(no subject)

[cinderlea]

[ 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. ]

Comments

[moonstrualcycle]

No.

[a moment, while she goes through and discards various things she could say that might or might not help, then: ]

I'm sorry you didn't get more time with them. It's not fair.

[cinderlea]

It's not.

[ But when is her life fair? Haha. ]

... I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here.

[moonstrualcycle]

Be an even bigger mess, probably.

[Isa's waiting for a more complete meltdown to happen at any moment. she can only imagine how Lea feels, but it's almost certainly awful and more crying can really only help at this point.]

[cinderlea]

Definitely.

[ Nope. We're gonna bottle this up nice and tight and then explode at a minor reminder later. She'll be eating ice cream and it'll all hit her really hard, or something. She's struggling with it now, and trying to tell herself that it's better this way. If she has to come here, so be it. Isa's here, they have each other. ]

Isa?

[moonstrualcycle]

Yeah?

[here it comes, either tears or makeouts, possibly both. (both would be fine, and understandable.) at least Isa hasn't really been around here enough while everyone was gone to deplete the ice cream supply; they'll need it later, along with hydration.]

[cinderlea]

[ It's closer to makeouts, unless Isa's responses are incredibly devastating somehow. She does shift her weight so their faces are closer together, and so it's less that she's laying on her and more that she's hugging her, very close and desperately. ]

Thank you. For everything that you did. For me, for Roxas, everyone else. And I'm so— so sorry.

[ Okay so it's not full-on tears, but she is choking up a little as she forces herself through this.]

You're my best friend. I never should've let you go through all of that alone. I think I did this already when you came back—

[ But honestly she was also a mess when Isa came back, and stayed in Radiant Garden to wait until she did. ]

[moonstrualcycle]

[the proximity and the words are enough to make Isa teary, though she's also smiling a little.]

Even if I hadn't come back it would've been worth it to know you had them back. I should've just left with you, but...

[but it was too late. but despite her hatred, she was still bound to Xehanort through Xemnas. but she didn't think she'd be welcome, at that point. but she'd single-handedly trashed their friendship and burned the bridge Lea left over. but she fucked up and didn't really deserve any of what she's gotten since recompleting. there aren't words to explain the complexity of her emotions right now, and how if anything she should be thanking Lea for helping shape those two kids into the sorts of people who would stand up to Xemnas and Xehanort and help save the universe. there's a slight tremor running through her, almost like a shiver, and she has to squeeze her eyes shut to contain it all, because that's what she does.]

[cinderlea]

But you were in too deep. I know. I'm glad I have all of you back, and not just them back at your expense. That's too much.

[ She's going to hug her again, tightly, probably with Isa's face crushed into her collar bone or something. Losing her permanently would have been too big a price to pay. She's already done it. ]

[moonstrualcycle]

[that's the best place for Isa's face to be, since she can't keep the tears contained anymore. there's only a quiet, shaky sniffle, but it's definitely there. it does help to have all that said. she spent the entire time between recompleting and getting sent here secretly wondering if she was intruding by hanging out with the three of them, if they were just tolerating her, etc. not Lea, so much, but the kids, definitely.]

[cinderlea]

[ What have you done. If it's just her crying Lea can suck it up after a while and act like a dumbass. If Isa's crying too then she's totally gone, inconsolable, there will be no recovery. She doesn't even have anything else she can say, and even if she did she probably wouldn't be able to right now. Maybe they just need to cry together for a while. ]

[moonstrualcycle]

[that sounds like a solid plan, and fortunately the other thread reminded me that Isa can tell Lea about Xigbar at some point, but first like fifteen minutes of crying on each other. Isa's still a lot more reserved about it but given that this almost certainly also happened with the non-DR Isa, it's cool. it sucks, but it's good for them. so yeah, after a little while, she's mostly cried out, and removes one arm from around Lea long enough to blot her face off with her sleeve, sniffling a bit.]

[cinderlea]

[ Lea is exhausted and just sort of half on Isa and half on the couch, with her head resting on the couch and dark circles under her eyes at this point. It's the look of resignation that she gets when she's done, and usually it's accompanied by steeling herself to do something terrible to someone else.

She still doesn't know what to say, and is mad at herself for wishing the kids had come with her so they could all be the happy family they deserve, when Roxas and Xion don't deserve to deal with the dressing room. She just hopes the kids have to miss them. ]

[moonstrualcycle]

[quietly, into the damp space they've created between themselves: ]

It's selfish, but I wish they'd come with you, then everyone everywhere could be happy.

[there, she said it so Lea doesn't have to. at least they have each other, here. they'll adjust, it'll just take time and lots of crying.]

don't* have to wtf

[cinderlea]

[ Her face is still wet and tired but she's calmer and not crying anymore, not really. She looks at Isa like someone who just woke up, a little slowly and out-of-touch. Then she leans over and kisses her on the temple. ]

[moonstrualcycle]

[why do these two keep needing a nap like ten minutes into the thread, honestly. if Lea's gonna do that, then Isa will pick her head up enough to kiss Lea's cheek, almost at the corner of her mouth.]

[cinderlea]

[ It's Lea, so it's to be expected that she will need at least one nap per thread, but honestly it's all the emotional trauma. Her brow twitches at that, and if they're going to play like that she's going to give her a small, quick, closed-mouth kiss on the mouth, then tip her head back against the couch and close her eyes so she can pretend she didn't. ]

[moonstrualcycle]

[pfff. she's getting another kiss on her chin, then, for lack of anything more accessible, and then Isa puts her head back on Lea's shoulder.]

Nerd.

[cinderlea]

I'm the nerd?

[ She's thinking about the kiss (kissing?) back home now, and slightly pink but she looks relaxed and casual otherwise so it's easy to miss if you're not looking at her face. ]

[moonstrualcycle]

Yep. Move your legs, I need water after all of that.

[she loev u, Lea. this slow buildup is good, though, Lea's new to stuff like kissing girls, and Isa's... extremely out of practice. /uh. not that this is anything like that, and they'll probably end up talking about that eventually, but for now Lea's getting a pat on the knee to move her noodle legs.]

[cinderlea]

[ Lea is new to kissing, but was it ever a question of if it would be girls? Probably not. She moves her legs one at a time, and with apparent great effort. When Isa moves she will absolutely curl into a ball on the couch and bury her face in the back cushions. ]

Do we have any milk?

[moonstrualcycle]

Probably, lemme look.

[they... do! the DR has apparently kept their fridge stocked even though she hasn't been here very much, and doesn't drink milk by itself anyway. she comes back to the couch with a water bottle for herself, a glass of milk for Lea, and a box of saltines tucked under her arm. everything gets set down when she comes back, though, so she can sit down and drape herself over Lea.]

[cinderlea]

[ Oh thank god. She's always been more partial to milk than water, and takes it with a mumbled noise of thanks. Time to down three quarters of it in one go. She's dehydrated and sad and wants a full stomach for comfort. After she drinks and takes a deep breath: ]

You said two months. Where've you been? What happened when I went back?

[moonstrualcycle]

[take some of these crackers, they'll help. not the best option to go with milk, but they'll still probably help. Isa sips her water and leans on Lea's shoulder, or whatever part of her is available.]

You disappeared in the middle of a sentence, scared the hell out of me. But then I went over to Axel and Kai's to see if it was just you or if it was everyone gone to catch up, and he was freaking out because of what he'd seen in the game version and hadn't been able to tell anyone about. So I stuck around to tell him about how it'd actually gone for us, and he made grilled cheese, and yeah.

[she probably sounds more like teenaged Isa than her usual self, actually like, excited about something, but she made a friend! a friend who's a guy! someone she has a disturbing amount in common with!]

[cinderlea]

[ Lea looks somewhat stunned by all of this, and then confused for a few seconds before she realizes it makes perfect sense. She might also be a little jealous, because she makes Isa grilled cheese. ]

Why was he freaking out? What happened in the game?

[moonstrualcycle]

Sora died, or went to limbo or something, maybe Kai also, it wasn't clear. It was stupid as hell.

[and Lea's grilled cheese are significantly better, but Isa's never met a bad grilled cheese, so. also just as Axel's leaving some things for later, Isa's not going to bother with the Xigbar news yet, they're both preoccupied and slightly fragile right now.]