vatheon | Ready Your Weapons

Who: N and anyone!
Location: Forest
Time: Morning.
Style: Either-or!
Status: Open to all!

There is a clearing not too into the forest that has obviously gotten some abuse in the past. It sits on the bottom of a hill and much of the vegetation has been burned away; the hill itself looks as if it has been gouged on occasion by something very large.

Right now, it may be obvious what the cause may have been: a large white dragon sits on the edge, though at the moment she seems contented to lounge on her belly, eyes half-closed. Nothing nearly so traumatic as destroying part of the hill is going on right now; instead she is watching over her trainer with a much smaller beast.

N has a sword in hand, though the scabbard is still on it, and he is all but dancing around, blocking as his Zorua lunges at him, swiping at him again and again.

It is all very serious until the fox Pokemon apparently has had enough. The Zorua jumps up and grabs ahold of the scabbard, pulling down on it with a playful growl.

"H-hey! This is not tug of war!" N protests, but he ends up laughing as he tries to wrest the sword away from him.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Caden?" N looked surprised. "You do look different! What happened?"

Though he gets distracted almost immediately by the golden retriever, dropping down in a crouch and holding out his hand. "Oh, hello! Are you a friend of Caden's?"

"I still don't know what happened - that's why I came to you." Caden dropped into a crouch beside N. "This is Kouki - and he was a friend's dog before he disappeared." He was keeping it together pretty well, really, but the tinge of sadness was there. "Who knows when it might happen to me, at this rate..."

"...I'm sorry." N frowns to hear that Caden's friend had disappeared, though he then reached out a hand to the dog. "Hello, Kouki. I'm N! It's nice to meet you."

Kouki seemed plenty delighted to meet a new person, sniffing at N's hand before putting his head under it appreciatively. This was obviously an animal-friendly person, like Yellow had been.

"I just wanted to introduce you two, just in case." Caden gave a little snort of amusement. "You know... He knew it was me." He patted down the thick fur running along Kouki's spine. "Even like this, he could tell, when no one else could."

"I'm not surprised!" It please N to be introduced, and also to see how Caden obviously was taking care of the dog. "Animals can be very perceptive, especially about people they like."

"Heh. You really think so?" Caden smiled down at Kouki, who panted happily in response. "I guess I like you too, Kouki."

It was such a simple action, but it was a commitment to care for another being - for no ulterior motive but genuine companionship.

Caden hadn't thought anything of it until his form became outlined in white light, then wrappings of black, and he stood up in complete shock. Stepping back, he looked despondent, knowing all too well what it had felt like to die twice now - not to mention what it looked like for a Nobody to vanish from existence.

He wrapped those baggy sleeves around himself, half-doubling over. "Please, no! I... I don't want to go!"

That sentiment, too, made all the difference in the world.

The white sparks burst off his body and he was shocked to still... be. He stood up straighter, still amazed by it all. He put out his hands, pulled at his bangs, and looked straight at N with a very clear expression:

'What just happened?'

It wasn't Zexion, and Riku wasn't blond. He spared a hope - a very tiny hope - that maybe... maybe he was back in that body. The one he couldn't recognize as being anyone else from his universe, that no one else could recognize either. Someone new.

"What's happening?" The moment Caden doubled over, N lunged forward to catch him in case he might fall. "Hey, hey -- what's happening --"

Then Caden stood up, which startled N even more. He stared right back at the now even more unfamiliar man.

"What -- who -- are you still --" He promptly glances at the dog, pointing at the blond. "Is that still Caden?"

While Kouki had been a little stunned at everything and hid behind N, afterwards the dog wagged his tail. He sniffed at the boys lankier legs and then jumped up on Caden's thighs to inspect his broader hands. He had a pleased expression on his face as he barked back at N.

For Caden's part, he was still in shock. "I'm... not in someone else's body anymore..." He blinked down at Kouki. "I'm not his replica anymore..."

"You are Caden!" N trusted the dog implicitly. He quickly moved forward again, studying the new body he saw. "Are you okay? Caden? What are you talking about?"

He grasped N's shoulders in disbelief and excitement. "I don't look like Zexion anymore! Or Riku! Or anyone else!" He let go and took a step back, fingers brushing through his bangs. "I'm... someone new. Me. Cadence."

He looked up to the sky, hands gripped at his side. "HEAR THAT, VEN? CADENCE! At last..."

N had no earthly idea what was going on, but... Caden (or Cadence, was it?) seemed happy by this change. Whatever it was.

He tried for a smile, though it was somewhat nervous, though he was unsure what to say to the other boy.

He started to calm down as he realized how freaked out N was. Petting Kouki helped, looking down at the dog to collect his thoughts.

"Riku kept telling me how my heart was my own and that made me someone special- I tried to believe him, I started to- but I still wanted... to just not be him anymore. Now... Now I really am, completely. There's nothing left of him in me."

Except memories, but he left that issue alone. They'd reconciled that much, treating each other like brothers who'd been through hell together.

"I'm Caden." That felt good to say, finally; to really feel like it was true. "Just Caden."

N was starting to understand. A smile grew on his face as he did, his shoulders slowly relaxing. He could see the happiness in Caden's face now, and that, in turn, pleased him.

"So this is what you really look like?" N stepped forward again, this time to look him over. "I like it!"

"What I really look like..." He let those words fill his mouth and his mind with awe, then slowly broke into a smile. "Yeah! It is now!"

He ran his hands through his hair, inspected his slightly-taller frame, and blinked out at the world. "I don't know how or why but... I think I owe you my thanks." He held out his hand for N to shake.

N looked baffled, but he took the hand and shook it.

"I don't think I did anything, though." Whatever had happened, he did not believe he had much part in it.

Ready Your Weapons

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

1/3

2/3

3/3

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject