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[lighthoused]

[ Making their way from the Garden Lobby to the Fisherman's Horizon inn are a boy and a girl, each with a course catalog tucked under their arms and matching confused faces. Their bodies are turned into each other slightly, enough to let onlookers know that they're friends. The girl's eyes keep darting about, whether in amazement or sheer surprise

Comments

[action]

[betweenpaths]

[Riku reaches one hand up and rubs the back of his neck, eyes slowly looking around and watching his surroundings carefully. He's happy that at least Kairi is with him now, but it made him question where Sora was.]

Huh, just when we thought we were finally going home. I guess it's probably too much to ask for a break.

[action]

[lighthoused]

[ Kairi's just as happy to be in good company--but wondering the same thing. ]

But you two did get home. Even though you didn't get to stay long, before the King sent you that letter...

[action]

[betweenpaths]

[He stops the rubbing, only to give her a strange look and shakes his head.]

Sora and I were still in the Realm of Darkness, and he got your letter. [Not going to mention that he found it first.] A door opened and we were going to go through, but ended up here. [A beat and he shakes his head again.] Or at least I did.

[lighthoused]

[ ...the most confused face. ]

No, you washed up on the beach with Sora. Donald and Goofy were there, and the King, too!

[ No comment on how delighted you looked hugging your tiny mouse friend, Riku. ]

That's strange. Does stuff like this happen a lot, when you travel between worlds?

[betweenpaths]

[He wouldn't mind the comment. They have an awesome broship, k? k]

Our memories not adding up? Not that I've been aware of. [Not like Sora and him had time to catch up while they were traveling anyways.] We've never been trapped with no way out of a world either.

[lighthoused]

[ Oh is that what they're calling it now? ]

The Keyblade won't work?

[betweenpaths]

[Yes, and that's all it is. We're awesome bros.

He holds out a hand experimentally between them and opens and closes his fist. It might not look like much to others, but to him he's trying to summon it.

And when it doesn't come after a few times, that grim look on his face says it all.] ...No.

[lighthoused]

[ She watches him, her facing falling in time with his. She reaches out, her own hand hovering, and concentrates--there's the tiniest, barest hint of light, and then... ]

Nothing. [ Kairi has a sad. ] We really are stuck.

[betweenpaths]

[He glances over and when he sees that face, he's quickly turns into a smile to reassure her. That and she gets a comforting hand on her shoulder.]

Maybe so, but that doesn't mean that there can't be another way out somewhere. Maybe there's something that they're not telling us, or just a possibility that hasn't been explored yet. There's always a way.

[lighthoused]

[ She leans into that hand, smiling back. ]

You're right, there's no sense giving up before we've even tried anything. [ She looks down at the course catalog. ] What should we do about...?

[betweenpaths]

[He gives a half-shrug and a smirk, trying to make light of the situation before turning serious again.] Humour them? As much as I might not want to stick around, it'll give us a chance to know more about this world until we can figure out what's wrong with the Keyblade and if there's a way out.

[lighthoused]

In that case, we'd better give these catalogs a good look. [ The way she eyes him is playful. ] We wouldn't want to be stuck with boring classes for the whole semester, after all. You've got enough catching up to do as it is.

[betweenpaths]

Hey now. [He grins playfully.] Sora would be in a lot worse shape than I would can if he were here. At least I've had time to pick up a book or two.

[He glances at the catalog again, smile fading slightly.] Looks like we need to a pick a major to get started.

[lighthoused]

Right, on those long portal-hops between worlds. A little grammar here, a little arithmetic there...

[ There's a bench close by on the avenue, so she invites Riku to sit with her. ]

Let's see...our options are Bladed Weapons, Firearms and Projectiles, Blunt Weapons, Martial Arts, Para-Magic--I wonder if it's different from regular magic?--...? [ A pause. ] International Business? Intelligence, Covert Operations--doesn't that sound like a spy movie?--Piloting, Battlefield Medicine and Computer Science.

[ Her finger stops on the last entry and she breathes. ] That's quite a list. Is the Keyblade a 'bladed' or a 'blunt' weapon?

[betweenpaths]

It's not like there's any sort of an in-flight movie for entertainment or a stewardess to offer me little packs of peanuts for the trip.

[He follows, glancing over her shoulder to look at her list instead of pulling out his own and wondering about the same question himself.] I'm not sure, although it is called a blade anyways. Personally, I've never considered it to be a sharp weapon like a normal sword is, but... [He pauses briefly, idly debating on telling her the next fact.] We had been able to cut through a building with it, when Sora and I were fighting Xemnas.

None those options sound like the kind of normal majors we have at home.

1/2

[lighthoused]

[ A long, startled pause. ]