THE CLOCK STRIKES HELL HOUR

[vapidus]

Vanitas is a bit iffy about dark corridors right now, given the real estate he's currently loaning. It's a pain, because they're just so easy to make and come naturally to him. He can use the lanes at least though, which is good, because otherwise the only way to the orange town bolted onto Yen Sid's tower would be the train, and Vanitas doesn't want to walk. Or really interact with people right now.

He just needs a fresh air today. The tower's getting way too full and Sora's friendly, but also a little too much at times, and also a reminder of just how far and close Ventus is right now. Lea looks like he's thinking the exact same thing, whenever they're in the same room together, Riku talks to him without meeting his (current) face, and Kairi... well actually there's nothing wrong there. But the cooped up feeling is still enough to get him wanting out for a bit. The increasing oppressive feeling of knowing the clock is ticking hasn't been helping.

The clocktower is picked arbitrarily. It's the highest point in the town he can see, and he likes to be tall, and there's probably not going to be anyone there. Perfect. And later he can see if there's any interesting rocks in the hills and woods nearby. He's going to have to start all over with his collection, thanks Ventus.

Unbeknownst to him, trying to use a Lane within a world isn't really what they're intended for. The result is a kind of universal hiccup trying to smooth over the contradictory commands to go to a different world that is also the same world.

Sorry, Roxen.

Comments

this is the more fitting account and it hurts me

[vacantis]

The boy with two names taps the back of his feet against the stone, staring out over the sunset. It's very quiet right now, in the evening. He'd grabbed a second ice cream out of habit, and it sits melting beside him as he eats the other, staining the clear plastic it came in.

He'd snuck here without telling anyone (not unlike a certain counterpart) even though he knew it would get Aqua worried sick, with Terra still unaccounted for (and she wouldn't give him the details on that- did she not trust him? Was she hiding something?)

No, slow down, breathe. That was the sort of thinking that had steered Ven wrong (but for Roxas it had been so horribly right and that ached still, deep in his chest).

He didn't find himself trusting very easily anymore, even if his mind riled against it. He was safe, and Aqua was here and Axel was Lea and tall and kind and so much like his best days when they were in the organization. It was wonderful, it made him very happy. But he felt..haunted. Like something in his chest was cracked and broken and he had to curl around it, lest the world upend him again.

The creak of the stairs behind him and his head darts up. The noise suprises him, but its so familar he finds himself turning with a smile, expecting.

His own face blinked back, and the boys own expression drops, his smile falling into something shocked and guarded. There's a horrible deja-vu to this, like he's still dreaming (though he knew he never saw his own face in his dreams) and a looming sense of doom arrives in time to make the boy furrow his brow.

"What do you want?" There's no point in beating around the bush. He knows who that is, after all, even if he doesn't know the why. No amount of wishing he wasn't here wasn't going to do anything. Action needed to be taken. He only has ice cream in his hand, not a keyblade, but honestly.....he really doesn't want to waste it.