cinderlea | (no subject)

(no subject)

[ Riku disappears first. Vanished in her sleep, in the middle of the night, collapsing in on herself in a shimmer of starlights. This isn't like last time. No warnings, no chances to say goodbye, no hesitation or resistance. She just isn't there.

Lea goes minutes after Riku, in the same way. But she's awake, lounging on her couch, having a conversation as she flips through her phone. Here and then gone, like a flame. This isn't the first time either of them have gone home, but it's the first time it's so abrupt. At least it isn't death. The last time Riku went home was seven years ago. She was gone for a month, and she came back with shorter hair and the Mark of Mastery. The last time Lea went home, no one really noticed. She thought she was used to it by now.

Things are different this time. Disorienting. Lea meets Kai in the training, for real this time. Riku has her memories, or at least most of them. They're hazy, dreamlike, but real. She has them all. She remembers how old she really is and how long she's been gone. She remembers everyone she cares about, and everyone that won't change here. She keeps her ice magic and takes what she's learned here to use there. But time is fluid. She doesn't feel like she's been gone for seven years.

Lea's are gone, for now. She lives everything new and fresh, with the dressing room appearing only in dreams vivid enough to unsettle her.

Things aren't the same for every world.

Things go better than expected.

The core story is the same. The heroes rescue the ones that need it, they bring everyone back, they defeat the darkness, and they go home. How and when and who — these things vary, but they do it all together and they go home together. And then their story is over, at least for now, and they come back.

Unlike how they went out, Lea and Riku reappear together on the beach. Coming back is just as disorienting, and neither has their phone, so they get their bearings and confirm memories with each other, of the dressing room and of home, and then separate to find their friends.

They've been gone two months. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm trying not to imagine anything, honestly. And you have my sympathies. I never really did ask you about what it was like there, only about what happened. I assume it was awful, considering who else was there. You don't have to talk about it, but.

[not like, the bad memories shit that went on, just like. interpersonally. Isa never spent much time in close quarters with any besides Lea and Xemnas, so a lot of personality stuff for the others is kind of a mystery, apart from who did best at what kind of mission, and who annoyed her the most.]

[ Lea annoyed her the most, right? It was Lea? She scoops up Isa's hair in one hand so she can hold it while she rinses it free of shampoo. ]

Oblivion?

[tbh no, or maybe it was just that Lea's annoyingness was more familiar and tolerable. Xigbar and Demyx were probably tied at the top of the list, for being a nosy pervert and useless, respectively.]

Yeah. I was only there a couple of times, but the whole place gave me a headache.

[ Disappointeeeed. ]

Stuck in a castle with Thing One and Two, and the science division? Oh, it was the time of my life. Sneaking around, sniffing out traitors... Getting rid of anyone in your way.

[ Hah. ]

And I do appreciate it, believe me. I was very impressed that you managed to do that and get out in one piece.

[even though it ended up being pointless, and fuck, she just remembered another thing but 1) it'll make Lea sad and/or angry again and 2) it involves having some level of trust in anything Xemnas has said ever, so she'll come back to that later. in like a week. right now she's gonna try and help with her hair because it feels weird just sitting here doing nothing.]

Tell me you expected anything less and it's gonna hurt my feelings.

[ She's not necessarily proud of everything she did there, but it's in the past. She got shit done that other people wouldn't have been able to. She'll let her help, but she's gonna gently brush the back of her hand against the back of Isa's neck, kind of but not really accidentally. ]

Well, you are a dumbass. Sometimes. And you did have me a little worried when the Dusks came back with initial reports that everyone was dead.

[Isa shivers appreciatively, and then yawns a little. she's gonna need a little coffee or something after this if she's going to make dinner. about all she wants to do at the moment is crawl back in bed with Lea, though.]

I couldn't really have them blowing my cover if I was trying to lay low, could I?

[ Bed would be nice, but Lea kind of want to take a quick shower herself after this. ]

True. That entire place was a mistake, but I'm glad you got out alright. The kids weren't the only ones relieved when you finally turned up.

[taking the bag of candy to bed with the two of them sounds ideal. Isa's even finally relaxing for real, now that there isn't a potential fight looming.]

Fooled me at the time.

[ She says, but she's gentle about it. Isa's hair is clean of soap! Lea's going to let her do whatever else she does in the bath. ]

[not much, since she usually does the smart thing and hoses off in the shower before sitting in a bath. but this was to relax more than to get clean, so if Lea's through, Isa's through. where towel?]

Yeah, well.

[...nope, that's all she has to say about that.]

[ Hanging to dry, probably. Or in a pile that needs to be washed. ]

Well, I'm done with your hair. Want some privacy?

[true, Lea hasn't been here, so it's hanging up somewhere like it should be. /...]

Nah, just hand me that towel. Am I doing food now, are we going back to bed, what?

[ Unbelievable. Where are her couch towels. ]

Your choice. I'm not super hungry, but I won't say no, either.

[ She stands up to grab the towel, but stops to stretch first. Then she'll pluck it off the rack and hold it out for Isa, now avoiding looking at her since it would... be from the front.]

[clean and folded somewhere, probably. also oh my god, you transparent, precious nerd. you're going to see it all eventually, Lea, why put it off? Isa's stifling the smile that wants to plaster itself on her face, over that, and takes the towel, hiding all the goods by wrapping it around herself before stepping out of the tub.]

Candy in bed, okay.

Works for me. Now get out so I can get clean.

[ She makes a couple shooing motions, because she's totally gonna wait for Isa to leave before she gets undressed, apparently. ]

Yes ma'am.

[dork. Isa leaves and pulls the bathroom door shut behind her, and goes to put comfy clothes on. she'll be in bed with the bag of candy, towel wrapped on her head, and messing around on her phone whenever Lea reappears.]

[ What a sweetheart, making sure she's comfortable and everything. Lea takes quick showers, so it won't be long, about ten minutes before she hears the bathroom door open again. When Lea comes back into view she has a towel draped over her entire head, and is dressed in the clothes she was wearing before. ]

You brought the whole bag?

Yes? It's easier than carrying a pile in my hands.

[also shades of sleepovers where the entire floor and all sleeping surfaces ended up littered with candy and popcorn, probably. at the rate they're going, Isa might see if the DR has pizza delivery. (i assume it does, by polite shadow figures.)]

I mean, that's fair.

[ She's gonna stumble over to... wherever her clothes are. Did Isa clean the whole place while she was gone? Can she even find her clothes? (Can we also get sushi delivered.) ]

[she did clean the whole place, but respectfully left Lea's clothes in a tidy heap. also yes, real pampering includes food delivery; now she's looking into that on her phone.]

I'm gonna order out, what do you want?

Something I can eat a lot of. You're what?

[ She pauses with two different shirts in hand, glancing over. Ordering out from where the hell. ]

I guess the same shadowy things that are in some of the restaurants deliver? If it doesn't work I guess I could still cook, but this is easier. Pizza? Sushi? Burgers?

[she holds her phone out so Lea can see; there are multiple food options, with a rather improbable "15 minutes or less!" for all of them. maybe the shadow figures just summon food out of the ether, who even knows.]

[ She drops one of the shirts and starts unfolding it so she can put it on, but also she's moving closer so she can squint at the phone. Okay, sure. ]

Pizza and sushi? Do we have to tip?

With what? We can at least tell them thank you, they seem to appreciate it.

[Isa quickly punches in what pizza she wants, as well as a separate one with whatever she remembers Lea's favorite being, and then navigates to the sushi and holds the phone out again so Lea can take it and order whatever she wants.]