the eventual blow that he's going to receive. Either way, it's going to be difficult to digest.

So she doesn't sugar coat: "Xion is Sora's replica. She looks like Kairi because those are his strongest memories. We all forgot about her."

[followsorders]

His features turn sour in recognition of her words. "A replica. Another one of Vexen's creations?" The question was meant to be rhetorical. Axel gives a small shake of his head. "Fun, fun, fun," he continues, "I can almost guess where this is going. But do go on."

[howsketchy]

She bites her lower lip at that; the keyword in what he said being almost.. Axel definitely isn't going to like what she says next. "Right. She was brought into the Organization as the fourteenth member-- of course, she was never a true one. Xemnas had her put under your care. You, Roxas, and her were best friends."

[followsorders]

"That isn't funny!" he snaps hard and fast, getting up to slam his hand down into the table. It shakes underneath the action, but it doesn't do anymore damage than that. "What's the punchline?" Axel had a good idea what he thought it was: and then he killed Xion, ending her tenure as a member of the Organization. He huffs out uneasily, rolling into a full standing position.

"Sounds a little like just the type of crazy story a place like this would cook up," he added. It didn't matter that he hit replay on that video three times just because it bothered him. Things like that were coincidences.

And when it came down to it, it's not like Axel has a habit of forgetting his best friends, even if it seems like that might be easier. Roxas, Isa ... Why would this one conveniently just fall to the side? His cool doesn't hold himself together, but he tries to force forward a smirk, like this is all a game, one that he's anticipating will come to an end in a couple minutes. Naminé isn't that good at keeping something like that up.

[howsketchy]

She almost flinches when he lashes out, but she manages to not budge. This was expected. Instead, Naminé watches him silently, once again going over what she can possibly say. Bluntness wins out once more; they are definitely past the point of beating around the bush.

"When I altered Sora's memory, you know that some of them went to Roxas. However, some went to her as well. In order to wake up Sora, he needed those memories back. But Xion was-- is-- a memory-based replica. She had to give up her entire self for Sora. That's also why we all forgot her; there was absolutely nothing left of her to remember. I believe that the reason she's able to function normally here is because of the ship's drive. And since she exists again, we remember her, albeit slowly."