[ considering yamato pitched a baby fit and made a mess, Riku is definitely allowed to get mad? Wow? it's yamato's turn to put his hand on riku's shoulder as well ]
... Yeah. We've been worried about that, too, and if the school spirit thing might be the start of something like that. [ ... ] On that field trip-- Taichi's memories were messed with, but my group just got a new set of them. Like a separate life we'd lived there. We still remembered this one, but it was... further. I think it must have meant something.
For as much as he talks big and steady, a mildly fearful, wild feeling reaches out to grab and cling onto Yamato when the hand touches him. Something a tiny bit sad and a tiny bit hopeless.
He can't do this without Sora is what he keeps thinking over and over. He doesn't have Sora again. (He spent a year running from him!) He is going to have to do this without that bright beam radiating out of all the dark.]
It's trying to... grab on, or something. It's... rewriting us? That's how it felt... being Luke, but then remembering myself, and remembering being him too.
[ yamato doesn't run from that feeling of fear, simply squeezes Riku's arm and tries to project assurance. he probably lands a bit closer to understanding. ]
... I don't know if it was exactly the same. Right now, those memories... I remember the whole thing, but that history they gave feels more like a movie I watched than something that happened to me personally now. [ which is a good thing, but there's something melancholic about the way he says it ]
[His brows pinch again. He's trying to to fall right back into the bitter frustration so the both of them don't end up on a stupid feedback loop of same hat.]
...Those places remind me of Roxas.
DiZ gave Roxas a fake life to lead in the digital world. It worked for a while... but parts of Sora couldn't be separated from Roxas because they were pieces of each other, so Roxas remembered them. Then the Organization infiltrated the world to take him back, too.
Both things... ruined the story, ruined the illusion.
[ yamato frowns a bit because, well, some of that still sounds vaguely fucked up on that Roxas guy, but it's not the point. ]
... Taichi and I have talked about that. If this place is maybe set in a virtual reality of some kind, and that's why so much stuff can just be controlled or rewritten. But that still means despite everything, your real selves shone through, right? So it's not like they can fully dictate things for us.
[It was, but all he cared about was getting his friend back whole because he's high gay on the gay side of bi.
It's...fine.]
I know. I don't know if it's virtual or not. All I know is it seems like there's a story this place is trying to force us to follow, but things... are wrong sometimes. Things don't... match?
The killings, the strange extra credit, the other places. Like the story isn't... [He struggles for the right words.] ...stable?
I thought so too, but the pages of script we found had some of those random murder or death scenarios. ... Well, I say script, but it's like some kind of demented adlib. It's-- there's comments on the original thing Taichi bought, like the pilot is too boring and they should find a way to make it stand out. I thought maybe that meant that stuff was the twist they thought about, but it doesn't explain ... anything else.
[Yamato isn't wrong, and that's what makes him go quiet. His eyes lower, and he glowers at the floor. There's no argument there. It feels like they're missing pieces of the puzzle.
Or they have the pieces, but don't have them in the right order.]
...
[Yet again, he really wishes Sora was fucking here because Sora would know what to say!!]
[ imagine getting notifs wow. but riku goes quiet and so does yamato for a second before he lets out a breath, seemingly steeling and centering himself ]
... We'll figure it out.
[ he nudges riku a little ]
... I should finish your nails. They already look bad enough without being half done.
[The nudge stirs him into focusing. He lifts a hand and glances down. The nails are so bad, but it's almost endearing in a way. His sigh is a little bit more forlorn than Yamato's een if it's a centering one.
[ stop judging his self-depreciation coping method he hasn't even noticed he's fallen into wow ]
I'm not... [ just a little bit of surprise and then something almost defensive before he settles down, hesitant ] I wasn't talking about myself any way.
[His lashes lower as his eyes look down, like he's pretending the nail painting is the most interesting thing in the world right now.
He should say "for spending time with me," or maybe, "for listening to my sad-sack mess of a past," or even, "for not judging me too harshly about it." For--being his friend? He really should. The emotions are there, giving him away. Fondness, appreciation, and deep sort of strangely good ache.
But a small secretive smile touches the corner of his lips, and instead he says teasingly:]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[ considering yamato pitched a baby fit and made a mess, Riku is definitely allowed to get mad? Wow? it's yamato's turn to put his hand on riku's shoulder as well ]
... Yeah. We've been worried about that, too, and if the school spirit thing might be the start of something like that. [ ... ] On that field trip-- Taichi's memories were messed with, but my group just got a new set of them. Like a separate life we'd lived there. We still remembered this one, but it was... further. I think it must have meant something.
no subject
For as much as he talks big and steady, a mildly fearful, wild feeling reaches out to grab and cling onto Yamato when the hand touches him. Something a tiny bit sad and a tiny bit hopeless.
He can't do this without Sora is what he keeps thinking over and over. He doesn't have Sora again. (He spent a year running from him!) He is going to have to do this without that bright beam radiating out of all the dark.]
It's trying to... grab on, or something. It's... rewriting us? That's how it felt... being Luke, but then remembering myself, and remembering being him too.
[His eyes lift. He frowns at Yamato.]
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... I don't know if it was exactly the same. Right now, those memories... I remember the whole thing, but that history they gave feels more like a movie I watched than something that happened to me personally now. [ which is a good thing, but there's something melancholic about the way he says it ]
no subject
[His brows pinch again. He's trying to to fall right back into the bitter frustration so the both of them don't end up on a stupid feedback loop of same hat.]
...Those places remind me of Roxas.
DiZ gave Roxas a fake life to lead in the digital world. It worked for a while... but parts of Sora couldn't be separated from Roxas because they were pieces of each other, so Roxas remembered them. Then the Organization infiltrated the world to take him back, too.
Both things... ruined the story, ruined the illusion.
no subject
... Taichi and I have talked about that. If this place is maybe set in a virtual reality of some kind, and that's why so much stuff can just be controlled or rewritten. But that still means despite everything, your real selves shone through, right? So it's not like they can fully dictate things for us.
[ whoever they...is ]
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It's...fine.]
I know. I don't know if it's virtual or not. All I know is it seems like there's a story this place is trying to force us to follow, but things... are wrong sometimes. Things don't... match?
The killings, the strange extra credit, the other places. Like the story isn't... [He struggles for the right words.] ...stable?
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but yamato nods along because-- yeah. ]
I thought so too, but the pages of script we found had some of those random murder or death scenarios. ... Well, I say script, but it's like some kind of demented adlib. It's-- there's comments on the original thing Taichi bought, like the pilot is too boring and they should find a way to make it stand out. I thought maybe that meant that stuff was the twist they thought about, but it doesn't explain ... anything else.
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Or they have the pieces, but don't have them in the right order.]
...
[Yet again, he really wishes Sora was fucking here because Sora would know what to say!!]
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... We'll figure it out.
[ he nudges riku a little ]
... I should finish your nails. They already look bad enough without being half done.
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Time to pack all that away for now.]
You probably did better than I could have.
[Offers his hand.]
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[ but he'll grab riku's hand and start on that one too ]
At least I've stopped walking into doors.
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[Some gently annoyed frustration bubbles up in him.]
You really tick me off with that. [The other hand reaches up. He flicks Yamato one good, solid time on the forehead.] Cut it out.
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You cut it out-- what was that for??
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[It's fine. He thankfully only does it once. Don't think he doesn't remember feeling the little hints of insecurity.]
Knock it off. Stop talking about yourself that way.
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I'm not... [ just a little bit of surprise and then something almost defensive before he settles down, hesitant ] I wasn't talking about myself any way.
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Thanks, by the way.
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... For what?
[ Because, Like, ]
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He should say "for spending time with me," or maybe, "for listening to my sad-sack mess of a past," or even, "for not judging me too harshly about it." For--being his friend? He really should. The emotions are there, giving him away. Fondness, appreciation, and deep sort of strangely good ache.
But a small secretive smile touches the corner of his lips, and instead he says teasingly:]
For making me look ridiculous.
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Don't give me too much credit. A lot of it is natural. [ his face is deadpan, but the amusement gives him away. ]
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[They're such dumbasses.
He will let Yamato finish his nails, though. There's no point in having some half done.]