[identity profile] xiv-obsession.livejournal.com posting in [community profile] shiva_dancing_backup
Who: Xion, Zexion
What: Leaving the Veldt
Where: The Veldt, Calm Lands travel Lodge
When: A little while after this post.
Rating: G

Xion looked off at the setting sun from her seat on her bike. Every so often she would have to turn and fire off a spell, Blizzaga, Firaga or otherwise, at a monster that tried to sneak up on her from behind. It seemed that even after having Bahamut SIN blast them all to hell, the fiends of the prairie never learned to leave her alone. Still, she didn't complain. The beauty of the sunset more than made up for it. It gave her something pleasant to look at as she continuously recalled the post she'd read earlier concerning the arrival of Number VI of Organization XIII.

The dark-haired girl sighed and looked down at her bike. Unlike Loz's, it hadn't been wrecked during the fight with the fiends. Hers had just run out of gas, making a speedy getaway impossible for the time being. 'Well, at least when he gets here I can catch a ride back to Miss Aeris' house...maybe.' she thought.

It would begin as a small glimmer of dark flame, but would quickly grow into a levitating pool of malign dark matter. The Corridor of Darkness would open a few yards away from the former Number XIV of the ironically named Organization XIII, from which a figure clad in a black, leather cloak would emerge. The figure had its hood up, hiding his face entirely.

The Corridor would close behind the rather short cloaked figure, and as it did, Zexion raised his gloved hands to the hood and lowered it, revealing his silver hair that covered one of his eyes. His dull, gray eyes were fixed on Xion. She was just as short as he remembered her being, although her body had a bit more of a figure to it. Zexion took a few steps forward, but his gaze remained transfixed on the Keyblade wielder. "Good evening, Xion," Zexion said pleasantly, as he took a seat on a nearby rock.

She jumped slightly as the Corridor sprouted up from the ground, and for a moment her eyes widened in almost fear. The look was gone before the cloaked figure stepped out and turned toward her. Even as he pushed back the hood and sat down on one of the rocks close to the bike, butterflies were flittering this way and that in her stomach. An actual, high-ranking member of the Organization was before her once more. She thanked her lucky stars she wasn't overcome with the urge to toss up the lunch she'd eaten earlier.

"Ah...good evening, Number VI." she said, inclining her head slightly in greeting.

Zexion smiled kindly, noting that she was nervous. Why? What did she have to be nervous about? It's not like she had betrayed the Organization too, right?

"You have no reason to be nervous around me, Xion. I actually appreciate having assistance from another member... the state of this world warrants two of us being here." He crossed his arms over his chest, and stretched his legs out as he said this. "We have much to talk about."

"Y-Yeah...I suppose we do. It's lucky they sent more." she nodded, definitely not appreciating the irony in her own words. She clasped her hands together on her knees to keep them from visibly shaking. Thankfully, her gloves also absorbed the sweat beginning to build up on her palms. She didn't remember much of Zexion other than what other members had said about him, but she didn't need to. The very way he carried himself spoke volumes about where exactly he stood in their uniform bunch of misfit Nobodies. And as one of the higher in rank, she figured he was the best at appearing to be human. She doubted the smile he offered was genuine. "Ask away..."

Zexion tilted his head. As the master of espionage within the Organization, he knew how to read emotions - and the way Xion exhibited fear was painfully obvious. However, he put his suspicions aside, as gathering information on this world was far more important than an inquiry about her apparent anxiety. "The Heartless here are hostile to the Nobodies. I have also seen creatures that resemble Heartless, but feel... darker. Do you have any information about this?"

She shook her head slowly. Xion was relieved he was staying far away from the topic of her or Roxas for the time being. It gave her better time to prepare her answers. Unfortunately, said answers kept eluding her.

Suddenly, an answer came to her and blindsided her. She remembered that old man from when Sephiroth implanted Chaos within her body. He had been called Xehanort, right? She visibly paled at the memory of the old keyblade master.

"N-No...Xehanort...he's...he's the one controlling them." she said softly, wiping the sweat from her forehead with one gloved hand. "He has to be..."

Zexion's eyes widened in surprise. Did she say... Xehanort? But that was the name of the Superior's Somebody. "Xehanort... hmm." he mused, thinking hard. He knew it wasn't Xehanort's Heartless, as he insisted on calling himself "Ansem." Maybe... it was something else? A rogue Replica, maybe?

"But what are they? They aren't Heartless... they're something else entirely," he asked.

"No...he just controls the Heartless. The strange ones...I don't know." she said, cradling her head in her hands. She kept her head down and her eyes half-lidded as her eyes flickered red for a brief moment. She wanted to kill the keyblade master. He and Sephiroth were the ones responsible for the pain she felt. Even if she herself died once more in the process, that decrepit son of a...

The thought of Roxas and Aeris smiling as they ate breakfast with her in Midgar came to her mind suddenly, and she felt at ease. Xion lightly bit her lip before taking in a silent breath and returning to her upright sitting position. "I'm sorry I'm not more help."

Zexion waved his hand, dismissing her apology. "There is no need to apologize, Xion. I am here to gather information on these creatures... nothing more." He blinked, and turned his gaze towards Xion once more. She really looked on edge, and he was beginning to worry. What was so wrong with her? Why was she so nervous? Finally, he asked. "What is bothering you, Xion? I've never seen you so... animated." The last time he had seen her, she never lowered her hood, and was absolutely silent and statuesque.

"It's just...been a long day." she said. That itself was half of the truth, at least. When she'd broke camp earlier that morning to go off to the ruined town of Mobliz, she had never expected so much would happen. From running into that big silverheaded lummox once more, to fighting monsters upon monsters upon monsters, to finding out an Organization member was in Gaia, to sitting before said member and chatting, it had been a hell of a day. "I'm just really tired."

Zexion's facial expression showed a great deal of skepticism as she gave her response. Finally, he relented, and politely smiled at her again. "Come," he said, standing up. "Surely you do not wish to sleep on the ground, surrounded by monsters. There is a travel lodge in the Calm Lands, where I have already rented a room." Zexion crossed his arms again, keeping his nonchalant persona. "It has two bedrooms. You won't need to sleep near me, if that bothers you."

At least he wasn't insisting on returning to the World that Never Was.

She returned the skepticism as he offered up a room in a travel lodge. Despite her great disdain towards going near anything that looked like a Dark Corridor, there was truth to his words. Her motorcycle was out of gas, and the nearest remaining town was hundreds of miles away. She certainly wasn't going to sleep on the ground with one eye open either.

Her shoulders slumped slightly as she nodded again and stood up. "Alright. I'll come along. I need a shower anyway..."

Zexion was many things, and he was known for his art of deception and trickery. However, he was telling the truth here. He raised one of his hands, and the air vibrated like water when he 'poked' the air, forming a Dark Corridor. He noted, however, her distrust. "Relax," he said with a hint of a joking nature in his voice. "I'm not about to drop you in the middle of the Underworld. I've never been fond of Hades." While it was more gentlemenly to follow the lady, Zexion went through the Corridor first... perhaps to prove he wasn't about to deceive her.

Xion watched him leave, then turned back to her bike. She pushed the kickstand up and steered the currently useless vehicle toward the corridor. She did stop, for a moment, to catch her breath and stare warily at the portal. She had no reason to trust his words, but then, she had no reason to distrust him either. She hadn't yet told him anything incriminating, after all.

Shutting her eyes, she stepped through the portal alongside her bike.

Xion would be greeted by the feeling of a warm room, the sound of a crackling fireplace, and the sound of a phonograph which had reached the end of the record, and was making a quiet scratching sound. Zexion clicked his tongue in disapproval, however, at a dirty bike being brought into their room. Oh well... at least this room didn't have a carpet. "Must you bring a bike into our room?" he asked with a slightly annoyed tone, as he sat down in a leather armchair, near the fireplace.

"Oh well... make yourself comfortable. The bathroom is the second door on the left, across the hall from my bedroom. And don't worry, the bath robe and towels are quite soft. The maid will wash your coat for you." Zexion said this while opening a book in his lap. His Book of Retribution never got old.

When she heard "travel lodge," she had honestly expected a simple room like the one she had briefly used when Red helped her escape the Heartless in the Thunder Plains. She certainly hadn't expected a room befitting someone of the upper class from the look of it. It was hard not to admire the build of the walls, the furniture, and even the flames that sparked and danced in the hearth.

Xion lowered her head again, looking down at her feet in embarrassment, and tried not to look in Zexion's general direction. She mumbled something about it costing a lot of gil, then took the bike out into the hallway. The hall was big enough for four people to walk shoulder to shoulder with room to spare, so she didn't worry about the vehicle taking up too much room. With its kickstand set down, she left the bike there for one of the supposed servants to clean up and headed off to the bathroom.

"The second to the left..." she muttered, finding the door easily. Much like the room she came out of, the bathroom definitely was not what she expected. It was the size of at least five regular ones, and the countertops were fine marble. She almost didn't want to dirty it up. Still, need outweighed all else.

Zexion had bathed before he left, and his cloak was already washed. He would simply continue reading his book, and quietly hummed a laughing sound at Xion's reaction. Of course this room was expensive... this world didn't accept Munny, so he simply used his illusions to rent this room. In a sense, then, he paid for the room with the owner's own imagination. Imagine his surprise when he opened his safe the next day to find the large bundle of gil gone. Oh well... at least he blamed it on thieves, and allowed Zexion to keep the room.

While Xion bathed, Zexion quietly read his enchanted lexicon. It was a funny little book... no matter which page you would turn to, you could never reach the last page. It was literally endless, despite it being only as thick as your average dictionary. Perhaps it was an illusion in and of itself?

The fireplace provided a good amount of light, and while the room had electric lighting, it was much more peaceful to have the fireplace. Maybe Xion would be able to relax... and Zexion only hoped that the shampoo and soap, though rather expensive, was good enough for the young girl. He found it rather strong and girly smelling, when he used it. He didn't really like the smell of... coconut.

Xion had to empty her pockets of all their contents before finally handing all her clothing over to the maid. The vast array of sea shells, her cell phone, gil pouches, keys, and other little things seemed so strange to look at. She hadn't even figured she kept that much in her pockets, as they never did seem full. Ever the quick bather, Xion didn't know what to do when her clothes still weren't dry after she finished her five minute shower. Instead of reflect long on it though, she just tied a rather fluffy robe about her person and sat down in front of one of the large mirrors. The items she kept in her pocket were before her, but they weren't her focus at the moment.

Her eyes were on the area of her chest just above where her breasts began. It seemed like so long ago she had gotten the tiny mark there, the only outward symbol of the chaotic being that resided inside her body. Idly she rubbed her hand over the area, as she had done in times before the materia had been lodged inside. Again she felt only the warmth of her skin, and no movement within. She had done her research on the human heart from what could be found out in Edge's libraries, and knew a normal human would have felt a steady and consistent series of thumps. She, on the other hand, felt nothing.

It was enough to make a girl cry.

Thankfully, her clothes finished drying by the time she had looked through and sorted out all the shells and trinkets she kept. After the maid left, Xion swiftly changed into her white tubetop, black pants and boots, and began slipping the gloves on. She hesitated before pulling the coat on, but ultimately fitted it back over her shoulders. Once every item she collected was back in a suitable pocket of her coat, she went back to find the room Zexion sat in. She poked her head in and looked around. He might not be entirely pleasant for the time being, but it was better than being alone, she figured.

Zexion, of course, could smell her enter the room. His ability to sense anyone and anything miles around by scent alone came in handy, though now he had the smell of coconut lodged within his nostrils. Still, he smiled pleasantly when Xion entered the room. He still noticed that she was nervous... but perhaps her experience was so jarring that she was somewhat traumatized. Still, she looked much better with her skin clean, and her hair free of grease and grime.

"You must feel better," Zexion commented in a friendly tone, and motioned towards the couch. He finally placed the Book of Retribution on his table, with the book disappearing in a cloud of black smoke. "I must say, Xion..." he said, leaning back in his chair. "... it really is nice to see your face for once. You were always so enigmatic, when I first met you at the World that Never Was."

"Yeah, much better." she agreed as she sat down in one of the other chairs in the room. She watched the vanishing book with slight interest, then turned her eyes toward Zexion when he spoke again. His words brought back memories of the first few weeks she spent hardly talking to anyone other than Saix for her missions. No one besides Roxas had ever really taken the time to try to talk to her. "I never really had a reason to show my face..."

Zexion leaned forward and folded his hands together. "We welcomed you into our fold, Xion. At the very least, you could have spoken with me." He shifted his position so that he leaned back against the seat, and kicked his feet up on a coffee table. "You shouldn't have hidden your face from us. You have every reason to be proud of retaining your humanoid body."

'Oh, if you only knew...' she thought bitterly as she turned her eyes down to her hands again. Despite being one of the founders of the Organization, he clearly had no earthly idea what she was exactly. One was in her pocket, lightly thumbing a seashell she happened to brush her fingers against. "I never really thought about that, I guess."

Zexion looked up at her, slouching. They were in an inn, he had a right to relax and have poor posture for once, didn't he? "Don't worry. I am only pleased to see that you have come out of your shell... it will be a pleasure working with you. You are far more lovely than Larxene, at least."

That certainly stunned her. She hadn't expected a compliment to come from him at all. And comparing her with Larxene of all people! It was no wonder her face turned bright red. Though remembering how her face wasn't even her own made it seem to her like he was complimenting Kairi, not her. "Th-Thank you..." she said, looking away like a shy dinner date might when trying to think of better conversation than awkward silence.

Zexion raised an eyebrow. What an odd response. He meant that Larxene was easily the hardest member of the Organization to get along with, while Xion was much more pleasant to be around. Did she think that Zexion called her 'pretty?' ... Ah. Yes, she did. Zexion didn't bother correcting her interpretation, if it made her happy. He needed to keep her in high spirits, if they were going to stay motivated against this new threat. He remained quiet now, unsure if maybe he had made a poor choice of words.

Xion just sat there, trying to think. She didn't want to head off to sleep so soon, and just sitting there in that awkward stretch of silence was almost like torture. So, she figured it would be best to just ask her own questions. Certainly couldn't hurt, right? And it would let her know if telling him anything might be better than just dodging the subject endlessly.

"What were things like at the castle before you left?"

Zexion adjusted his position so that he wasn't slouching his much, at her question. It was a fair question, since he hadn't seen her before leaving for Castle Oblivion. "Ahh... yes... Castle Oblivion. I regret to report that Lexaeus, Larxene, and Vexen were killed in the line of duty. Axel killed Vexen on Marluxia's orders, while Lexaeus was killed by Riku. Larxene was defeated in battle by Sora... I can honestly say that I am only truly disheartened by the passing of Lexaeus." Zexion then sat all the way up, and brought his feet down from the footstool.

"I was about to confront Riku myself, when I was reassigned to this world. I was very surprised to see Naminé here... though, at the same time, there seems to be many inconsistencies in this world, than what I interpretted as reality."

Somehow, hearing about the deaths of so many Organization members...just didn't seem real to her. She remembered each of them and how distinct they were, and to imagine them just not existing anymore was truly the strangest thing to consider. Especially Vexen, her "father" of sorts. Their castle in the World That Never Was definitely had to feel pretty empty and lonely by that time. Of course, it always felt that way even when there were people in it.

"Inconsistencies...like the time that passed...?" she ventured. She let her thoughts dwell on Riku. He had been so helpful to her when she needed it most...she was actually glad Zexion had been reassigned. Given how strong she imagined him, Xion would have felt just awful if he had done something to Riku.

Zexion nodded. "Five years have not passed since I had left for Castle Oblivion. At the most, it was five months." He began to ponder this more... it simply perplexed him. Naminé was here, when he had known she was in her room the entire time. She could have escaped via a Corridor of Darkness, but why would she be here of all places? "This world has a strange effect... I will study it later. As for now, the Heartless and the other creatures are a much more pressing matter."

He stopped over-thinking the matter, and looked back up at Xion. "Are you hungry? There is a left-over roast in the fridge. I can summon a Dusk to heat it up for you... it's not like they're good for much else." He said this with a slight laugh.

The entire time and space issue was all too confusing for her as well. She didn't know why it happened. She just knew that it did. It was enough to make anyone go cross-eyed from giving it too much thought.

As if on cue, her stomach gurgled loudly. Her face went pink-tinted again, and she rubbed her belly out of reflex. "That actually sounds really good right now..." she admitted.

Zexion smiled and nodded, and raised one of his hands. A Corridor opened, and a Dusk emerged. As if it knew what Zexion wanted immediately, the pointy creature floated like an eel towards the kitchen, and got to work. As they waited, Zexion spoke again. "I will retire to bed, now. Feel free to wake me if you need anything." Zexion rose from his seat, stretched, and headed towards his bedroom. Halfway there, he turned back to Xion. "I am glad to have you here with me, Xion. You and I will get along just fine."

With that, he entered his bedroom, closed the door, undressed, and got into bed.

She waited until he was off in his own room before she got up and went to find where the Dusk went. She waited almost impatiently for the leftover roast to finish cooking, and stared hard at the Dusk as if that would somehow make it cook faster. The Nobody ignored her as it went about the task its master had set for it to do.

Xion actually grinned once it was finally ready. Since there wasn't a higher ranking officer to try to impress with her ladylike table manners, she instead resorted to actually eating like she had been starved for days on end. Given her substinence being only granola bars and water for the past couple of days, that wasn't far off the mark. As she ate, she turned the day's events over and over and over in her mind to make some kind of sense of them.

Number VI had been nice to her, downright friendly even. But why? Did he do that to everybody? She knew the politeness was part of his personality, but friendliness? Doubtful.

"Get along just fine, huh?" she mused. "I wonder if that's true."
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