[ closed ] the shadow is the greatest teacher

[darkcharge]

Who: Vanitas and Riku
Which: Closed
Where: Reactor
What: Investigation!
Warnings: Vanitas and Riku being snippy?





Is your nose broken? You can't get a good whiff of that nightmare energy coming through?

[ Yes, he is taunting Riku. No, he doesn't really care that he is either. Vanitas and Riku are both here for the same reason. They are going to get on well enough to at least work together. But that doesn't mean that Vanitas is going to refrain from giving the other a hard time when and where he can...

Especially since he knows that this isn't easy. If the leak could be so easily found, then the whole ordeal wouldn't have happened to begin with. There wouldn't have been a need to act and there wouldn't be a need to try to figure out what went wrong.

Vanitas, himself, favors sabotage. He has no idea what Riku is thinking as he walks around, a couple of Floods at his heels. ]

Comments

[darkcharge]

That's not true. I have something.

[ Because there are several Floods roaming about the place. Looking for cracks or leaks. Anything. And it shouldn't be too difficult for them, considering the negativity.

Though they are slower than what Vanitas would expect. ]

Just follow the Floods. Looks like they've found a leak.

[retrieves]

Showoff.

[He's not going to admit that it's probably more up Vanitas' alley to find than his... he doesn't want to make the other's ego even bigger.]

After you, then.

[They did seem to be on to something here...]

[darkcharge]

Don't say that as if you wouldn't do the same thing if you had the chance, Riku.

[ Because somehow they are too similar in some ways, aren't they? Vanitas just sounds smug regardless.

They are going to follow the Unversed though. Unsurprisingly, they will find themselves arriving towards a leak. It's along one of the pipelines - a bigger one. And Vanitas frowns and he leans closer. Thankfully the suits are protecting them. This could be bad for Vanitas in particular.

After all, there is certainly nightmare energy steadily climbing out of the crack. Very visible. ]

[retrieves]

Hmph.

[Vanitas is right and they both know it, so... Riku's going to do what he does best and ignores the fact that it was even said.

he looks in closer, and holds his hand over the nightmare energy.]

Well, this'll be one spot taken care of, anyway.

[he holds out a hand to Vanitas, just in case there were something other than Good Vibes needed here to fix the leak.]

[darkcharge]

[ He's looking back to Riku's hand. Frowns a little... But maybe. He sighs and rolls his eyes.

Puts his hand in Riku's and feels just a little weird about it. ]

I'm not good at dreamotion. That doesn't mean you can't use whatever I've got.

[ In other words, just go ahead and channel whatever good vibes Vanitas is capable of giving off. ]

[retrieves]

[it's okay, they can both feel a little uncomfortable about it.

Riku smirks a bit before he reaches out for his own dreamotion ability. at least he can say he's honed it pretty well by now, and he uses it to patch up the leak in only a few moments.

he tilts his head, then taps where it'd been with the hand that'd been previously holding Vanitas']

Looks solid to me. What d'you think?

[darkcharge]

[ Yeah he's just... Going to tug his hand back. At least their skin wasn't touching or anything like that.

That really would have been weird.

But then he runs his hand over where they had applied the patch. Frowns as he tries to feel if anything is coming from the leak. ]

I don't feel anything.

[retrieves]

That's a good thing.

[he glances to where the Floods were, and then nods.]

Lead the way to the next part, then.

[darkcharge]

Is it difficult for you to sense it? Really?

[ This time, as they walk, Vanitas is asking it sincerely. He's not really sure how Riku can sense Darkness or anything affiliated with it. Just that he can. ]

I never really had anything to do with the other Organization members.

[ They really weren't true allies or anything like that. ]

[retrieves]

I wasn't an Organization member. Just used some of their tools.

[he considers for a moment, and tilts his head.]

It's not strong... kind of like a muscle I don't use. Besides, if I'm fixing the breaks then you gotta do something.

[he says the last part with a bit of a smirk, to show he's kidding.]

[darkcharge]

A fragment of you was though. Hence the statement since I wasn't overly familiar enough with anyone aside Xigbar and the old man to know.

[ Because the guy had been trotting along after Xehanort to use a Keyblade for a while. If Vanitas' memory recalls. Yet he listens to Riku explain - Then huffs. ]

Yeah? Then I guess I'll have to show you up at the next leak we find.

[retrieves]

[he gets distracted by their prior conversation with the fact that he tugged on Vanitas' competitive streak.]

Thought you couldn't get rid of it. Or were you just holding back before?

[darkcharge]

Oh I can't get rid of it. Any dreamotion that I can muster is way too weak.

[ There's a brow raise. ]

I can, however, attempt to suppress it.

[retrieves]

Right. And would that be enough to fix it completely?

[he's just curious.]

[darkcharge]

No, it wouldn't. However, it will make it easier for you to apply the patch since nothing will leak out while you're working on it.

[ See? He knows how to play nice? ]

[retrieves]

[... Vanitas and "nice" is always such a strange concept to him.

but then he nods.]

That'll work, then. It wasn't too hard... but not all of them might be so easy.

[darkcharge]

That leak was easy. We don't know that the next one will be like that.

[ Which, speaking of, the Unversed are darting off. They sense the next leak and it's going to be bigger than this one. Or, rather, more energy will end up leaking out. ]

We are supposed to be a team here, right?

[retrieves]

... Right.

[it's still kind of weird, following the Unversed. even though it's not unlike anything he's able to do, it's kind of strange to see someone else who isn't batshit insane using darkness powers to something that's not inherently chaotic.]

Have I ever apologized for the way I treated you when I first got here?

[maybe it's because he's thinking about all of that that he randomly brings it up.]

[darkcharge]

[ Huh? Apologize for that? But Vanitas had expected all of that. So why would Riku apologize for behavior that's expected? ]

Sort of, I guess. There was that text message.

[ He looks at him, raising a brow. ]

It's what I expected would happen. Every time someone else shows up, I expect that sort of thing.

[retrieves]

You had a point then, too. That I of all people should've believed you a little faster.

[Vanitas' whole... everything probably didn't help, but he's not going to bring that up.]

I'm glad I was wrong about you.

[darkcharge]

[ Oh he... Doesn't know what to do with that. Riku is being genuine with that apology. There's nothing sarcastic or whatnot in that tone of voice. Nothing backhanded or biting.

It's a good thing that they are wearing protective gear. Because Vanitas is... Feeling some kind of way about it. ]

Don't worry about it. I was wrong about myself anyway.

[retrieves]

Haven't we all been at some point or another?

[the text wasn't really all that ungenuine too, but there was still tension there at the time he'd said it. even if he does remember it now in passing... he wanted to be a little more sincere.

for some reason, he's come to like Vanitas somehow. maybe it's how in some ways, they understand each other.]

Some are just more drastically wrong than others.

[aka them.]

[darkcharge]

It took you how long to embrace that?

[ The Unversed have stopped. They are right there, at another leak. This time even Vanitas can sense it through the suit.

And augh. Looks like there are fissures from where the crack had started. ]

[retrieves]

[Riku cuts Vanitas a Look for a moment, and looks down at the fissures and leak.]

Let's just get this done.

[and he'll start working his dreamotion on it again, half waiting for Vanitas' help before he uses more.]

[darkcharge]

Fine, fine. Spoilsport.

[ Vanitas kneels by the leak. He takes a deep breath and places his hand above the cracks. From this point he is going to start to manipulate the nightmare energy. ]

[retrieves]

[Riku's just going to roll his eyes, and then as Vanitas manipulates the nightmare energy, he's going to use dreamotion and his own abilities to patch the leak.]

Not the first time anyone's called me that.

[Sora calls him this... all the time...]

[darkcharge]

[ Riku can't see it, not with the protective suit. But Vanitas knows. He can feel how it is gripping at his hand. How the nightmare energy must be effecting it even now. But Vanitas is still keeping that to himself as much as possible. ]

I bet not. Just... Hurry.

[retrieves]

[he nods. since it's more intense than the other one, it takes him a little longer... but then he's done.

he exhales and then shakes his head, getting up from his crouched position.]

You good?

[darkcharge]

[ This one is actually leaking more than the previous one. And that... That is a little bit more for Vanitas to handle, especially getting more directly involved as he is.

Already he is frowning. Jaw tight.

And when Riku is done, he snatches his hand back like it's been burned. Shakes it out. ]

Just fine.