meadowlarklogs | [open] i don't know about fate

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[open] i don't know about fate

WHO: Sora and OPEN
WHERE: The train to New Tokyo and the Preserve dorms
WHEN: October 8th - 10th
WHAT: Checking in on people after waking up, and looking for things to do while cooped up in the dorms.
NOTES OR WARNINGS: N/A! Will edit if needed.

THE TRAIN TO NEW TOKYO

[ Sora comes to with a sudden gasp, almost sliding off of his seat on the train (though Riku's there to grab his shoulder and help him keep his balance, at least). It's disorienting to finally be awake after so much time spent in that Sleeping World, but Sora also recovers quicker than some of the other displaced might. Been there, done that, after all.

It doesn't take long for messages to start firing across the network, and soon enough Sora gathers that almost the entire group of displaced is now on this train. More than that, they've still got a good six or so hours before they reach New Tokyo, and he's got a large number of people he wants to check in on. After he's talked things over with Riku (there's no telling what woke them up, which is strange), he decides to stretch his legs.

He moves through the train cars, on the lookout for anyone who he recognizes. As soon as he spots them, he'll run over, either standing near them or taking a seat if there's one available. ]

Hey! You okay after all that?

THE PRESERVE DORMS

[ While Sora couldn't explain why everyone had suddenly been on the train with them, what he learns when they reach New Tokyo makes a little more sense. They're not here to help with a monster attack, but with a snowstorm. That must mean that what they did in the Sleeping version of this world actually had an effect on the real version. Fighting all of those monsters means that they'd reversed some of the damage!

It doesn't explain where the snowstorm came from, and he's not that thrilled to be facing freezing cold temperatures again after his time spent in Arendelle. Having to be cooped up until there's proper supplies provided to them isn't much better, though.

While he'd been able to explore to some extent in the dreams, it hadn't been real. To go from being stuck in the safehouse to being stuck in these dorms is rough for a restless young man used to running around all the time.

So he'll end up wandering the common areas, whether it's to scrounge up a snack or look for something else to keep his attention. If he comes across someone, he'll wave at them and move over. ]

Hey. Maybe we should play a game or something? [ Or, if they don't look like the game-playing type, it might be: ] So have you ever been stuck in weather like this before?

WILDCARD

[ I'd be happy to wildcard anything in these two settings, prior to the arrival log! Feel free to PM me or hit me up at

demonology if you want to discuss, but you're more than welcome to just toss something at me too. ]

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[ Sora definitely hasn't packed for cold weather, given how warm it had been back in New Amsterdam. The hotter temperatures would have suited him well, as someone who comes from a chain of islands, but the storm they're about to travel into is another story. Sora will put up with it, like he did the other times he's visited the snow, but he'd really like to get a coat this time.

As soon as he spots Cain, Sora waves to him and gestures for him to take a seat next to him. There's other people in the car, so they'll need to keep their voices down, but it helps just to see Cain with his own eyes. To know that he's okay -- physically, at least.

The question makes him pull a face, though. ]

Yeah, I did. What's wrong with that? The people in New Tokyo need our help!

[One of the main reasons he wanted to meet Sora, rather than have Sora come to him, is to take a break from the unexpected surprise of waking up beside Hideki Maeda. If he has to hear one more word about social media and booze and ideal press poses, he's going to lose his mind. So maybe he's crankier than Sora deserves -- in addition to the raw nerves over everything that had happened in his sleep -- but it's hard to control.

Cain drops down onto the other seat, propping his boot up on the chair across from him (vacant, fortunately).]

Not from monsters anymore, just a snowstorm. Did they need all of us for that?

[He's agitated, because he doesn't want to be here. He would never have left New Amsterdam willingly.]

What happens when no one's back in the city for the next batch of us that rolls in?

Edited 2019-04-18 02:58 (UTC)

[ It's not like Sora has an issue with crankiness, given that he usually spends his time traveling around with Donald, who may as well have invented the word. So long as Cain is here and talking to him, he doesn't mind too much what kind of mood he's in. They went through a lot in those dreams, so it's understandable. ]

I'm not sure.

[ That's in answer to both of Cain's questions. He has no idea how bad the snowstorm is, or what exactly they'll need to help with, but he'll figure it out when they arrive. Surely the relief group they're going to meet up with will have tasks they can take on. ]

It's a good question, though. Maybe once we get to New Tokyo, you can see about hopping the train back.

[ It's a long ride to endure only to turn right back around, but if Cain really doesn't want to be there, then it's probably the only option. ]

Was there something you had to take care of in New Amsterdam?

That's the plan.

[Turning around, at least. He doesn't care how long the trip takes, he can go to sleep to pass the time, even as squeamish as it makes him feel. The risk of plunging back into that strange world will take time to fade; until then, slumber isn't an appealing prospect.

Sora's question draws deliberate pause.]

I just want to be there. If this takes days, or weeks, we're gonna miss the new people. What's the point of signing up if this shit isn't even optional? [Not that it was Peggy's fault - she only requested volunteers. Something else whisked them away.] Have you noticed the date?

[ Cain makes a good point about the possibility of more new arrivals showing up while they're gone. That's why it made sense for some of them to stay behind, but now they've all been forced onto this train. It seems like any new people tend to come in on some kind of schedule. What's going to happen if they're left alone back there? ]

Morningstar will figure something out, right? [ Sora doesn't actually know much about the organization who's been helping them, but he doesn't think they'll leave a bunch of confused people to fend for themselves. ] And no, what about it?

[ Just thinking about it brings the information into his view, thanks to the neural implant. It's there for him to stare at for a few seconds: October 8th. But, hadn't it been...? ]

[He waits, watching Sora's face, anticipating the realization.]

... Yeah. We lost a couple days. But not in the future, in the past. [Who has the technology to bring individual people from entirely separate worlds and universe? Who can wind back time like a reel of film? None of it sounds good. And everything he saw in the dreams, in that strange underwater place, bodes like a bad omen.

Then again, maybe it's just his fault for going around and messing with it.] Doesn't make any sense.

[But setting that aside, as well as Sora's indubitable faith in Morningstar-- Cain lowers his voice, hunches closer, arms a barrier over the front of his body.]

What the hell was it you did in that place? To get us out.

[ It's another example of traveling backward and forward in time. Sora's actually familiar with the concept, but he hasn't experienced it himself, at least not until now. It's not a power that would be easily wielded, and Cain has good reason to be concerned.

Whoever's responsible for bringing them all here, for putting them into the Sleeping World, they're not going to be easy to defeat. Then again, neither was Xehanort.

At the question, Sora leans in a little closer, also keeping his voice low. It's hard not to attract attention when they're surrounded by people, but most of them seem to be in their own little worlds -- because they're using their implants, he's guessing. ]

It's called the Power of Waking. It's a special ability that only Keyblade wielders can use, and only once they've learned how. It... allows you to locate a heart that's been lost, and return it to where it belongs.

[Those sure were a lot of words strung together that didn't make any sense.]

Keyblade wielders? Is that the giant key you had in your hand? [Back in the dream, he doesn't say. Doesn't think he needs to.] Looked like a big metal pole.

[He wanted to ask, but distraction turned his mind away from curiosity.]

And what do you mean, a heart? Is that supposed to be a weird metaphor for something?

Edited 2019-04-24 08:06 (UTC)

[ Sora nods, relieved that now at least a few people have seen the Keyblade for themselves. It's not something that's very easy to explain. ]

Yeah, that was a Keyblade.

[ And now they're back to the people here not understanding the concept of "heart" in the same way that Sora's used to. He twists his mouth to one side, trying to figure out the best way to describe it. ]

Metaphor? I guess so. Your heart is what makes you you. [ He presses his hand to his chest. ] It's your... self. [ Which is why Nobodies were called Nobodies in the first place. ]

[He might have argued once. His heart is an organ inside of his body, and his self just the narration going on in his mind, his identity, who he's determined himself to be. But in this place he's seen magic, and supernatural powers, and enough technology to turn him toward the idea that maybe it isn't impossible to track someone based on their heart. Their sense of self.

Beyond that, he's now had it stripped completely away from it in a terrifying experience of emptiness. Had himself dissolve into something larger, something unlike himself. Cain's struggling with that memory, but Sora was there. Sora's... dealt with this before, it sounds. It's the only reason he remains quiet and focused on the conversation.]

Can anyone lose something like that? [His hands are clenched into fists.] How?

Edited 2019-04-25 03:02 (UTC)

[ The idea of losing your heart, of losing who you are, is a disturbing one. That's what leads to the creation of Heartless and Nobodies, after all. It's not something anyone should have to experience. Sora wishes that he'd been able to prevent it somehow. ]

There are a few different ways. [ It's not a pleasant topic, and Sora glances across the aisle as he explains. ] If your heart gets corrupted by darkness, or if it's unlocked by a Keyblade. But... [ He looks back to Cain. ] Do you remember what happened, before you lost yours?

[ Sora never got a proper explanation. There hadn't been time for that when they'd been rushing to recover everyone. But he's hoping that Cain will be honest with him now. ]

[Gloved hands curling into tight fists on his lap, silence lapses, Cain appearing in thought as his eyes slide to look out the window. There's nothing out there: the train's somewhere underwater, traveling through a dark tunnel. It feels terminally silent -- if someone can ignore the little signs of life in chatter around the train cars, rustling of belongings, clink of dishware.

Finally, he answers, voice low between them.]

Did you see the weapon down in that place? Looked like a spear, had all these vines growing around the bottom of it. [Cain recounts the description dispassionately.] We tried to move it. Got it out, and... that's when weird shit happened. Markus and Fitz had it worse.

[As he's since spoken to the two, this is marginally easier to recount. Still feels as though it had happened to someone else, not him. Not a recounting of his own surreal memory. The only reason he tells Sora now is because he was there, witnessed the reemergence of his self, could maybe clue him into the process. Settle the disturbed peace of his own mind.]

Looked like they were killed. Dunno about me, just felt like I didn't exist. Like I was part of everything else. Wasn't... me, anymore.

[ Sora nods at the question, as he had a brief run-in with the spear. It had made him feel like his head was going to crack in two, and Riku had found him after that. He knows that time in dreams can't be properly traced, but it had been at some point after that when they'd run into Peggy. ]

Yeah, I tried to get it out too but didn't even get close. [ How had they managed it? Maybe working together, it had been easier to bear the pain that came from interacting with it.

So Markus and Fitz had essentially died. Even if it had only been within the dream, something like that could still send a person's heart deeper and deeper into sleep. Cain's situation sounds a little different. A little familiar, if not quite. ]

Hmm. When someone loses their heart, not in a dream but in the real world, the body they leave behind is called a Nobody. An empty husk, something that isn't supposed to exist. It's not the exact same, but maybe something like it.

[ He slowly reaches out to settle his hand on Cain's arm. No skin-to-skin contact, he wouldn't force that on Cain right now, but it is meant to be comforting. ]

I'm glad we were able to get you back.

[The body they leave behind, a Nobody. Would that have happened if he weren't in that strange, sleeping landscape? Cain still hasn't wrapped his mind around it. Seems surreal that anything could transport all of them into a separate realm shaped from their minds and unknown machinations. But... they've found themselves in New Amsterdam, after all. And many separated from supernatural powers, even if Cain isn't one among them.

Is anything truly unbelievable anymore?

And why hadn't he wanted to leave? The touch pulls him from those darker thoughts, a quick glance down at Sora's arm. It's meant to be a reassurance, but Cain only feels more tangled up in the web of confusion and uncertainty. Theories, disorientation. At least war and blackmail had made sense.]

... Yeah. Me too.

[Half-distracted as he agrees, Cain's gaze drifts over the other passengers in the train car.]

You do this kind of thing a lot, huh? With people's hearts or whatever?

[ While Cain doesn't react violently to the hand on his arm, he also doesn't look thrilled about it, so after a moment Sora pulls back. He can't say that he knows what Cain went through exactly, even if he'd once lost his very body and had to piece himself back together. He'd still had his sense of self, so it wasn't the same.

Sora doesn't mind the question. It's a slight subject change, but Cain's already told him the things he most wanted to know, and he doesn't want to make him feel uncomfortable. Although there may be no helping that. ]

Uhh, sort of. [ Sora lifts a hand and rubs at the back of his head, a little sheepish. ] I only learned how to use the Power of Waking recently, but before that I was still dealing with hearts in a lot of other ways.

[ It would be a lot to explain. He could do it, but he doesn't know how well he'd get his point across. ]

It's a good thing we ran into Peggy when he did.

[ Sora doesn't want to think about what might have happened otherwise... ]

[At the mention of Peggy, he raises a hand to his cheek, as if seeking the ghost of pain from a hit to the face. The real, physical connection that had knocked him back into himself -- past the shaky delirium, past the sinuous desire to just stay in that beautiful and serene landscape where he felt nothing.

What would have happened, if he gave into that urge? If Peggy and Sora never found him, or never managed to pull him back? Would he truly have wanted to remain fixed in time, asleep among the flowers? Cain doesn't have an answer for that.]

Right. Yeah.

[He exhales a gust of breath, rubs that hand over his face.]

Let's try not to need that Power of whatever shit again. From you or anyone. [He moves to stand.] That it, then?

Edited 2019-05-03 00:35 (UTC)

[ It's hard to miss the way that Cain touches his cheek, and Sora has clear memories of how Peggy had managed to literally punch some sense into him. It's not what he would have expected to work, but he's relieved she'd thought of it.

He also doesn't want to think about what would have happened to Cain if they'd failed. ]

Yeah, I don't want to have reason to use it either. Not that I can if we're not dreaming...

[ Will they get dragged into dreams like that again? It's hard to know, when they have no idea what triggered it in the first place. Given how dangerous it had been, Sora has to hope they won't.

He peers up at Cain as he stands, nodding slowly. He can't blame him for not wanting to stick around too long, after everything he's been through. Sora's grateful enough that he was willing to come find him in the first place. ]

Yeah, I think so. Take care of yourself, okay?

[ Even now, he manages a small smile. ]

[He lowers one last look onto Sora, a sense of finality to the conversation. Surprised that someone who seems so young would be brought here, roped into the chaos of this situation, and yet evidently handling better than many of the displaced themselves. Sora speaks from experience -- that isn't what rubs his nerves the wrong way. It's the openness, the friendliness he doesn't know what to do with. That Sora would care enough to check up on him when they barely know each other.]

Sure, kiddo.

[With a short movement, Cain turns away and retraces his path back to his original seat.]

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[open] i don't know about fate

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