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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"You're welcome."

Riku knows what it's like. He's had Ansem inside him for a long time. The things he did, the things he might have to do -

Well. There may be a few things in common.

Not the genocide. Xaldin would pray, if he believed in anything except Space and Wind, not the genocide.

"Why are you taking census?"

Riku only killed when necessary. Genocides were far beyond his capabilities, no matter what Mickey had done.

"Because I discovered a few strange facts."

Wry grin.

"Care to explain?" This is the least nerve wracking conversation he's had with one of Mickey's people yet. No screaming, no weapons, no post traumatic breakdown.

Xaldin is waiting for the punchline.

Maybe it's because Riku's always had sympathy for their side. Or maybe it's because he sees no use in fighting any more.

"Two parallels," Riku says. "Mickey mentioned a treaty in here. No such things exists where I come from. There's... two versions of all of us, apparently."

Ffffuck.

Xaldin is silent for several long moments, then mutters quietly,

"Are you prior to the rejoining of Sora and Roxas, or post?"

"About to grab Roxas, where I am," he says. "But I know people from my future, here. It didn't exist for them, either."

"Does it bother you?" Xaldin asks curiously, "That Roxas will lose everything he is and become less than a memory?"

"Of course it does," Riku says, a little sharply. "It's wrong, but it seems to be the only way to bring Sora back."

"The Roxas here hasn't been captured by any version of you." Xaldin says quietly, "And I don't know that I can reconcile destroying him, rabid dog that he is. I've let, or killed, too many." He settles cross-legged in the air and watches Riku, "Do you trust Ansem?"

Riku laughs.

"You mean the one in here?" he asks, putting a hand over his heart.

"No. I mean the one who calls himself DiZ."

"Hah!"

Riku laughs even harder.

"I only work with the son of a bitch because Mickey requested it. He's a bastard and if someone skewered him, I wouldn't blink twice about walking away."

Softly,

Riku stares.

Xaldin returns the gaze evenly. "I am not Dilan."

Riku looks down.

"So what alternatives would you suggest?"

"I don't know yet." he says, "But here we have all the time and minds we could ask for."

"True," RIku admits.

Pause.

"Thanks."

"For what?" He's honestly curious about that.

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