milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Riku's sitting at a table near the front, his boots plopped on the desk, writing furiously in a notebook.

He's concentrating so hard he wouldn't notice if a giant tried to sneak up on him. He's so confused his hands are shaking. He's so pissed off that he wants to punch the wall until either the wall or his fist breaks.

He's just figured out something about his friends and enemies and the bar, and he has no idea what to do about this knowledge at all.

And Ansem's voice, over and over, shooting daggers into his head and heart:

I told you so I told you so I told you so

[OOC: Warning for a not-quite-right Riku, and the possibility of having to deal with Ansem.]

[tiny tags: wanijima akito, billy kaplan, zexion]

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"How'd he take to it?"

What? Riku's allowed to be concerned about a comrade.

"Well, when I found him, he was on the couch, staring into the fireplace and looking conflicted. I did not push beyond that."

"What is the list for?"

"Who has a heart and who doesn't," Riku says. "At least that I know of."

"Teja mentioned off-hand that Xaldin and Xigbar had succeeded," he says, pointing to the list.

More strikethroughs, then.

"Did you know," Riku says, "That there's apparently two parallel universes? Not everyone from our worlds is from the same... version, apparently."

He sounds very calm.

Not.

"Interesting," Yrael says, tilting his head. "You could go visit and hit yourself upside the head, if you wanted. Might do some good for that universe."

Yrael occasionally wishes he could go back to hit himself upside the head a few times for being obstinant.

"I've already seen one replicant of me," Riku says dryly, "I'd rather not do it again."

"Go play tricks on yourself and blame it on that universe's replicate of you?"

"Who's from the universe alternate to yours?"

Riku laughs at the suggestion.

"I'm not sure yet," he says. "Mickey is, I know that. Zexion. The rest... I gotta figure it out."

"Does it change things?" In the tone of one asking does it matter?

"He says it does."

Rather unconcerned Yrael is rather unconcerned. "A few grains of salt can make nearly anything taste better, including troubling news. How's he doing?"

"He's just fine, thank you," Riku says, wryly.

"Is he going stir-crazy yet, with all the empty space to bounce around in?" He pokes the side of Riku's head, amused.

Riku glares at him.

He's not as amused.

"Nature abhors a vacuum, Riku," he grins, poking once more. "And, while my feelings on the subject are not as vehement, in this case I have to agree with nature."

"I'm not exactly stupid," Riku points out, "When I figured out how my universe works."

He swats at the offensive hand.

"You are exactly stupid. You just might not be remembering that time when we discovered the definitive, unarguable proof. Does he remember, I wonder?"

"I remember," Riku snaps. "Things come and go in spurts, now. Burning things only lasts for so long."

His eyes are full of anger, now.

"Maybe you need a more permanent method of burning," Yrael grins, his teeth very white, noticeably sharp, and bit more prominent than a grin calls for.

"And what," Riku says, gritting his own teeth, "Would that be?"

There's a moment of you know exactly what I mean.

Followed by a cheerful laugh. "How should I know? I was just offering a suggestion."

"Of course you know," Riku says. "You always know."

And Riku does not.

"Well, at least you've learned one thing, over the course of your time here. Now if you'd learn to put it to use, you might actually be of some use, some day."

"Either stop yammering and start backing up your words," Riku says. "Or start walking."

Because he's tired of putting up with this shit.