milliways_bar | (no subject)

Entry tags:

xaldin,
xigbar

(no subject)

Space is unusual in Milliways.

This almost does without saying.

It also doesn't usually warp and bend and twist like an Escher painting gone mad, with insubstantial blackness dripping up, and something white and not right just barely visible.

The warping space folds itself into something small, black-coated and roughly humanoid.

He's still 'bleeding' something, but it certainly isn't blood. In fact, if you're perceptive enough in the right ways, what he's bleeding is rather a lot like what's going on outside the Window.

[xigbar]

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"No!" Xaldin is moving as fast as is possible for him and already dragging Elixir out of his pockets, "Damn you, Xigbar, you are not stopping now!"

Not this close!

Not leaving me!

He stops on the ground next to the kneeling Xigbar and pushes the Elixir across without touching the smaller Nobody.

The bottle vanishes. When it reappears, it's in Xigbar's hand, and he has stopped 'bleeding.'

He still doesn't look happy.

"Well... damn."

There are a hundred stupid questions that bubble up. The only reasonable ones to ask here are, "The Mouse?" and

"Do you need another?"

"Not the Mouse, man. Sora. Roxas. Fuck."

He shakes his head.

"Fuck." Xaldin agrees. The idea that the brat could get Xigbar is - incomprehensible. Now that Xigbar is healed Xaldin lifts from the ground again, just enough. "Now what?"

Xigbar shakes his head.

"Beats me, dude. Guess we just wait around for Rachel."

Pause.

"...Man, I could use a drink."

Xaldin has been carrying a spare bottle of Atlantean around. Even if he's been going for sober lately this? This is a good time to kick the wagon.

He pulls the cork with his teeth and passes it silently.

Xigbar takes it without a word.

It helps.

"Did you talk to X?"

He shakes his head.

"Didn't get a chance, man."

"Should I go back and try?"

Xigbar's hair is a mess. Xaldin digs into the same pocket that holds Ethers, a spare eye-patch, sticky notes, and pens to produce a hairbrush, then begins carefully detangling Xigbar's hair. He'll put it back up when it's brushed out.

Xigbar holds very. Very. Still.

And takes another drink of Atlantean.

"Don't think there's any-- fuck-- any time left."

Xaldin keeps his touches as light as possible. "I could try anyway. Up to you, you know the situation better than I do."

He doesn't mention the conversation about responsibility. But.

He's wondering why Xigbar never cut his hair, a little.

The pony-tail doesn't take nearly as long as dreadlocks do. He backs off again as soon as Xigbar is back to normal.

This is the way Xigbar sees himself.

"He's almost to the Proof Of Existence, dude."

"That close? Fuck. No, there's no time to explain." Xaldin agrees, shaking his head and closing his eyes.

"Maybe X will find his own way here. Hell, maybe VII will, too. XII did."

"Maybe." Xaldin agrees, "On the other hand if everyone does that means we'll still have the Xemnas problem when he shows up."

"Yeah. Damn. Like. Damn."

"Pass the bottle, Xigbar." Xaldin says with a sigh, "I think we need to be trashed and sober up again before we talk about whatever we're going to do next."

"Sounds good to me, man."

Xigbar passes the bottle.

"I've been making contacts with people who have expressed willingness to help us out when we're recovering." Xaldin says after a couple of passes, "Axel said friends helped. We can't care about others right now, but I've been doing my best to be pleasing and open. Several people have offered help."

"...Wow. Seriously? Like, seriously, dude?"

People don't just... help them.

"Guy from the forge? Teja? Said he's going to start making contemplating our existence a part of his usual nightly thoughts." Xaldin lists, "I met a dragon who agreed to be a go-between for us and VIII if VIII's friends kept being assholes. A woman named Pepper said that she'd be willing to help with recovery as long as we warned her what it would entail. There were some others, too, who probably will help."

"Dude. Wow. Seems like the people here are kinda rad."

Pause.

"Was Pepper like, hot?"

"Totally hot." Xaldin admits, "Very business like, great-hearted, and hair like my mom's. That kind of red-gold?"

Dilan's mother's hair was, in his opinion, her best feature.