[It occurs to Axel moments before Roxas arrives that he's not certain how to tell if it's someone else knocking on the door. Then he remembers that while his ability to sense Darkness may not be as well-honed as Riku's or Zexion's, he's confident he could still pick Roxas out of a lineup blindfolded anyway. When the knock comes, it's definitely Roxas' aura on the other side of the door, albeit a bit more chaotic and panicked than when they'd last spoken. He pulls the door open and ushers him inside, closing and locking the door behind him.]
Wh... Terra? Yeah, I know him. I mean, not well, but we're friendly ish. Why?
A little repressed, maybe, and definitely a little too suspicious for his own good, I think, but I never got any nutbar vibes off him, no.
What's this all about? Did he do something to you?
[His eyes flick over Roxas' frame as if to take a quick inventory of limbs and digits, and he seems to be all in one piece, at least. So what's going on?]
Recog...? [Axel pauses a moment to think, but no, he's quite certain he never met Terra during his days with the Organization. For all he thought the guy looked a little familiar when they first met, he's quite sure he'd never actually met him.] That can't be right. I mean, we didn't go on every mission together, but I sure never met the guy before I got here.
[Axel gives a low whistle.] Yeah, seems like everybody's got a Keyblade now. [He'll save the 'Sora says even I get one' bomb for another day.] Whether Xemnas knew the guy or not, I know he never met you any time I was with you, and he didn't know me when I first ran into him here...
[At the name, though, Axel hesitates, something tweaking at the back of his mind.]
Ventus? [Why does that sound vaguely familiar to him? Ventus? He touches his chin, then moves toward the bed and sits down, looking contemplative. Ventus... There's a ghost of a memory somewhere here, something from long, long ago: the square in Radiant Garden, a boy with yellow hair and sad blue eyes. A boy with a wooden sword... no, it wasn't a sword, it was a... Keyblade?] Ventus. [No. Not Ventus. Ven. 'My friends call me Ven.'] Now that's a name I haven't heard in over a decade, wow.
[It's only three or four more people than Roxas is used to having a Keyblade, but he knows why Sora and Riku were out of the picture during his days with the Organization. Terra, though? If he was such an experienced wielder, where was he during all that? If he's from ten years ago, had something happened to him in the intervening time? What—
Axel's thoughtful musing entirely derails that train of thought before it can get much farther.]
I met a Ventus--Ven, he said his friends called him--like ten years ago, back before I lost my heart. [Axel doesn't talk much about his past, he never has, but this is relevant. He's not going to keep something from Roxas just because it happens to have happened in his own history, especially not when the kid's this upset about it.] We only met that one time, that's... why I'd pretty much just forgotten about him. Never saw him again after that day.
[He shakes his head then, looking puzzled.]
I don't really remember a whole lot about him, except that he kicked my ass when I challenged him to a fight, and of course that meant we were buds after that. I mean I think he had blond hair and blue eyes, too, but you can't look that much like him, I mean he'd be like my age these days.
[Any other time and Roxas would have more appreciation for the fact that Axel spoke about his life as a human without trying to put him off or be vague about it. That never would have happened when they were in the Organization. Right now, though, he's just trying to figure out what this means.]
Huh. [That about sums it up.] Do you think something happened to his memory? Terra's, I mean, of his friend. If we look a little similar, and I can use the Keyblade too, that might have made him think we're the same.
It's possible. I mean, memory's a fallible thing, for starters, and for some reason, wielding a Keyblade seems to make you extra prone to screwy memory problems. At least that's the precedent that's been set. [He gives Roxas a nudge and a dry grin. Hey, if they can't laugh about it, they'll cry about it, right?] I'll talk to him about it. I'm fairly certain he didn't mean any harm; he seems like a nice enough guy.
[He shakes his head a little then.]
Really weird coincidence, though. That he'd think you look like a guy I just happened to meet all those years ago.
[Roxas' objection doesn't sound all that strong, though. He can take care of himself, but maybe it would be better for Axel to talk to him. At least Terra wouldn't spend the entire conversation trying to convince Axel he's forgotten his past.]
I'm not sure I believe in coincidence. But I know I can't be this Ven guy. Ten years ago, I didn't even exist. Or I was Sora.
I know. [His answer is without hesitation, and perhaps surprisingly without sarcasm.] Sometimes it's good to have a tall best friend, though, either way.
[He frowns at him a little, then ruffles his hair fondly.]
Well, don't stress out about it too much. You're not that Ven guy, and I know that for sure, 100%. You're you, and nobody else. [He gently pokes the middle of Roxas' forehead with a grin.] Get it memorized.
[A beat of quiet, and then he snaps his fingers.]
You wanna get somethin' to eat? Not sure what mystery foods there'll be in the mess hall today, but it's always kind of an adventure. Maybe we'll find some ice cream, if we're lucky.
[It's not that he ever had any doubts, but Axel's calm, stalwart support is comforting all the same. It helps settle him from the extremely unsettled state Terra had left him in.]
Hey, ow.
[Okay, the poke didn't actually hurt, but he rubs it anyway. For the effect.]
Yeah, let's do that. I could definitely eat, even if they don't have ice cream.
[But of course they'll check for ice cream first.]
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Wh... Terra? Yeah, I know him. I mean, not well, but we're friendly ish. Why?
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He never seemed crazy to you?
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[He looks genuinely baffled now.]
A little repressed, maybe, and definitely a little too suspicious for his own good, I think, but I never got any nutbar vibes off him, no.
What's this all about? Did he do something to you?
[His eyes flick over Roxas' frame as if to take a quick inventory of limbs and digits, and he seems to be all in one piece, at least. So what's going on?]
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[No, he'd been absolutely sure. That's part of what made it so unnerving.]
Except he thought I was someone else and he wouldn't listen when I said he was wrong.
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Who did he think you were?
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[A backup plan. Maybe they'd have given Terra to the Heartless and turned him into a Nobody, too.]
He kept calling me Ventus—some friend of his. When I told him who I am he kept saying I just don't remember.
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[At the name, though, Axel hesitates, something tweaking at the back of his mind.]
Ventus? [Why does that sound vaguely familiar to him? Ventus? He touches his chin, then moves toward the bed and sits down, looking contemplative. Ventus... There's a ghost of a memory somewhere here, something from long, long ago: the square in Radiant Garden, a boy with yellow hair and sad blue eyes. A boy with a wooden sword... no, it wasn't a sword, it was a... Keyblade?] Ventus. [No. Not Ventus. Ven. 'My friends call me Ven.'] Now that's a name I haven't heard in over a decade, wow.
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Axel's thoughtful musing entirely derails that train of thought before it can get much farther.]
Wait, what? You know a Ventus? Or know of him?
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[He shakes his head then, looking puzzled.]
I don't really remember a whole lot about him, except that he kicked my ass when I challenged him to a fight, and of course that meant we were buds after that. I mean I think he had blond hair and blue eyes, too, but you can't look that much like him, I mean he'd be like my age these days.
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Huh. [That about sums it up.] Do you think something happened to his memory? Terra's, I mean, of his friend. If we look a little similar, and I can use the Keyblade too, that might have made him think we're the same.
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[He shakes his head a little then.]
Really weird coincidence, though. That he'd think you look like a guy I just happened to meet all those years ago.
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I don't need to hide behind you.
[Roxas' objection doesn't sound all that strong, though. He can take care of himself, but maybe it would be better for Axel to talk to him. At least Terra wouldn't spend the entire conversation trying to convince Axel he's forgotten his past.]
I'm not sure I believe in coincidence. But I know I can't be this Ven guy. Ten years ago, I didn't even exist. Or I was Sora.
[It depends on how you look at it.]
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[He frowns at him a little, then ruffles his hair fondly.]
Well, don't stress out about it too much. You're not that Ven guy, and I know that for sure, 100%. You're you, and nobody else. [He gently pokes the middle of Roxas' forehead with a grin.] Get it memorized.
[A beat of quiet, and then he snaps his fingers.]
You wanna get somethin' to eat? Not sure what mystery foods there'll be in the mess hall today, but it's always kind of an adventure. Maybe we'll find some ice cream, if we're lucky.
no subject
Hey, ow.
[Okay, the poke didn't actually hurt, but he rubs it anyway. For the effect.]
Yeah, let's do that. I could definitely eat, even if they don't have ice cream.
[But of course they'll check for ice cream first.]