What genius decided it was a good idea to put you in charge of children? Though if you need help deciphering pirate you might check with Xigbar. Or perhaps Luxord; I hear he got on quite well in Port Royal.
Er, that is, blimey, shiver me timbers, arr walk the plank and so on and so forth. [Well, it is in the spirit of the day. However though his terminology may be correct he's not speaking it with an accent, which makes it rather amusing.]
[Well, Marluxia was bound to figure it out eventually; that's a card Axel has no issues putting on the table. A weakness is less a weakness when it's embraced upfront.]
It's the 'yet' that concerns me, but that isn't the point. They're up to something, and I want to know when to brace for impact before it actually hits, got it memorized?
[Another sip of his drink and he chuckles.]
Well, Xigbar contacted me, and things just kind of went from there. [He examines his fingernails briefly, then gives him a slightly befuddled look.] Well, what about you? Pardon my candor, but you certainly never struck me as the type who's good with kids.
[Action]petalsofdeathSeptember 21 2011, 02:30:00 UTC
Well...
[Marluxia glanced at Axel furtively, nursing another tiny sip.] As much as I may loathe to suggest this, perhaps it would be for our mutual benefit to keep one another "in the loop" in Organization affairs... of course, I may only be of limited help in that regard.
[He rolled his eyes at the catchphrase, but there was a lazy, genuine sort of smile on his lips.]
I had never intended upon going back, so I decided to look for places where I could ply my skills in plain sight. I had erroneously assumed that the Organization would shy away from attacking a simple schoolteacher, since they wanted to keep their high standing as a good will company. And as for children, well... I did fine with them, once. They need a firm hand to help shape their experiences, and that I could provide. Also, I picked up some new skills before I arrived here, and the children in their own way, help me keep them sharp.
[Axel doesn't believe a word of what the other man is saying, but he's definitely surprised to hear it. More surprising is the smile on his face; it almost looks sincere. (It's kind of spooky.)
[He sets his drink down and leans an elbow on the counter, giving Marluxia a suspicious look.]
Last I checked, you were a manipulative doublecrossing asshole. And I'd say it takes one to know one. [He narrows one eye.] But whaddya mean 'before you arrived here'? [You were dead, dude; he was positive of that before he headed back to Never Was.] Make a pitstop in Limbo before you wound up in Canada and thought you'd expand your job skills?
[Action]petalsofdeathSeptember 21 2011, 03:15:15 UTC
[He laughed at that look on Axel's face. It was rather gratifying to see, really. And it had nothing to do with the rum and coke. Honest.]
Who said that changed? Have I become that good of an actor? Xemnas and Vexen are much less likely to keep bringing me back if I am an upstanding member of society. Those children, and their parents, my coworkers, and my bosses are all simply walls that I am putting between myself and the Organization. They can only do so much if they wish to keep their reputation.
[He almost killed off his drink, leaving a little bit to savor at the bottom.]
And yes, I suppose you could say I did spend some time in Limbo before Canada. Or perhaps, if I could be persuaded to put it on a map, Japan.
[He scoffs slightly at the thought, shaking his head.]
It is as if the entire world has gone mad while I was not looking.
[There now, that's more like it. Axel's still a little unnerved--mostly because of that momentary flicker of sincerity that had crossed Marluxia's face--but it's good to know that the more things changed, the more they really did stay the same.
[Surprise sweeps over his expression then, and he quickly schools it into intrigued curiosity.]
Japan? You mean to say you actually went somewhere after you died? [Huh.] Well I'll be damned; guess there's an afterlife after all.
[And then a roll of his eyes as he takes another swig of his drink.] Don't flatter yourself; the world was mad long before you or I, comrade. Long before.
[Action]petalsofdeathSeptember 21 2011, 03:24:12 UTC
[He leans his elbows on the bar again, looking serious for a moment, that light dying from his eyes, replacing itself with a sort of haunted blackness.]
No, not like this. Look at this place, Axel. That last place I was in was like that too. This is not something the Darkness did. This is something that the Scientists have yet to touch, though in all of their arrogance, I expect that they will turn their attentions on it soon enough, especially once Vexen settles in.
Well, here's where I could get all metaphorical on you and say that everything bad is as a result of the Darkness, for the darkness in men's hearts creates all the strife in the world, and blah blah yadda yadda yadda, but I'd rather leave the pontificating to the chief.
[Axel props his jaw against his fist, his elbow on the counter, his other hand still cupping his drink and a slightly pinched look to his face.]
Yeah, now that Vexen's here, I'd say nothing's sacred anymore.
[He hefts a sigh and swirls his drink again, but doesn't actually drink any of it, then gives Marluxia a curious frown.]
So what happened, anyway? I'm just dying to know. [He trusts you'll understand what he's asking. Something's unmistakably different about you, even if you claim to still be the same old douchebag you always were.] Seems to me we've both had a bit of a life-altering experience in the recent past... [He takes a thin drag off the top of the drink and then holds it against his lower lip a moment, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.]
( ... )
Perhaps I should have waited until you had a cup of coffee to be vague. [He waves a hand.] Nothing personal, Marluxia, but... I'm just not that into you.
[Action]petalsofdeathSeptember 21 2011, 03:48:28 UTC
[Marluxia looks around the bar furtively, before unbuttoning his shirt halfway. When he was certain no one was looking, aside from the other Nobody, he pulled apart the opening, showing off five perfect wounds, forming a semi-circle over where a human heart normally resides in the torso. Just as quickly, he closed his shirt back up again, buttoning it fast.]
I found a way to restore some of my emotional range. It is not the same as having a real heart, but it take the edge off of the ache that came from not having a heart at all.
[He figured no harm in showing Axel. After all, Xemnas had already figured it out and taken advantage of it. There wasn't really a point in hiding it.]
Whoa, whoa, whoa, look, when I said show I didn't mean I expected one, come on--
[But at the sight of the wounds Axel's voice just fails him and he's left sitting there, mouth open, frozen with his hands up as if to ward off whatever Marluxia had been planning. He finds himself staring at it, uncertain if it's envy or just plain shock that has him stunned. He meets Marluxia's eye as he hustles to close his shirt up again.]
Ah... Wow. I... really wasn't expecting an actual show; it's a turn of phrase, you know? [And just like that, the look of surprise is gone and replaced with his usual unflappable half-grin.] I'd suggest you keep that under your shirt, as it were, but something tells me you wouldn't be showing me if you were concerned about the news getting out.
[Sure, Axel's good on a secret--he'll take it to the grave--but only for the right price.
[He shakes his head then.]
I'm afraid my story's much less flashy--literally. Not long after I got back from Castle Oblivion everything kind of went to hell anyway. [He grins
( ... )
Re: [Action]petalsofdeathSeptember 21 2011, 04:10:33 UTC
I see no point in hiding it. Xemnas is... well aware already.
[Marluxia's jaw visibly tightened at the thought of it, anger and bitterness seething just below his skin before he let it go and turned back to the bar.]
Went to hell, hm? You and Saix fall out? It was inevitable, one way or another. But... even if that didn't happen, losing half of the team would do that. You cannot take out half of the bricks of a structure and expect it to stand.
[He rubs at his chest absently.] A lot of things happened, but this... well, someone more powerful than Xemnas had a fondness for me. Even being the Nobody that I was fulfilled something emotional for him, and he returned the favor. All of these feelings that I have, they're really his, but... It matters not, since I will likely never live to see my heart again.
[Or him for that matter. Marluxia has forgotten his face, his name, everything about him except that Marluxia always woke up before him in the morning, and he liked black coffee and he was the one who taught him Japanese
( ... )
[Axel's eyes narrow almost imperceptibly at the mention of Saïx, and he throws back another swallow of his drink.]
Inevitable? Probably. [Whether he means Saïx or the Organization as a whole, though, he doesn't specify. He shakes his head, sort of glowering into the bottom of his drink a moment.] I think some structures are just destined to fail anyway...
[He looks at Marluxia sidelong then, a bit bemused. He really hadn't expected the other Nobody to be so forthcoming. Apparently he really had been through something. A click of his tongue and he spins the mostly-empty glass on the counter.]
Way I see it, maybe the heart itself doesn't matter so much. We remember, and that's enough--it's all just chemicals in the brain anyway, isn't it? Emotion... [He waggles his fingers near his temple as if in demonstration, then snorts a bitter laugh.] If you remember what it feels like, then it's really not so different.
[Roxas had made him remember... when Roxas was around, it was almost like he did still have a heart. Damndest
( ... )
[Action]petalsofdeathSeptember 21 2011, 07:18:23 UTC
[There was plenty more for the Assassin to tell, but he kept those unpleasant secrets inside, at least for the moment. There may come a time where he would need to tell Axel the truth about his time in the Apartments, but certainly, he divulged more than enough to keep the other Nobody busy, hadn't he?]
I imagine that if our feelings were "just" chemicals in our brains, our hearts wouldn't be necessary at all. No, there must be something unique about the heart that allows us finally to be whole.
[he shrugs.]
Perhaps it is "light". Whatever light does for our hearts, our brains cannot synthesize it, and we remain yet incomplete beings.
[Marluxia looked down at the melting ice in his glass, the amber-colored water it left behind when it mixed with the remains of his drink.]
It seems too much a defeat to make do. Before... I had not wanted my heart. I could not face the pain that having one caused, but now... Well... it is indeed pleasant to taste something and enjoy its flavor, you understand?
[Axel gives an exaggerated sigh.] Ha~ah, don't you get all metaphorical on me; it doesn't suit you. Leave that nonsense to the chief. [Fishing an ice cube from his glass, he tosses it up in the air and catches it in his mouth, crunching on it a moment before giving Marluxia a slightly indignant look.]
I dunno. Getting a taste and never any more sounds like torture to me. But have it your way. I think it's better to just adapt than to lust for something you'll probably never get. [Oh. That was a little more honest than he meant to be. He quickly pushes the tumbler away like maybe eating the ice pushed him over the edge, then half-shrugs and waves a hand.] But suit yourself--it'll leave a pretty gnarly-looking scar, if nothing else.
[There: a little acerbic cynicism and perhaps the momentary lapse into honesty can be overlooked.]
Er, that is, blimey, shiver me timbers, arr walk the plank and so on and so forth. [Well, it is in the spirit of the day. However though his terminology may be correct he's not speaking it with an accent, which makes it rather amusing.]
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It's the 'yet' that concerns me, but that isn't the point. They're up to something, and I want to know when to brace for impact before it actually hits, got it memorized?
[Another sip of his drink and he chuckles.]
Well, Xigbar contacted me, and things just kind of went from there. [He examines his fingernails briefly, then gives him a slightly befuddled look.] Well, what about you? Pardon my candor, but you certainly never struck me as the type who's good with kids.
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[Marluxia glanced at Axel furtively, nursing another tiny sip.]
As much as I may loathe to suggest this, perhaps it would be for our mutual benefit to keep one another "in the loop" in Organization affairs... of course, I may only be of limited help in that regard.
[He rolled his eyes at the catchphrase, but there was a lazy, genuine sort of smile on his lips.]
I had never intended upon going back, so I decided to look for places where I could ply my skills in plain sight. I had erroneously assumed that the Organization would shy away from attacking a simple schoolteacher, since they wanted to keep their high standing as a good will company. And as for children, well... I did fine with them, once. They need a firm hand to help shape their experiences, and that I could provide. Also, I picked up some new skills before I arrived here, and the children in their own way, help me keep them sharp.
Reply
[Axel doesn't believe a word of what the other man is saying, but he's definitely surprised to hear it. More surprising is the smile on his face; it almost looks sincere. (It's kind of spooky.)
[He sets his drink down and leans an elbow on the counter, giving Marluxia a suspicious look.]
Last I checked, you were a manipulative doublecrossing asshole. And I'd say it takes one to know one. [He narrows one eye.] But whaddya mean 'before you arrived here'? [You were dead, dude; he was positive of that before he headed back to Never Was.] Make a pitstop in Limbo before you wound up in Canada and thought you'd expand your job skills?
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Who said that changed? Have I become that good of an actor? Xemnas and Vexen are much less likely to keep bringing me back if I am an upstanding member of society. Those children, and their parents, my coworkers, and my bosses are all simply walls that I am putting between myself and the Organization. They can only do so much if they wish to keep their reputation.
[He almost killed off his drink, leaving a little bit to savor at the bottom.]
And yes, I suppose you could say I did spend some time in Limbo before Canada. Or perhaps, if I could be persuaded to put it on a map, Japan.
[He scoffs slightly at the thought, shaking his head.]
It is as if the entire world has gone mad while I was not looking.
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[Surprise sweeps over his expression then, and he quickly schools it into intrigued curiosity.]
Japan? You mean to say you actually went somewhere after you died? [Huh.] Well I'll be damned; guess there's an afterlife after all.
[And then a roll of his eyes as he takes another swig of his drink.] Don't flatter yourself; the world was mad long before you or I, comrade. Long before.
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No, not like this. Look at this place, Axel. That last place I was in was like that too. This is not something the Darkness did. This is something that the Scientists have yet to touch, though in all of their arrogance, I expect that they will turn their attentions on it soon enough, especially once Vexen settles in.
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[Axel props his jaw against his fist, his elbow on the counter, his other hand still cupping his drink and a slightly pinched look to his face.]
Yeah, now that Vexen's here, I'd say nothing's sacred anymore.
[He hefts a sigh and swirls his drink again, but doesn't actually drink any of it, then gives Marluxia a curious frown.]
So what happened, anyway? I'm just dying to know. [He trusts you'll understand what he's asking. Something's unmistakably different about you, even if you claim to still be the same old douchebag you always were.] Seems to me we've both had a bit of a life-altering experience in the recent past... [He takes a thin drag off the top of the drink and then holds it against his lower lip a moment, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.] ( ... )
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Should I take you up on that literally?
[He's definitely done with the alcohol for tonight.]
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Perhaps I should have waited until you had a cup of coffee to be vague. [He waves a hand.] Nothing personal, Marluxia, but... I'm just not that into you.
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I found a way to restore some of my emotional range. It is not the same as having a real heart, but it take the edge off of the ache that came from not having a heart at all.
[He figured no harm in showing Axel. After all, Xemnas had already figured it out and taken advantage of it. There wasn't really a point in hiding it.]
And you?
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[But at the sight of the wounds Axel's voice just fails him and he's left sitting there, mouth open, frozen with his hands up as if to ward off whatever Marluxia had been planning. He finds himself staring at it, uncertain if it's envy or just plain shock that has him stunned. He meets Marluxia's eye as he hustles to close his shirt up again.]
Ah... Wow. I... really wasn't expecting an actual show; it's a turn of phrase, you know? [And just like that, the look of surprise is gone and replaced with his usual unflappable half-grin.] I'd suggest you keep that under your shirt, as it were, but something tells me you wouldn't be showing me if you were concerned about the news getting out.
[Sure, Axel's good on a secret--he'll take it to the grave--but only for the right price.
[He shakes his head then.]
I'm afraid my story's much less flashy--literally. Not long after I got back from Castle Oblivion everything kind of went to hell anyway. [He grins ( ... )
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[Marluxia's jaw visibly tightened at the thought of it, anger and bitterness seething just below his skin before he let it go and turned back to the bar.]
Went to hell, hm? You and Saix fall out? It was inevitable, one way or another. But... even if that didn't happen, losing half of the team would do that. You cannot take out half of the bricks of a structure and expect it to stand.
[He rubs at his chest absently.] A lot of things happened, but this... well, someone more powerful than Xemnas had a fondness for me. Even being the Nobody that I was fulfilled something emotional for him, and he returned the favor. All of these feelings that I have, they're really his, but... It matters not, since I will likely never live to see my heart again.
[Or him for that matter. Marluxia has forgotten his face, his name, everything about him except that Marluxia always woke up before him in the morning, and he liked black coffee and he was the one who taught him Japanese ( ... )
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Inevitable? Probably. [Whether he means Saïx or the Organization as a whole, though, he doesn't specify. He shakes his head, sort of glowering into the bottom of his drink a moment.] I think some structures are just destined to fail anyway...
[He looks at Marluxia sidelong then, a bit bemused. He really hadn't expected the other Nobody to be so forthcoming. Apparently he really had been through something. A click of his tongue and he spins the mostly-empty glass on the counter.]
Way I see it, maybe the heart itself doesn't matter so much. We remember, and that's enough--it's all just chemicals in the brain anyway, isn't it? Emotion... [He waggles his fingers near his temple as if in demonstration, then snorts a bitter laugh.] If you remember what it feels like, then it's really not so different.
[Roxas had made him remember... when Roxas was around, it was almost like he did still have a heart. Damndest ( ... )
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I imagine that if our feelings were "just" chemicals in our brains, our hearts wouldn't be necessary at all. No, there must be something unique about the heart that allows us finally to be whole.
[he shrugs.]
Perhaps it is "light". Whatever light does for our hearts, our brains cannot synthesize it, and we remain yet incomplete beings.
[Marluxia looked down at the melting ice in his glass, the amber-colored water it left behind when it mixed with the remains of his drink.]
It seems too much a defeat to make do. Before... I had not wanted my heart. I could not face the pain that having one caused, but now... Well... it is indeed pleasant to taste something and enjoy its flavor, you understand?
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I dunno. Getting a taste and never any more sounds like torture to me. But have it your way. I think it's better to just adapt than to lust for something you'll probably never get. [Oh. That was a little more honest than he meant to be. He quickly pushes the tumbler away like maybe eating the ice pushed him over the edge, then half-shrugs and waves a hand.] But suit yourself--it'll leave a pretty gnarly-looking scar, if nothing else.
[There: a little acerbic cynicism and perhaps the momentary lapse into honesty can be overlooked.]
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