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

[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.]

I don't know. Munny.

[ As if the shadow entities need it any more than she does. She is genuinely touched that Isa remembers her pizza order (chicken and red peppers), and now she has a choice to make. How much sushi is too much?

She's gonna get two variety platters. This is too much. ]

[that's what the fridge is for! they're both going to be in food comas through tomorrow, ideally. Isa's gonna have some skittles while they wait.]

They don't need it here and neither do you. Do you even have any here?

As a matter of fact, I do. Not as much as Riku, though.

[ Go ahead and ask how much either of them has, lmfao. Here, she's handing the phone back. Look at all the food. ]

[nah, what's the point. also she's betting Lea will either 1) eat like a quarter of the sushi if that and be full or 2) eat a little sushi and a lot of pizza and then pass out.]

Where'd you get munny here? I haven't even seen any Heartless here, although I know they're around.

Sometimes they creep in, but I think they've learned. They mostly pop up in dark places these days. I tried to practice on my own sometimes, before you showed up.

[ With her ~*Keyblade*~ ]

[look at this face. does this look like the face of someone impressed by a keyblade.]

Yeah, how'd that go?

[ Not even a little. ]

I mean, I got in practice. I made munny. Little Hearts floated away and everything. I tried with Riku, once.

[ Once. ]

How long's the food gonna take?

I bet she kicked your ass, too. Fifteen minutes.

[such a good friend. she's back to sudoku on her phone and everything.]

[ Hmmm. She turns around so her back is to Isa and takes her shirt off so she can put on the clean one she picked out. The towel is still draped across her head, though. ]

What do we do until then?

[Isa's eyes go right to that big scar as soon as it's visible, with such focus that Lea can probably feel it. distracted: ]

I have some ideas.