With me disaster finds a playfield [Open]

[cadenbychoice]

Who: Riku Replica and anyone
Where: Plaza
What: Returning from Death #3
When: Friday June 8th (9 days after his death)

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His head was pounding as he blinked his eyes open. Oh no, he groaned inwardly, feeling completely drenched. At first he had to wonder if Demyx hit him with some powerful attack that had knocked him out. It was a possibility, given the the fact that much time had clearly passed in the day, all the way to another morning.

However, as he lay on his back, he started to mutter. "Can't believe I..." 'Fell for it' would have been next out of his mouth, but that was how he learned whose voice was coming out. His eyes darted all around, starting to panic.

"... Not again."

Comments

[lucentpalisade]

It isn't?

[ Oh snap, does that mean her apology to Cheria for broadcasting about her peachbutt didn't count? Nuu... ]

But they're your friends, aren't they?

[ Caden was probably the second person to have a sentiment like that - but the wording causes a bring ... sense of almost dejavu in her head. She's been having those headaches more frequently, depending on what people say - she wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because it was confusing? ... yes. That.... was probably it. ]

A weapon...? [ That's okay, she's a weapon too! ... but she doesn't remember that yet. Also that's a weird looking weapon. ]

I'm not afraid. [ Simply put. ] You haven't hurt me, and we've been talking a while already.

[cadenbychoice]

"They aren't all my friends. They're just... people. They weren't innocent, they weren't my friends, but they didn't hurt me either - not physically, not really me at all. I just..."

He looked over at her. "Can I ask why you aren't afraid?"

[lucentpalisade]

Yeah that all just ... flew overhead. "Why?" She considered a few minutes - but... honestly, it really all boiled down to one thing.

"I don't know what it is." She's never felt fear, and when she was created, such emotions would have been considered unnecessary. Granted she's learning what it means to have the more positive emotions, and can certainly emulate them, but fear and anger? Not things she knows.

[cadenbychoice]

"Really? Fear? You've never felt that in your whole life? Lucky you, I guess."

He'd misunderstood her, of course, but even for another created being he'd most definitely felt fear. Every time he thought of Larxene, for example, he got this intuitive sensation in his gut that she was capable of something terrible - not realizing she'd already done so once.

[lucentpalisade]

She shook her head. She of course, couldn't remember her past so she wasn't able to correctly ...er...correct him, much. "Why is it lucky to not be able to feel fear? What is fear? What does it feel like?"

It was... a little distressing, to be honest, to not know what these things are. But if they were important things, Cheria and Hubert and Asbel would tell her about them. Like not talking about peachbutts.

[cadenbychoice]

He looked down. "It's one of the worst things in the world. It's being powerless to stop someone else from hurting you. It's knowing something will happen whether you like it or not. It's worrying about what to do, but all you can do is think about that worry - not act to change it. You're just... a bystander."

Then he looked back at her. "That's why I say you must be lucky to have never been in a position like that."

[lucentpalisade]

Sophie fell silent for a moment. "I don't think I would like fear. I wasn't able to stop something from hurting my friends once." And she lost her life to avenge them. But it was okay because she stopped it.

"So you have to be stronger so aren't afraid; so you can protect the people you care about."

[cadenbychoice]

"That's part of the problem - the stronger I get, the more people I hurt. The more afraid I get. See?"

He guessed that the foundation of that logic probably didn't make much sense to her, but it was the truth. He didn't go crazy for the first time until after he'd acquired Zexion's powers.

[lucentpalisade]

No, no she didn't get it at all. "But if you're not strong you can't protect people." She thinks for a second. "You should try to be strong. That way you can protect your friends, and if you're afraid you're going to hurt someone, I'll stop you. Then you won't have to worry about hurting anyone."

L...ogic...?

[cadenbychoice]

He paused. "Why would you stop me? You don't even know me, I-"

In part, her words echoed the way he knew Riku felt - that weakness was what made him get swept along by the wills of other people, the ones with the power to enforce their desires. Creating destiny as opposed to following it.

And somehow that just hadn't worked out for him. Why? Was it because he was a replica, so he didn't know very well how his own body worked? Was that even important?

"I don't even know your name."

[lucentpalisade]

"Because you don't want to hurt your friends."

So she would stop him from hurting them, simple as that! Of course if it came to it it might be a bit more complicated, but, hey, it's out there now.

"My name is Sophie. What's your name?"

[cadenbychoice]

"Well I'm supposed to go by Cadence, Sophie."

She was one of those optimists whose energy infected you and made you physically incapable of keeping a bad mood for long. It was starting to work on him too.

"I don't want to but I still do from time to time. I shouldn't hurt them at all, though. I don't have many friends to begin with."

[lucentpalisade]

"Supposed to?" She tilts her head, puzzled by the phrasing. "Is it okay to call you Cadence?" Maybe he likes a different name better?

"But you have one more friend than you did yesterday, now. You can get more than that, too." Sophie just has the best logic.