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code word steamy

[ While Riku and Kairi were off investigating something about aliens, Lea was taking the night off. It had been a long day of chasing a six-year-old girl around without being spotted, and it was the kind of thing that emotionally exhausted you, so Lea begged off to soak in a volcanic hot spring and think about his life.

Or, well, he would have, but apparently despite being lousy with volcanoes, Hawaii doesn't actually have hot springs. So he's in the hot tub, in a garishly patterned pair of swim trunks, out back of some tourist bar with no tourists in it (out of season), sipping on a really watered down fruity cocktail and sulking about some conversation he'd had with Riku. ]

Can't believe it...

[ So the guy had asked him, on one of those long and soul-searchy kind of nights where you actually have Real Conversations with people, about Girls. And Lea'd had no answer for him because, well, that was a whole two weeks of high school back in the Day when he'd removed Girls from the list of things he needed to worry about. And then when that had been made clear, Riku was apparently just as in need of knowing about Guys... and Lea had still had. no answer for him.

Like, so what?! Lea kind of had his heart ripped out of his chest at some point, that sort of put a damper on caring about that kind of thing! It's not like it makes him really inadequate as a twenty-five-year-old man or anything...

He pulls the lime off his drink and chews it, peel and all, in a defiant sort of way. ]

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[Tourism is a crummy business, when it's off-season. It's a crummy business all year-round, to be fair, but especially when it's summer; everything is sweltering sticky heat and blinding sun glaring off the water and sand, overpowering humidity and mosquitoes swarming everywhere. Tourism sucks, and tourists suck even worse--even if they're nice people, they tend to be unintentionally thoughtless assholes more often than not--, but at least they bring in the dough. The only thing worse than having them is not having them.

That's why Myde is playing for a mostly empty house tonight, and hoping he gets sent somewhere slightly more lively tomorrow, as if anywhere else actually is, at this time of year. Still, that doesn't mean he's not wearing a smile for what audience he does have, along with the traditional garb of his people--'his people' being the hokey entertainment brigade that no trip to Hawaii is complete without, of course--, flip flops and capris and a generous handful of leis, along with a loud, colorful Hawaiian shirt that's aggressively offensive to anyone with the slightest bit of taste.

Lea will probably hear him before he sees him, laughing and calling back to his co-workers as he pushes out through the back door of the bar, instrument case in hand.]

--luck next time, right? Good show, see you tomorrow!

[That spiky red hair is impossible to miss, though. It snags his attention immediately, especially because he hadn't realized any customers were out here tonight. Myde stops dead in his tracks, blinking hard and surreptitiously digging a nail into his hand to make sure he isn't seeing things. Nope, this seems pretty real--that sure is Axel in the hot tub. That sure is one of his other co-workers, from his old job, the one that ensures he's grateful for every iota of good treatment he gets from impressively non-abusive employers now. That sure is one of his superiors there, even if he was one of the only ones who was relatively nice.

In short: that sure is trouble there, lounging in the hot tub and drinking an overly-expensive cocktail, just waiting to pounce and tear his finally peaceful existence to shreds. Myde spins on his heel and moves to walk straight back through the door again, muttering to himself and hoping he wasn't spotted or recognized, knowing full well just how futile it probably is. He so doesn't want to deal with this kind of crap again..... Maybe he can beg his manager to put him in the stock room or something for a few hours.]

.....Actually, a drink before I leave is a great idea.....

[ Lea had been listening with one ear to the music inside the bar - you know, there was something weirdly familiar about it that he just couldn't place - and when it ended, he looked up, just to people-watch as a number of the band members and crew members started hauling equipment out the back. Sounds like it was their last gig for the night. They're probably going home to their families and friends... probably not hunting aliens in an attempt to locate an escaped experiment that sounded like a Heartless.

(Lea had a strong suspicion it actually wasn't, but there was no talking common sense to Riku and Kairi, who were worried to death about a Heartless outbreak on an island where people were too far from other land-masses to escape. Proooobably projecting, those two. Remembering how bad it sucked when the Heartless hit their own island... yeah.)

Lea swallows the last sip of his too-sweet cocktail around the lime peel in his mouth, and turns the glass upside down next to his elbow on the concrete made up to look like natural rock formations. It's then that he looks up and, for a split second, makes eye contact with one of the band members just as he's turning away, looking like he's in a bit of a hurry.

Oh no.

Lea recognizes that guy.

In fact, he recognized him so hard that he'd gasped the moment recognition hit him (Demyx?!), and when he gasped, that lime peel that he'd been chewing on dejectedly got lodged in his throat. ]

K-klhghg!

[ Oh - oh shit - oh goddammit he's choking. What are you supposed to do when you're choking?! - The thing, the thing he forgot the name of, the thing where you punch yourself in the gut. Lea makes a fist, wraps his other hand around, and thrusts them into his gut, under his ribs, once, twice -

The good news is the lime peel fires out of his throat like it was shot from a cannon on the second push. The bad news is that, this was done with such force that Lea loses his footing in the water and slips, falling beneath the surface of the water in the hot tub, with absolutely no air in his lungs. ]

[Shit. Busted.

Myde hunches his shoulders and reaches for the door, only to hear the unmistakable sound of someone choking. He twists around in time to see Lea punching himself in the gut, and can't help but gape in disbelief; you just don't do that sort of thing in the water! The Heimlich Maneuver is ranges from almost ineffective to downright dangerous while you're in the water, especially if you aren't properly braced..... for exactly the sort of reasons that Lea is demonstrating now.

For a tortuously long moment, Myde just stands and stares, detached from the shock and weighing his options with the hidden cold-bloodedness Demyx had quickly been forced to learn. On the one hand, who would blame him if he freezes up and panics in the face of such pressure? It wouldn't be his fault a customer had an accident. If he ends up drowning to death from choking and handling it inappropriately, maybe nobody--especially those nobodies--even has to know he's here. Axel might be an advance scout doing recon, or worse, looking for him specifically.

(Hadn't Axel been killed, though? Or at least, sent on the same ridiculous sort of suicide mission that he was? What's he even doing here to begin with?)

On the other hand, pretending to choke under pressure didn't guarantee that some other band member wouldn't jump in to save the day, even if they did seem to be panicking a little themselves at the sight. Besides, they know he's good with water in the Organization, all of them, Axel included. If Axel survives, he'd probably be pissed off at the lack of help, if he wasn't here specifically to hunt him down, and that would ice any possible charity straight away. He might earn himself a bit of gratitude, too, or at least possibly some mercy..... Axel had never seemed to be quite the hard ass that Xaldin was, after all.

.....Damn. It'll put him directly in the crosshairs for sure, but in the long run, it's the better way to try and ensure his own safety; he can always bolt while Axel's recovering. Myde very carefully lays down his instrument case, kicks off his sandals, and runs for the hot tub, waving the other band members away as he goes. Better that the others are gone, if this turns ugly..... easier to make excuses for himself, if nobody sees him doing anything weird.]

It's okay! It's okay, I got it--I got training! Just go on, alright?

[Within moments, Myde is splashing down into the hot tub with him, still fully clothed. He gulps in a deep breath and ducks down into the water, wrapping his arms around Lea and hugging him to his chest to haul past the surface. It's not long before he's moving to drag him out of the hot tub entirely, hands on his shoulder and ass to roll him onto his side.]

[ The only reason Lea hadn't immediately been able to kick back to the surface is that without air in his lungs at all, he's less buoyant than he would have expected to be, and the bubble jets in the hot tub disoriented him once his head was below water.

He feels arms go around his chest and reflexively stops struggling, feels impact, hands, and then his head breaks the surface and he heaves for air, coughs about a mouthful of water out and breathes again, his head spinning, until he realizes who it is that saved him.

Demyx - or, no, probably not Demyx, not after the cataclysmic shattering of Kingdom Hearts, the one that bought Lea back his own heart. Shamefully, he has no idea of the guy's real name. Demyx, of all people, here, on Lea's one day off. ]

B-been a while, huh?

[ Lea says this, still coughing slightly (at a distance where Lea's lack of facial marking should be distinct), and then his coughs transition into a wave of uncontrolled laughter. He's not sure if it's from embarrassment, from that "oh cool I didn't die" adrenaline rush, or from the acute irony of running into a former Organization member wandering around on the only vacation day he's likely to get for a really long time. ]

--Wait, do you live here?

[ The question itself sends Lea into an even stronger giggle fit - oh my god, this has to be Demyx's home world. Of all the worlds!!! ]

[The others hurry off, only too glad to avoid the hassle and potential liability issues; no doubt someone will tell the manager what happened, just in case. Maybe if he's lucky, he'll get tomorrow off because of this--lifeguarding really isn't in his job description anymore. But still, he'd had training, a long time ago, and he still remembers it; he's not at all surprised that Lea would get confused. Even for someone who's been in Atlantica before, being underwater in a body not built for it, while panicking and suffocating, and being disoriented and half-blinded from bubbles, jet streams, and the sting of chlorine.....

It takes a pretty practiced swimmer not to get confused and overwhelmed and freak out over it all. Somehow, Myde has a feeling Lea isn't one.

No need to check for breathing or clear out obstructions, when Lea seems to be doing that just fine on his own; as long as the coughing fit-turned-gigglefest doesn't make Lea roll back into the water, he'll obviously be fine. Seriously, what's up with this guy? He doesn't really remember Axel as being so inclined to laughter..... Larxene was the one who giggled, and that always spelled trouble. Xigbar laughed, too--and while that was generally far safer than Larxene's, it still tended to be at someone else's expense just as often as not. Hard to say if it's good or bad, in this case..... but he's hoping for the best. Hopefully it's just nerves. They can do that, now!

.....Okay, he can do that now. He's not so sure if Axel died or not. That puts his heart status as uncertain, at best--even if he'd always been positive that their hearts weren't really gone, not fully. No matter how many confusing speeches and big fancy words Xemnas used, even Demyx had always known one thing: he knew what feeling felt like. And what he'd felt had been feeling. Maybe it had felt different, yes, strange and unnatural, dim and distant and muted like hearing sounds underwater..... but even if it had been fragmented, something like a heart had been there.

Myde is still kneeling right beside Lea, bending over the hot tub to wring his hair out; he's not too concerned about being soaked, given how warm it is tonight, but he'd at least rather not have water constantly running into his eyes.]

No kidding. I'm not in this neighborhood, but I do live here, yeah.

[He can guess what 'here' means without asking, after all. Neighborhoods and cities don't mean a whole lot to people who world-hop for a living, after all. 'Here' is a pretty damned broad concept. But now that he's confirmed that he lives on this world..... well, that still doesn't mean he can be pinpointed so easily, right? .....Right? Maybe he should offer to grab Lea a towel and just..... disappear.....]

[ Lea laughs himself out after a little while. He sits up, shakily, runs a hand through his mane of soaking-wet hair. His teal-and-pink-flowery swim trunks have not slid down his skinny butt too far, at least. ]

More power to you, then. I can't handle this sun... [ The only reason Lea isn't as red as a lobster right now is the fact that Kairi made him put on about a gallon of sunblock every two hours. Even so, he has a thin red line right at his hairline where the sunblock didn't quite make it, or sweated off too fast.

Now that he's got a good look at the guy, Demyx looks... well, to be honest, healthier, in that way people with hearts look compared to people without them. You never realize how subtly attuned your brain and eyes are to microexpressions, to tiny flickers of emotion in the eyes and around the mouth, until you interact with a person who doesn't make them at all, who just seems Off all the time in that bad-special-effects way. But here - he's tanner, he opens his eyes wider, he doesn't seem so comically exaggerated or out in space the way he used to.

A decent heart looks good on anyone. ]

Hey, you can quit looking at all the exits. [ Demyx's eyes were, in fact, flickering rapidly to every path out of there. Even if Lea couldn't see his face, though, Lea would have known that's exactly where he was looking. ] I got a new job. You think I'd get time in the hot tub if I hadn't?

Who'd have ever figured I'd be better at handling heat than you?

[Myde laughs now himself--and it sounds real, this time, for the first time since Lea has ever known him. He's genuinely amused at the thought, not clowning around to adhere to some script of who he should be or who he wants the rest of the Organization to perceive him as, not because there's an imaginary laugh track he has to follow. It's true, he looks healthier and happier here, more authentic and human than he ever had in the Organization. He carries himself with a confidence he's never shown before, an ease born of familiarity and certainty--of knowing he belongs, in a way that he never had as the first stranger thrust into a more or less unified group.

They had all shared the same culture and world view, the same understanding and knowledge of the situation, a familiarity with the metaphysics of the situation and with each other that had been completely lost to him. He'd always been an outsider, had never been extended a true welcome to be allowed into their inner circle; they'd argued about him, viciously, as though he hadn't even been there. They hadn't even bothered to help him fully understand why they did what they did; Xemnas' speeches, while full of what he guessed was supposed to be inspiring rhetoric, had just left him confused and frustrated vaguely suspecting he was being fed nothing but a load of bullshit. Vexen had been a little bit better in honestly trying to be informative, for all his disdain--but he never stopped to explain on a level simple enough for him to understand, and had scoffed at his efforts to ask questions.

Eventually, he'd learned to stop asking questions. Eventually, he'd learned to stop trying to connect. Eventually, he'd learned not to open his mouth at all, if it was actually important. For the sake of his own sanity, he'd become a pale shadow of himself, just as a Nobody should, cynical and paranoid and cold, reflecting entirely too much of the others for his comfort. But what else can a still pond do, except reflect what's shown to it?

But he had to fill the silence and stillness somehow--brooks had to babble, and water had to flow, he couldn't just sit stagnant if there were any cracks to trickle through. So..... he'd taken the path of least resistance, and given up. On everything. He'd simply drifted with the tide, gone with the flow, little more than flotsam and jetsam carried along by the current. If he'd seemed a little vacant and disconnected sometimes, a little lost and adrift and entirely uncaring..... well, it was difficult to be grounded, when you'd pulled up your anchor. And if he'd seemed a little cartoonishly exaggerated sometimes, almost like a caricature of humanity..... well, water always did distort and magnify things seen through it, didn't it? He worked with what he had, to protect himself.

Sometimes the best camouflage is to hide in plain sight, after all. Any fish worth its salt knows that.]

If you had any idea how many breaks I snuck in on the clock, and where I managed to take them, you wouldn't think a drink in the hot tub meant anything for sure, either. What're you doing here, if you've got a new job?

[Myde laughs again, a little sheepish and more than a little nervous, but he doesn't deny scanning the exits--it's only smart, given he hadn't known Lea is working for someone new now, let alone what he knows of Axel's..... reputation. He can't be sure how much of it is true, or how much Axel might be prone to lying, but..... well, it may not be coincidence that he's the only one who survived being terminated at Castle Oblivion, the way everyone else had. It could be a trap.

He doesn't want it to be, though--he's so tired of running..... After years of living in fear over the bloodthirstiness of his colleagues and their high-stakes internal politics, he's ready for a break, for something simple. And Lea doesn't really look all that menacing right now, not with a sunburn snaking along his hairline, and his hair soaked, and his tattoos (or were those teardrop things makeup?) gone, and most of his clothes missing. It makes him look human in a way he hadn't really gotten to see Axel before. Maybe if he ha hi heart back, and isn't working for such an asshole anymore, he might not be such a bad guy?]

[ What is Lea doing here? Oh, you know, just investigating potential Heartless infestations, checking on the world's Keyhole, and generally making sure that there wasn't a reason for Xehanort to come here and mess anything up (well, at least not a specific reason). Riku was also doing that top-secret mission the King gave him to search for some old Keyblade wielders or whatever. Riku thinks he's being really secret and sneaky about it, but Lea and Kairi figured that one out in days.

It's probably not a good idea to tell Demyx any specific details - number one because having a heart is all great and stuff, but the guy is kind of a wuss, and Lea can't risk that information falling into the wrong hands, even if he is sure that they weren't followed to this world. On the other hand, if the guy is just trying to live his life and not get involved, he deserves fair warning. Wuss or not, successful exit with his heart or not, he was a member of the Organization, and that means people might think he has skills and information that they want.

Lea shrugs, leans back on his hands, stretches his leg out and dangles a foot back into the water. ]

Recon. I switched sides. But I think you could have guessed that. [ You know, being a traitor and all. ] "Hero" thing's kinda weird, to be honest.

[ Lea's expression turns serious. ]

Storm's brewing. Let me put it this way, if you see any old "friends" here that aren't me? Do what you do best: run. Hide.

[ This got heavy. Lea's not here for heavy. He's on vacation. He forces a brave smile, laughs. ]

To be honest, though, it's so out of the way here that I don't think anyone'd bother coming. So you can probably relax, D-

[ Lea stops himself. No. The guy has a heart. The guy has his own heart, for that matter. That name is meaningless, a husk, a dogtag marked with that damn X. He deserves to be called who he is. ]

d-I don't, uh. [ Lea rubs the back of his neck, shaking the hair back there, feeling little droplets roll down his back. Laughs again, then extends his wet hand.

A re-introduction. A start-over. ]

Lea.

[Well, it's good to see that he wasn't too freaked out by the water..... too many people blamed the water, rather than their own stupidity. If you didn't go out in bad conditions and knew your own limits, you were usually fine--as long as you didn't do anything stupid, and had someone watching over you if you were too little to make those decisions yourself. Water is water. It isn't there to cater to you--it just is, and as long as you respect it and treat it well, it'll take care of you in return.

Just like him, right? You couldn't force water to do things so easily. Saïx's clumsy flailing only left him soaked and frustrated, as Demyx had dripped right through his clenched fists, ignoring all his rage and bluster as best he could. Xaldin's growled demands and crushing force had left him surging away as fast as he could manage. But since when had anyone ever bothered to work with him? When had any of them ever shown him any kindness? He'd never asked for much. Not even respect--okay, especially not respect. That Axel readily, openly declares him a wuss and coward without a second thought, and without even thinking he might get offended by it? That right there proves that his bid for flying beneath everyone's regard had worked perfectly.

He'd never needed respect. He was okay with their contempt. What he needed was to be safely ignored enough to survive. For the most part, until that damned suicide mission, it had served him admirably well. Nobody had given him a second thought, and that was just fine by him; he'd always been just trying to live his life and not get involved.

Myde doesn't bother taking offense now, either. It's good, solid advice, after all, even if it's from a traitor. Especially from a traitor, and especially especially one who's doing recon, as long as he can believe Axel. Which, for the moment, he'll assume he can to be on the safe side; cutting and running is usually the safest decision you can make. So Myde grins and laughs even in the face of Axel's--no, Lea's--seriousness, sounding as airy and unconcerned as ever, and flashes him a thumbs up before grabbing his hand for an enthusiastic shake.]

Right, Lea--got it memorized! My name's Myde, nice to meet'cha! We're really the only two who got out while the going was good, then? Where should I be headed, if we're already way out in the boonies here? Sounds like there wouldn't be much farther left to go, especially without knowing which way the winds are blowing, if you catch my drift.

Myde.

[ Lea repeats it, lets his mouth shape it, fixes it in his memory. Names are important. They have power. Lea's almost convinced that everyone's names being forcibly changed upon entrance to the Organization helped delay the return of their own hearts. And they were really changed, too, there was something about that goddamn X, something about the power of a name and a lack of a heart that made it near-impossible to remember what it had been before. It was so hard to force one of the old names past his lips, in the early days, that he eventually just quit trying.

(There was one time, one time and once alone, when he was called by his proper name in the Organization. And he doesn't let himself think about it, because there are too many retroactive emotions attendant on that time, too much to let himself think about, to start wondering about things he doesn't want to have on his mind. He can't let himself wonder why then, why that time, why never again, why never before, why didn't he respond, why didn't he try to see, why?

He can't let himself wonder who it was that had said, "There is too much on the line, Lea." He can't let himself wonder if it was Saïx saying it, warning him against failure. He can't let himself wonder if it was Isa saying it, warning him to get out.) ]

I'll get that memorized.

[ He ponders what to tell Myde and what to just leave out for time and personal sanity. ]

Like I said, I've looked around but this world's far from the center of the action. Once we catch the Keyhole, it should be totally safe from the darkness anyway. [ He stirs a foot back and forth in the water, watches the ripples. His other foot's getting cold by comparison, so he sticks that one in too. ] If you ever do have to run, you could probably hide out in Atlantica or the Pride Lands. [ Xehanort seems to avoid worlds that require species changes, he's noticed. ] Or, if you felt like risking a more high-traffic area, Disney Castle is really safe. I'd put in a word for you. But you might get a lot of questions.

[ Lea pauses, seems to steel himself, and goes on. ]

The former numbers Three through Six are all on Ra- Hollow Bastion right now. Internal politics and stuff. They're not gonna be out looking for anyone else; s'far as I know, they want out. [ Probably gonna have a big succession issue, what with Ansem the Wise being dead or gone forever, and that Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee commandeering royal property and running themselves. ] I actually have no idea where anyone below you is, but odds are if they're not settling down like you, they're bad news.

[ Lea's starting to wish he had a second drink. ]

Most importantly, if you see One, Two, or S-Seven. [ He coughs. ] Don't even talk. Don't get close enough to make eye contact. Just trust me on this one. Bad news.

Woah, woah, we're on number terms, now? What happened, was there a real split this time? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'd run anyway if I saw the Boss-man or ol' X-fa--uh, or Saïx coming, but..... even Xigbar, too?

[Names have power, alright. More power than he'd ever known, even if he'd instinctively understood it. It's why he'd tossed nicknames at so many--the Big Six, the Big Guy, the Boss-man, Old X-Face, Old Man Winter--of them, especially those in a position of power over him, and why he'd scrambled to correct himself now, realizing that Axel and Saïx are friends. Or at least, were friends at one point, given the way Lea is acting..... Haaah, he really has been out of the loop with things like this.

That's only been partly intentional. Since when has he ever been in the loop? He's never had anyone to know his true name, much less say it to him--he's always had to keep it close to his heart, or lack thereof, to tell it to himself, remind himself over and over who he is in his music. He's never had anyone in the Organization--and isn't that a big, impersonal name?--care enough to keep him informed, or include him in important updates and decisions that didn't involve the whole group. He's the first outsider, after all, the first true Neophyte, and they'd taken care to keep him that way. What did it matter, then, if he took no pains to try and avail himself of more knowledge? If he consciously avoided becoming a player important enough in any way to warrant being informed about anything?

Names are power, and so is knowledge. Zexion and Vexen had always loved to point that fact out. Knowledge is power, but ignorance is safety--and given the choice, in a crew like theirs, he would always pick the latter. No wonder the more Myde talks, the more he probably makes it clear that he honestly knows nothing about the situation at hand, whether it's what kind of danger they're facing, or what happened to the others. He obviously hasn't made contact with anyone else yet, not even on the hero's side of things. He even looks mildly put out by the news; Xigbar and Luxord had been the closest things he'd had to friends in the Organization, after all. He'd always known that Xigbar was an asshole, but he'd never really minded so much, as long as it wasn't directed at him, but..... If nobody knows what happened to Luxord--or Marluxia, or (good riddance) Larxene, or even Roxas.....--, then.....

.....Speaking of Roxas. Myde grimaces outright at the suggestion, shaking his head and picking at the edge of one sodden sleeve.]

No way. I'll take my chances in Atlantica or the Pridelands. Disney Castle is where that duck and dog are from, right? They'd kill me again the second I turned up on their doorstep, no questions asked. Those two--and even Roxas..... they didn't even hesitate at all.

[Myde's expression darkens a little at the thought--at the memory, and he moves to slide back into the hot tub; he's already gotten soaked, after all. He may as well enjoy it, clothed or not. It's an odd change, from how he usually acts; even with Lea declaring how serious the conversation is, it's the first thing to break his typical smiles and laughter.]

And they said we were the ones who didn't have hearts..... I would've let 'em in. If they'd been willing to back off, we could've made a deal. Everyone knew what was going to happen when I was picked for that fight.

Edited 2013-12-02 01:02 (UTC)

[ Lea listens to this solemnly. He hadn't been able to bring himself to answer Myde's initial questions, not even if he'd limited himself to saying, yes, Xigbar too. Especially that one. It touched too closely to things Lea can't let himself think about. It was too paralyzing. These thoughts had their power, their own serpent-gaze that could hold you in place.

Those two--and even Roxas..... they didn't even hesitate at all.

He hadn't known how Demyx had died, not really. At that point, he was on the run - at that point, of course, he was Axel, who wasn't given to caring much about the fate of anyone not Roxas or himself. He'd guessed it was around the timeframe of the siege of Hollow Bastion, just from the scraps of information he could get.

And if Myde's talking about Donald and Goofy, he can't possibly be talking about Roxas, logically speaking.

(Could that really have been Sora? Not to even hesitate? Lea is stalling; he knows the answer, knows it by three cracked ribs and the first time he saw Roxas' brow furrow when they spoke because Axel had lied and lying was wrong - he knows that lots of people don't seem to understand that the innocent can hold the most anger, strike the hardest, look back the least. He knows that if Sora thought he was facing a monster, nothing would have stayed his blade. Not words, or tears, or bargains, or pleas, not when he thought they were a sham and there was no convincing proof otherwise.)

((Lea remembers three nights after they survived the dream, before Sora left with Donald and Goofy for his half of their long mission, Sora wrapping himself in a blanket emblazoned with the King's seal and trying not to cry into a late-night cup of hot chocolate. They had hearts, he'd said to Lea, and Lea saw that anger turn inward for the first time since he'd ever seen the kid. Saw that anger turn in on itself and rot into uncertainty. Xigbar said. He knew. Xemnas knew. His hands shaking violently around a chipped mug. And how could we have...

Lea had nothing better to offer than a hand on Sora's shoulder. He didn't say what he was thinking, that if they (himself deeply included) couldn't see it for themselves, Sora couldn't be expected to see it for them.))

Lea slides back into the hot tub himself when he sees Myde go in. Hey, he paid for a night at this place, he might as well enjoy himself. He also turns back and calls to a passing busboy for a couple more obnoxious cocktails. He's going to need another drink for this conversation. ]

'M sorry... I mean, you know. I wasn't involved in that decision, but... [ He might have tried to force an awkward laugh, but he wasn't feeling it. It would have seemed too much like the old days. Forced, empty laughter, and people always seeming to say things with the wrong timing, or the wrong context, or in the wrong way.

Lea wants to say sorry for real, wants to ask why Demyx was given "that fight," wants to know... but at the same time, he doesn't. He doesn't have the right to know, he who was the instrument of the loss of Castle Oblivion. He and Sora both, to be honest.

He had meant to say something after "but," something meaningful or helpful in some way, but he's got nothing. ]

Hey, don't worry about it! It's not like you gave me my marching orders or took a Keyblade to me, right? Or chakram, I guess. Whatever.

[It's Myde that provides the laughter, waving a hand at Lea in airy dismissal. He always had been a bit exemplary of those traits, hadn't he? Demyx had been so disconnected from everything, so absolutely uncaring, so fully set adrift..... He might have been the one least grounded in and concerned about things going on around him, if Xemnas hadn't taken the cake for it.

It's different, now, but not as much as it probably should be--Myde is still..... off, just a little. There's still something just a bit slick and hollow about him, just a little too careless. Nothing really seems to matter to him, even as exaggerated as he habitually acts. His own death is the only thing that prompts anything resembling real depth of emotional response from him so far, and even that looks almost superficial somehow, bitterness and resentment quick to be glossed over by reassurance.

Demyx had died, of course--Myde had his heart back, now that he'd been reborn. But either Myde has always been a pitch-perfect chameleon, right down to the cheesy good cheer and seemingly clumsy acting, or he's just always had a somewhat slack connection to his own heart and emotions right from the very beginning.

The busboy pauses and raises an eyebrow at Myde, questioning; this time, it's his turn to get waved off, as Myde raises both hands in a warding gesture. smiling encouragingly until he scurries off to grab Lea his drinks.]

It's cool, it's cool! I'm off the clock, don't worry about it.

No, I guess not...

[ Myde's cheer seems so artificial, but not in the empty-shell way that it was before. More like the way people with hearts pretend. A mask, not an illusion. Lea can't really blame him. It's so easy to feel vulnerable now, when something as small as a word can actually hurt again.

When the busboy leaves, Lea kicks his feet in the water a little and sinks down another inch. The water laps around him at chest level. ]

By the way. I guess it's worth asking. You haven't heard about anything weird going on in the main town, have you? Things pretending to be people? Destructive creatures? Anything that sounds, uh, Heartless-y?

[ Because that "experiment" Captain Gantu described sounded really suspicious, as did that evil scientist and his skinny lackey. Lea's had enough evil scientists and skinny lackeys in his life; if he has to do something about it (again), he won't be happy. ]

Dude, you really think I'd be sticking around if there were Heartless in the area? Please. It's not like I could actually do anything about it, so there'd be no point in trying.

[Still heartless, in a sense, just..... different. Maybe he hadn't been quite so cold and callous before his change, but Myde didn't even bat an eye as he hypothetically condemned his whole home world. He'd always seemed to be an emotive type, but even with a heart, it was hard to deny the selfishness of such strong survival and self-preservation instincts. Sure, he could fight them, but he couldn't permanently kill Heartless, not the way Roxas could. They'd always come back, and probably sooner than later, a never-ending supply He could save people, maybe, temporarily.

He doesn't really want to, though. Not when he'd risk losing his own heart again, not when it'd all be for nothing. He's no big fan of futile fights and lost causes, and while he recognizes the hypocrisy, he can't really bring himself to care about that, either. Nobody had saved him back then, after all, and nobody would save him now, either. That was just how it worked; you had to look out for yourself.

Still, for how absolute the condemnation is, Myde doesn't seem to take it very seriously; he laughs again, offering Lea a playful smirk.]

The most destructive things pretending to be people around here are tourists, y'know--not that you guys are any less awesome for it! Gotta make a living somehow, right?

I guess it's possible Jumba and Pleakey could count too, maybe..... but their destruction is usually accidental. Mostly, anyway. But geez, slap a wig and a dress on a guy, and suddenly people believe anything..... Too bad we didn't know about that trick for recon, huh? We probably could've rocked that look.

[ Myde's open admittance of cowardice is enough to convince Lea that he isn't that much different as a person than he was as a Nobody; regardless of his reasons (and he probably has lots, because everyone has reasons) he'd still flee before he took a stand, and that's the thing that counts.

(Then again, coward is better than murderer any day of the week, and for all that Myde is and Demyx was a coward, he had fewer motivations not to betray the Organization than Axel did, and yet he stayed. And yet he's not the one who murdered two members and shut his eyes willfully to the rot in their midst.)

Myde makes the tourist remark just as one of the barkeeps comes over with Lea's drinks, and Lea is left smiling awkwardly and trying to subtly encourage the server to grab a tip out of Lea's wallet, which is on top of his clothes in a folded pile in the corner. This goes about as well as you'd expect, and in the end, Lea just ends up nearly sinking into the hot tub, until he hears Jumba and Pleakley, and suddenly wonders why one of those names sounds so familiar. ]

Like I was gonna crossdress for the sake of-- wait, are you talking Doctor Jumba?! [ The penny dropped; Lea remembers Captain Gantu mentioning the evil scientist by name. The evil scientist alien. ] You already know about him?

Thanks, man. But hey, you do have a pretty good figure for skirts though, you've gotta admit. And your legs are long enough that you'd probably look great in heels--you'd probably crossdress better than I would.

[Myde waves at the barkeep as he brings the drinks over, and grins slyly at Lea soon after; yes, he's used to Haole thoughtlessness and awkwardness enough that it hardly phases him at all anymore. Yes, he's also going to follow a completely irrelevant tangent, just because it's fun to tease Lea a little. He really isn't that different from Demyx at all, in the end; he can easily be friendly and warm one minute, and leave someone in the dust the next, and see absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Such a suddenly alarmed tone, though, has Myde tilting his head questioningly at Lea; what's the big deal? He acts like he'd just sat on an Assassin's pointy bits or something.]

Yeah, Dr. Jumba. Real big guy, four eyes, kinda purple-pink complexion? Maybe not the most stable guy around, but not a bad sort, you know? They liven the place up; I think he and Pleakley babysit Lilo sometimes. I didn't think he got out all that much; how'd you meet him?

I didn't meet him.

[ Lea shakes his head, emptying his weak-ass margarita in one long swallow. ]

I was warned off him.

[ This is fricking typical. They run around like idiots, trying to be subtle, and it turns out, literally everyone is already friends WITH THE ALIENS. Who don't sound all that much like evil scientists from this angle, anymore.

Lea sighs, sinking down even further, the water now up to his shoulders. His hair spreads around him in the tub, darkened to a rust-red by the water. He looks like he's sulking. (He is.) ]

Ran into some space delegation in orbit above the world's surface. One of the diplomats, Captain Gantu, said there was some refugee mad scientist running around down here, responsible for manufacturing monsters. Sounded like a Heartless issue to us.

Oh, Gantu. That killjoy..... Yeah, I hear he's always hassling them.

[Myde folds his hand behind his head, making a face at the way Lea decribed it. A diplomat..... try more like a busybody who jut wouldn't quit! He offers a thoughtful noise instead.]

Mmm..... Wait, but what's this about monsters? I haven't seen anything like that going on, or any Heartless. Maybe that happened before I got back? Either way, the place isn't crawling with nasties, so--oh. Ohhhhh. You must mean Stitch!

[What Lea--or really, Gantu--must be talking about hits him all at once; Myde laughs aloud in mingled exasperation and relief, grin resurfacing as he reaches out to poke Lea with a foot. Geez, and here he'd had him all worried for a minute! Nothing's actually changed at all, there's nothing to be scared of.]

Hahaha..... Yeah, I guess you could call him a little monster, huh? He's kind of a monster-alien-science experiment..... thing, I dunno. Stitch is Lilo's dog, whatever he actually is. Anyway, he's harmless. Mostly, anyway; they get into trouble sometimes, but he's still nice.

Jumba might have a couple other escaped experiments running around, I'm not sure, but I wouldn't worry about it--they're probably not too dangerous, or too numerous, and Gantu's already trying to take care of it.

Edited 2014-01-27 21:46 (UTC)

[ Lea makes a long, choked, exasperated noise. ]

So basically... we're on a wild goose chase. For someone's dog.

[ He makes a sort of pushing motion in the water, not really splashing it up much, but just something to express how annoyed he is. He let his emotions get in the way of his judgement - he'd heard "experiments" and thought "Xehanort," pure and simple, even after other evidence popped up that hinted maybe there wasn't some terrible crisis going on.

And worse, he had to get told by Demyx of all people! Absolutely humiliating. It's actually pretty funny. He shakes his head. ]

I should have known...

Ahahaha! Yeah, that's it exactly!

[Myde only crows with laughter at the admission, and Lea's obvious frustration, shaking his head and grinning ear to ear. If the guy wasn't sulking before..... Oh, this is priceless. Priceless! The idea of Mr. I Always Follow Orders, one of their star performers, chasing around a little girl and her dog..... Pure comedy gold, he swears. And the idea of him doing it with other people in tow (whoever they are) only makes it even better.

A quick push with his hands against his seat, and Myde was gliding effortlessly through the water, hardly seeming to move a muscle as he drifts closer. There's a small splash of his own as he reaches up to clap Lea's shoulder in sympathy. Lea always had been assigned to more combat missions than he ever was..... it only stood to reason that he could use a little refresher.]

Recon rule number one: Jumping to conclusions cuts off opportunities for investigation. Explore all possible options before coming to a conclusion.

[Okay, okay, so maybe it's not rule one--maybe it's not even rule twenty-one. It hardly matters. A rule that had demanded thoroughness, conscientiousness, and hard work in Zexion or Vexen's eyes simply became a way to postpone returning to the castle as long as he could manage, in Demyx's hands. Still, it did do an awfully good job at keeping him from looking like even more of an idiot about things, didn't it?]

[ Axel always had been assigned to more combat missions than recon. Mostly because recon missions were usually time-wasting garbage, and he and Saïx had other plans for his personal talents. Now that half the stuff Lea does effectively is recon, he's starting to regret this.

Myde moves in the water as if it's part of him - which stands to reason, but all the same, it's really something to watch. Lea finds himself startled when Myde's hand comes down on his shoulder; he'd been watching his body through the water, trying to see how he moved differently in it, what his secret was. He didn't find out anything useful other than that the guy kind of has nice legs. (Is that the margarita talking?? Maybe it is.)

Uncertainly: ] You made that rule up...

[Myde barely seems to move in the water at all, in fact; it's more like the water moves him, cradling and carrying him to spare him from needing to exert any effort at all. He's as much a part of it as it is a part of him, after all; they understand each other, and they work together. The water can't mind him turning things over to it, after all; it's only doing what's in its nature. As long as he trusts in it, and and knows enough to read the signs, it'll never disappoint him.

(Either way, though, he's proud of his legs, thanks. Long, toned, and baby-smooth, just the way a swimmer's ought to be. It may be girly to shave, but damn, does it make a difference in the water.)

He smirks knowingly at the uncertainty in Lea's tone, leaning in; his talents have always lain in recon, whether he called it that or not. Reading people and situations, spinning something meaningful and even informative out of time-wasting garbage..... Even Vexen hadn't criticized too hard, when he'd gotten his initial recon training. That only comes in even more handy now, when combat isn't a part of his life anymore, but going right back to being a people pleaser very much is.

It's fun for being able to play with Lea now, too. After all, Axel was mostly a fighter; how should he know if he's making anything up about this stuff?]

Just made it up on the spot, huh? Really?

Yeah.

[ Lea has to bluster now a little bit, for show. He gives one of his patented razor-sharp grins, putting his elbows back against the lip of the hot tub in a knowing posture. (They're awfully close...) ]

'Cause if that was one of Xemnas's rules? There would be at least eight more unpronounceable words.

[ And Demyx himself usually had to carry around cue cards for specific mission prompts. Not that Lea could even blame the guy. Fighting missions were so much easier. And then he was in charge of Roxas for so long... ]

Hehehe.....

[Myde grins back, and the look is anything but sharp--he just looks goofy, honestly, bright and playful and bedraggled with his clothing so waterlogged and wet hair clinging to his face. They're practically sitting right next to each other now, and with Myde turned to look up at him like this, he could probably lean on Lea if he had a mind to.]

Okay, okay, you got me..... It's actually Mr. Snow Miser's. Mostly, anyway. I just trimmed off most of the complicated words and extra stuff he was rambling about with it.

[ Contrary to what Lea's intentions to stay cool and tough, he starts laughing at Demyx's nonsensical nickname for Vexen (it's obviously Vexen. Even. Whoever. Fuck that guy). What the heck is a snow miser? The image enters his head of Even hunched over piles of snow, counting out snowflakes like microscopic coins, and shutting icicles up in vaults, and he laughs even more. Those cocktails have totally gone to his head by now. It doesn't bother him at all that Myde is nearly leaning on him. It's... kinda nice, actually. ]

So - ok. So we're here chasing down somebody's dog because we jumped to conclusions, which is not good in recon.

[ Lea makes a mock-deferral gesture with his free hand, the one not attached to the shoulder closest to Myde. He's still a little giddy from the laughing fit. ]

I - I submit the question to a veteran of recon. What would you do, if you were me, in this situation?

[Even Myde has to laugh at how..... giddy Lea is getting, grinning up at him. Yup, that alcohol is totally working its way through his system; how many has he actually had, even? Two? Three?

Well, no sense in not taking advantage of him while he's compromised, right? Or at least, taking advantage of him not being a fraidy cat about people touching him. Drunk cuddles are pretty awesome; Myde wastes no time in cozying up against Lea.]

You're an adorable lightweight, you know that?

But let's see, here, if I was you, and I was sent on a recon mission like that..... Well, for one thing, I'd go relax in a hot tub with some drinks, so good job. For another, I'd declare it mission accomplished! I found out what I was looking for, right? Then, I'd write a report about how much I searched and how sneaky those crazy aliens were, hiding with the natives like this. And I'd end by saying that I'd found them, but they were undercover, so all suspicious activity was suspended for now.

But of course I'd need to come back regularly to keep them under surveillance, just in case! That goes in the report, too. So I'd come back sometimes to at least keep an eye on them, if I didn't get to know them, because they're actually pretty cool. And then I could spend the day with them, or just spend the day with more drinks in a hot tub. Either way, it's win-win.

[You asked for a glimpse into his mind, Lea? You got it. Kinda scary, isn't it? Shame that probably doesn't actually answer the question you most likely meant to ask.....]

[ Lea doesn't even flinch when Myde starts getting a little... cozier. At this level of buzzed, flinching is active work. And it feels kind of... nice. Human contact, that is. Lea hasn't gotten out much recently. ]

Man, you've got it all figured out... [ Lea laughs. ]

[ Myde sure knows the system, doesn't he? Like, that is a flawless alibi right there. Completely bulletproof.

But of course, he'd have to. He's a recon expert. He has to know about his surroundings. He's observant, after all. He watches things.

Come to think of it. Demyx always was the one who acted the most like a person with a heart. Most committed to the act. And he was quieter in meetings, when Xemnas was running his mouth all the time about how terribly empty they all were, always, sometimes completely unprompted.

Demyx -
Myde -

He probably knew, in the end. ]

[ Softly: ] You know...

[ Lea's stopped moving enough that he's barely even creating ripples in the water now. He hadn't meant to start talking. He hadn't really meant to go back to anything heavy at all. Nobody likes heavy. But it's something that needs to be said, and it's pushing for him to say it. His heart, maybe, demanding to be heard.

He doesn't know how to say, "You were right, all along, and for what it's worth, I'm sorry that it came to this."

Well. He knows how to say that. He just doesn't know how to get there from a jovial conversation about alien dogs. Which he has just derailed by starting to talk before he knows what to say. ]

Mmmhmm.

[Myde smirks to himself, nuzzling against Lea's chest; it's supposed to feel good, duh. He's gotten that figured out, too, the pleasures of reaching out and touching people--even if nobody is willing to touch the other's heart and form a bond, there's still touching each other's bodies, the electric connection of skin on skin, exciting their senses and seducing their wits. Feelings could refer every bit as much to pure sensations as they could to emotions, couldn't it?

He's gotten it all figured out to the point where the challenge and entertainment of figuring out how to get away with what he did--does?--is rewarding in and of itself. He knows the system, and he games it mercilessly, because..... well, because he can. Because it's fun. Because it feels good, vindicating, like he's reclaiming some little bit of everything the Bossman and the others have stolen from him for all these years. It's interesting and engaging in its own way, the way missions and those endless speeches never have been on their own merits, just..... being there, immersing himself in a place and doing holistic recon, including the Castle. Darkness, maybe especially the Castle; he had to know who and what he was dealing with, to understand what he could slip under the radar.

Thought of that way, it all made a little more dense, didn't it? How quiet Demyx usually was during the meetings, aside from the periodic murmured commentary (mostly questions or complaints, or a bit of poking fun at Xemnas' philosophical pontificating) to his neighbors, or the occasional question or dumb joke. How loud and obnoxious he could be in the Grey Room, playing music or napping on the couch, or gossiping or complaining to anyone who'd listen, almost as though he were publicly flaunting his own worthlessness as a coworker. How much he'd cut up during the League's poker games, laughing too loud and chattering too much, bright and friendly and alive, acting practically human as though the drinks were going straight to his head. How jumpy and cowardly he was on paired missions in places like Halloweentown.....

He'd clung to Axel's arm and nearly shrieked when a spider the size of a small dog had skittered past, and practically hidden behind him the first time they'd met ghosts in person. He'd been shaking half the time while they were on that mission, and blushed at the weeks of teasing that had followed. He'd spluttered and protested how scary monsters were, how creepy spiders were, when Xigbar had gleefully told everyone about their midnight horror move marathon ("world research" was what they had decided on for the excuse) the night before that mission. He'd jumped at the scary parts, even screamed once or twice, and hidden his face against Xigbar's shoulder during particularly gory bits.....

He'd been a recon expert acting differently in different environments, to get different outcomes, always watching and learning. It had served him well, right up until the situation he'd been forced into had left no room for anything but fighting and dying like a cornered rat. It's human for terrible things to frighten you, for reminders of personal failings to embarrass you, to be horrified at reminders of mortality and the sight of other people getting hurt..... It took a heart to feel empathy, to resonate with someone's agony enough to truly understand their plight, whether or not you actually held any sympathy for them.

He'd been the weakest and dumbest member, the most secondhand-embarrassing and irrational of them all. He'd been the most fallible of their number by far, and--barring Roxas and Xion--possibly the most human. To err is human, right?

Even when it's an awkward, dumb error like butting into a playful conversation with something serious before he even knows what the hell he's doing--that's human, too. Lea's heart may still be clumsy and young, but it's doing its job. Myde makes a little questioning noise, tilting his head up to peer at Lea.]

Huh?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

code word steamy

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radiant garden didn't have rankin-bass christmas specials

That's just a travesty bro

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