[Terra murmurs. He gets what Axel means, though: something happened to Radiant Garden before the Storm tore it apart.
Terra's right hand joins his left on the table top.
All right. So, Ven seemed 'bummed' when Axel met him. That... doesn't really help Terra figure out the timing. Ven could have been feeling down about a lot of different things. Their parting ways on less than great terms after the Unversed fight, Terra refusing to take him along on his mission a while after that. Or he could have been upset about whatever happened in the Graveyard, if Ven somehow got out of there unscathed despite Xehanort and Vanitas' efforts. (Despite Terra seeming to remember the Storm swallowing the world around them after his battle with Xehanort.)
Whenever it was, Ven had the wooden Keyblade Terra gave him with him. That thought keeps the anger still simmering in Terra's heart at bay for a few moments longer, even when Axel has the gall to continue insisting he never saw Ven again after that day.
Terra frowns down at the table.]
He didn't seem like he was injured or anything? Before you two fought?
[He didn't see him again, you walnut. Got it memorized? Sheesh, try and keep up.
Axel resists the urge to roll his eyes at Terra's grumbled comment. Yes, the Storm ruined everything, but since he went back into stasis and got some memories back, and Sora and Roxas are both from a future he hasn't even experienced yet, clearly there are some shenanigans afoot.
He looks a little indignant at Terra's inquiry.]
Putting aside that I resent you think I would have actually injured someone in a friendly spar, no, he was fully intact and perfectly fine both before and after our encounter. [He sighs a little and gives Terra a serious look.] I'm not sure if you're waiting for me to flub my story, or what, but I'm trying to level with you, here: Roxas and Ven are not the same person. In the time period that Roxas and I are here from, Ven would literally be like my age, and time shenanigans aside, I know my best friend, okay? I'd know him if I were blind and deaf--he's Roxas, however much he and Ven may look alike.
[Not that he really remembers Ven's face too clearly, but spiky blond hair and big blue eyes do stand out in his memory, so if it's been a while since Terra's seen him, too, he could understand the mistake, but this is getting a little ridiculous.]
[At first, just as before, Terra tries to tune Axel out after he gets his answer. Except this time Axel's voice keeps needling its way back into his head.
Terra's frown deepens and he inhales slowly through his nose.
He isn't Ven, Axel says over and over, in so many different words, he isn't Ven, he isn't Ven.
He isn't Ven.
Something finally just snaps, a dam crumbling inside Terra's chest, all the dark anger and frustration and desperation spilling over into a yell.]
He looks just like him! [His right hand comes right back up off the table and then he's gesturing fiercely through his argument.] Same face, same hair, same eyes! He even has the same voice!
[Okay, darker eyebrows and jury's still out on personality, but.]
I don't know why he still looks so young! Maybe it's because he lost his heart and that did... something to his body!
[Despite the associations with both his hair color and his element of choice, Axel is a very easygoing person. He rarely loses his temper, and shouts more rarely still, but one surefire way to get under his skin is to not listen. He can appreciate that Terra isn't prepared to just swallow this pill whole. He can accept that he's not ready to just take the word of a mostly passing acquaintance at full face value and be satisfied with the idea that he's wrong. But Axel really detests repeating himself, and when there's a bloom of dark energy around Terra's aura as he lowers his head and raises his voice, it sets Axel's teeth on edge. This man doesn't feel like a bad person, and he can understand that he's frustrated, but after spending so much time steeped in Darkness himself, Axel can't help but feel threatened by it now that he's finally free. Terra isn't a Heartless, isn't a Nobody, but there's a wildness to the shadows of his soul, an untamed and dangerous presence about that underlying dark energy within him. It isn't hard to tell that Terra could utilize Darkness easily, the way Riku does, but he has power without skill, and strong Darkness wielded without proper technique is far more dangerous than an errant spell or physical weapons held with clumsy hands.
Heart or no heart, Axel's sympathies only go so far, however, and the last thing he wants anywhere near his best friend is an angry man with an artless grasp on his own Darkness. When Terra shouts, Axel gets to his feet slowly--he doesn't want Terra to think he's being aggressive--and rests his palms on the table.]
That isn't what happens when you lose your heart. It can cause physical changes, sure, but it doesn't make you regress, or freeze you at the age at which it was lost. [His voice is low, level, calm but cold, and he fixes Terra with a withering look.] If that were the case, I'd have the same problem.
[He's not sure Terra is in a position to connect dots right now, but while it might be easier to just explain that Roxas is Sora's Nobody, it rubs Axel the wrong way to do so. Those aren't his beans to spill, and more than that, Roxas is his own person, even if he was born of the darker corners of Sora's heart. He refuses to just paint him as nothing more than the rejected pieces of someone else, no matter how dense Terra is being, and if that means making a confession of his own lack of heart, then so be it. Roxas had been little more than a tool in others' aspirations for far too long, and Axel refuses to use him, even for the sake of explanation.]
[Shoot, another perfectly logical theory cut down in its prime. So Nobodies age... Terra turns his head away, aiming his scowl at the nearest wall.]
Then it must have been something else. Whatever Xehanort was trying to do in the Graveyard... [Something about some weapon, some war.] That light I saw...
[He moves around the table, his attention shifting to the door he just came through a short while ago.]
Or something else happened to him after that night.
Axel is a very laid back person, and it takes a lot to really get on his nerves, but you have accomplished it in record time.]
Terra. I know you're not deaf. Which means you're just ignoring what I'm saying. Which is really annoying, and honestly it's just plain rude. I get that you don't get it. And frankly, you don't have to get it. And at this point, I don't care if you don't get it. You don't have to understand, but you need to accept what I'm telling you: Roxas. Is. Not. Ven. He never was, and he never will be. Roxas didn't even exist twelve years ago, okay?
[He presses his thumb against the ridge of his eyebrow, feeling a headache coming on. He had hoped it wouldn't come to an actual argument, or threats being exchanged, but Axel failed to protect Roxas once already, and he's not going to do it again.]
You can go on thinking whatever deluded nonsense you want, it's really no skin off my nose, but if you keep harassing my friend, I'm not just going to stand idly by. Do I make myself clear?
[Terra comes to an abrupt stop, though he goes on staring at the door, at the exit and the way back to his search for Ven, for a minute longer.]
Which means I'm ignoring you... Or that I don't believe what you're saying. A lot of people have said a lot of things to me before. And a lot of what they said turned out to be lies. Lies that hurt people. Lies that hurt my friends.
[His fingernails dig into the meat of his palms at the memory of Xehanort's words in particular. The old man had sounded so... so sincere. Like he really understood and he really cared and he...]
Why should I believe anything you say? Why should I just... accept it? What if you're just trying to trick me, too? You're part of that Organization. You said yourself there's... What was it? Dirty work... involved? Riku told me your leader has caused chaos throughout the worlds, as well. Which doesn't really make sense. From the way that Demyx guy explained things, it sounded like all your group was doing was destroying dangerous monsters and freeing the hearts inside them. What's dirty about that? Ven told me he left the group, too. I wish I'd asked him why.
[A pause and he glares over at Axel.]
You ignored me, too, by the way. You had nothing to say when I told you this boy looks exactly like Ven. Looks and sounds exactly like Ven. And he does! Maybe you forgot after twelve years or maybe you know more than you let on, but I'm telling you now: he's identical to Ven.
[Except for the eyebrows.]
That doesn't just happen. People don't just... have the same face and the same hair and the same voice. And wield the Keyblade, on top of all that!
[He punctuates his shout by snapping his right hand out. Light explodes in a whirl of gears around his hand and wrist, and then there's Ends of the Earth, the hilt grasped tight between his fingers.]
So let me make myself clear: if I find out you hurt him... that it was you or the Organization who stole his heart, or did... whatever that kept him young, that made him lose his memory again... if I find out you hurt him in any way, I will find you and I will put an end to you.
I know my best friend, too. And that boy... is him!
[Axel takes a deep breath, but manages to refrain from getting to his feet like he really wants to. Getting angry about this won't fix anything, as Terra has already proven beyond the shadow of a doubt. He's angry, and it's obvious in the way Darkness swirls around his aura that despite his apparent confidence when it comes to battle, he's got no self control, and he's quick to misjudge his opponent.]
Oh? So I guess you just know all about me, then, don't'cha? [His hands are folded again, his chin resting on them, and if Terra thinks he's going to rile him up, he's sorely mistaken.] Tell me this, then: if you already know so much about me, and you came here expecting me to lie to you, why did you contact me at all? Did you think, 'golly, I'll sure show him and that Organization, I'll just rebut every single thing he says, like a big idiot who has no idea what he's talking about. That'll teach 'em'? Because that's literally all you've done. [His eyes narrow, but he still doesn't move.] If the Organization is so bad, then why would your bestest best buddy have joined up in the first place? Sounds to me like maybe you don't know him as well as you think you do.
[Because he doesn't know Roxas. Regardless of any resemblance to Ven, Roxas isn't Ven, and that's the end of it, but if Terra won't be moved, then it isn't Axel's job to change his mind. He shakes his head.]
I listened. I heard every word you said. And I told you, I don't know why he might look the same, but I can tell you that it is literally physically impossible for them to be the same person.
[When Terra summons a Keyblade, though, instead of looking surprised or alarmed, Axel just rolls his eyes.]
Oh please. Put that away, Captain Trigger Happy. You're a hundred years too early to try and take me on, trust me. What kind of idiot tips his hand before there's even a fight? [Now he gets to his feet, reveling in the small degree of altitude he does have on Terra in that moment, even if Terra out-bulks him a good bit. He's taller, so nyah. He rolls one shoulder back and tilts his head to one side with an audible crack before leaning forward and resting his hands on the table, giving Terra a level look.]
Whatever you think you know, whatever you think I don't remember, you're wrong. That boy is Roxas, and nobody else, and if you so much as take a single step toward him that he doesn't invite, you will regret it. [He straightens again, just in case Terra forgot that he's taller--nyah--and his lip curls slightly in distaste.]
You know who else looks a lot like Roxas? [A beat, for dramatic effect, probably.] Sora. Maybe you should go talk to him about this, since you won't listen to a big bad Organization villain like me. [He makes a sound halfway between a scoff and a snort of laughter.] Just keep in mind that I didn't have to talk to you in the first place. I told you where I was, I waited here for you. I extended you an alliance long before this nonsense. I wanted to try and be allies, but if that counts for nothing, then I guess so be it.
[He steps back from the table and turns to head toward the exit, but not before shooting Terra one last piercing look.]
Roxas defected from the Organization, but what I guess he didn't tell you is that I did, too. And I died so we could both stay that way. So don't think for one second I'm scared of you and your hot temper and your big fat stupid Keyblade, kid. [He doesn't care if Terra probably isn't that much younger than him, he's making a point.] I'd die again before I let someone tell Roxas he's anyone but himself, but not before I made sure they couldn't repeat it.
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[Terra murmurs. He gets what Axel means, though: something happened to Radiant Garden before the Storm tore it apart.
Terra's right hand joins his left on the table top.
All right. So, Ven seemed 'bummed' when Axel met him. That... doesn't really help Terra figure out the timing. Ven could have been feeling down about a lot of different things. Their parting ways on less than great terms after the Unversed fight, Terra refusing to take him along on his mission a while after that. Or he could have been upset about whatever happened in the Graveyard, if Ven somehow got out of there unscathed despite Xehanort and Vanitas' efforts. (Despite Terra seeming to remember the Storm swallowing the world around them after his battle with Xehanort.)
Whenever it was, Ven had the wooden Keyblade Terra gave him with him. That thought keeps the anger still simmering in Terra's heart at bay for a few moments longer, even when Axel has the gall to continue insisting he never saw Ven again after that day.
Terra frowns down at the table.]
He didn't seem like he was injured or anything? Before you two fought?
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Axel resists the urge to roll his eyes at Terra's grumbled comment. Yes, the Storm ruined everything, but since he went back into stasis and got some memories back, and Sora and Roxas are both from a future he hasn't even experienced yet, clearly there are some shenanigans afoot.
He looks a little indignant at Terra's inquiry.]
Putting aside that I resent you think I would have actually injured someone in a friendly spar, no, he was fully intact and perfectly fine both before and after our encounter. [He sighs a little and gives Terra a serious look.] I'm not sure if you're waiting for me to flub my story, or what, but I'm trying to level with you, here: Roxas and Ven are not the same person. In the time period that Roxas and I are here from, Ven would literally be like my age, and time shenanigans aside, I know my best friend, okay? I'd know him if I were blind and deaf--he's Roxas, however much he and Ven may look alike.
[Not that he really remembers Ven's face too clearly, but spiky blond hair and big blue eyes do stand out in his memory, so if it's been a while since Terra's seen him, too, he could understand the mistake, but this is getting a little ridiculous.]
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Terra's frown deepens and he inhales slowly through his nose.
He isn't Ven, Axel says over and over, in so many different words, he isn't Ven, he isn't Ven.
He isn't Ven.
Something finally just snaps, a dam crumbling inside Terra's chest, all the dark anger and frustration and desperation spilling over into a yell.]
He looks just like him! [His right hand comes right back up off the table and then he's gesturing fiercely through his argument.] Same face, same hair, same eyes! He even has the same voice!
[Okay, darker eyebrows and jury's still out on personality, but.]
I don't know why he still looks so young! Maybe it's because he lost his heart and that did... something to his body!
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Heart or no heart, Axel's sympathies only go so far, however, and the last thing he wants anywhere near his best friend is an angry man with an artless grasp on his own Darkness. When Terra shouts, Axel gets to his feet slowly--he doesn't want Terra to think he's being aggressive--and rests his palms on the table.]
That isn't what happens when you lose your heart. It can cause physical changes, sure, but it doesn't make you regress, or freeze you at the age at which it was lost. [His voice is low, level, calm but cold, and he fixes Terra with a withering look.] If that were the case, I'd have the same problem.
[He's not sure Terra is in a position to connect dots right now, but while it might be easier to just explain that Roxas is Sora's Nobody, it rubs Axel the wrong way to do so. Those aren't his beans to spill, and more than that, Roxas is his own person, even if he was born of the darker corners of Sora's heart. He refuses to just paint him as nothing more than the rejected pieces of someone else, no matter how dense Terra is being, and if that means making a confession of his own lack of heart, then so be it. Roxas had been little more than a tool in others' aspirations for far too long, and Axel refuses to use him, even for the sake of explanation.]
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Then it must have been something else. Whatever Xehanort was trying to do in the Graveyard... [Something about some weapon, some war.] That light I saw...
[He moves around the table, his attention shifting to the door he just came through a short while ago.]
Or something else happened to him after that night.
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Axel is a very laid back person, and it takes a lot to really get on his nerves, but you have accomplished it in record time.]
Terra. I know you're not deaf. Which means you're just ignoring what I'm saying. Which is really annoying, and honestly it's just plain rude. I get that you don't get it. And frankly, you don't have to get it. And at this point, I don't care if you don't get it. You don't have to understand, but you need to accept what I'm telling you: Roxas. Is. Not. Ven. He never was, and he never will be. Roxas didn't even exist twelve years ago, okay?
[He presses his thumb against the ridge of his eyebrow, feeling a headache coming on. He had hoped it wouldn't come to an actual argument, or threats being exchanged, but Axel failed to protect Roxas once already, and he's not going to do it again.]
You can go on thinking whatever deluded nonsense you want, it's really no skin off my nose, but if you keep harassing my friend, I'm not just going to stand idly by. Do I make myself clear?
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Which means I'm ignoring you... Or that I don't believe what you're saying. A lot of people have said a lot of things to me before. And a lot of what they said turned out to be lies. Lies that hurt people. Lies that hurt my friends.
[His fingernails dig into the meat of his palms at the memory of Xehanort's words in particular. The old man had sounded so... so sincere. Like he really understood and he really cared and he...]
Why should I believe anything you say? Why should I just... accept it? What if you're just trying to trick me, too? You're part of that Organization. You said yourself there's... What was it? Dirty work... involved? Riku told me your leader has caused chaos throughout the worlds, as well. Which doesn't really make sense. From the way that Demyx guy explained things, it sounded like all your group was doing was destroying dangerous monsters and freeing the hearts inside them. What's dirty about that? Ven told me he left the group, too. I wish I'd asked him why.
[A pause and he glares over at Axel.]
You ignored me, too, by the way. You had nothing to say when I told you this boy looks exactly like Ven. Looks and sounds exactly like Ven. And he does! Maybe you forgot after twelve years or maybe you know more than you let on, but I'm telling you now: he's identical to Ven.
[Except for the eyebrows.]
That doesn't just happen. People don't just... have the same face and the same hair and the same voice. And wield the Keyblade, on top of all that!
[He punctuates his shout by snapping his right hand out. Light explodes in a whirl of gears around his hand and wrist, and then there's Ends of the Earth, the hilt grasped tight between his fingers.]
So let me make myself clear: if I find out you hurt him... that it was you or the Organization who stole his heart, or did... whatever that kept him young, that made him lose his memory again... if I find out you hurt him in any way, I will find you and I will put an end to you.
I know my best friend, too. And that boy... is him!
[(Citation needed.)]
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Oh? So I guess you just know all about me, then, don't'cha? [His hands are folded again, his chin resting on them, and if Terra thinks he's going to rile him up, he's sorely mistaken.] Tell me this, then: if you already know so much about me, and you came here expecting me to lie to you, why did you contact me at all? Did you think, 'golly, I'll sure show him and that Organization, I'll just rebut every single thing he says, like a big idiot who has no idea what he's talking about. That'll teach 'em'? Because that's literally all you've done. [His eyes narrow, but he still doesn't move.] If the Organization is so bad, then why would your bestest best buddy have joined up in the first place? Sounds to me like maybe you don't know him as well as you think you do.
[Because he doesn't know Roxas. Regardless of any resemblance to Ven, Roxas isn't Ven, and that's the end of it, but if Terra won't be moved, then it isn't Axel's job to change his mind. He shakes his head.]
I listened. I heard every word you said. And I told you, I don't know why he might look the same, but I can tell you that it is literally physically impossible for them to be the same person.
[When Terra summons a Keyblade, though, instead of looking surprised or alarmed, Axel just rolls his eyes.]
Oh please. Put that away, Captain Trigger Happy. You're a hundred years too early to try and take me on, trust me. What kind of idiot tips his hand before there's even a fight? [Now he gets to his feet, reveling in the small degree of altitude he does have on Terra in that moment, even if Terra out-bulks him a good bit. He's taller, so nyah. He rolls one shoulder back and tilts his head to one side with an audible crack before leaning forward and resting his hands on the table, giving Terra a level look.]
Whatever you think you know, whatever you think I don't remember, you're wrong. That boy is Roxas, and nobody else, and if you so much as take a single step toward him that he doesn't invite, you will regret it. [He straightens again, just in case Terra forgot that he's taller--nyah--and his lip curls slightly in distaste.]
You know who else looks a lot like Roxas? [A beat, for dramatic effect, probably.] Sora. Maybe you should go talk to him about this, since you won't listen to a big bad Organization villain like me. [He makes a sound halfway between a scoff and a snort of laughter.] Just keep in mind that I didn't have to talk to you in the first place. I told you where I was, I waited here for you. I extended you an alliance long before this nonsense. I wanted to try and be allies, but if that counts for nothing, then I guess so be it.
[He steps back from the table and turns to head toward the exit, but not before shooting Terra one last piercing look.]
Roxas defected from the Organization, but what I guess he didn't tell you is that I did, too. And I died so we could both stay that way. So don't think for one second I'm scared of you and your hot temper and your big fat stupid Keyblade, kid. [He doesn't care if Terra probably isn't that much younger than him, he's making a point.] I'd die again before I let someone tell Roxas he's anyone but himself, but not before I made sure they couldn't repeat it.