songerein | { GAME OPENING LOG }

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{ GAME OPENING LOG }

✵ GAME OPENING LOG ✵
Normally our TDMs serve as intro logs, but we have prepared a special character intro log for game opening! It is a massive, chaotic feast that can only be found in a dreamworld like Songerein. You can also use this to continue ongoing TDM threads, especially as it nears captcha. Reminder that any thread from the TDM can be carried over. Players are also welcome to make their own logs for things if they would rather skip this part. Be sure to read the Mod Announcement for other information and you can ask any questions regarding the log here.

I. THE FEAST

As the sleepy looking sun begins to set, the small little tapir fairies will buzz around to find all the new inhabitants and usher them to the plaza. There everyone will find several tables of various lengths, sizes, and shapes. Yes, that is a star shaped table along with a moon one. A special feast has been made just for them to welcome and celebrate their arrival. Some may even recognize decorations: leaves mottled and changing to an assortment of colors, festive streamers, popcorn strings, glittering garlands and bows, string lanterns, and maybe a few small gravestones here and there. Some areas might look a bit brown and withered while some of the trees take on a more cherry blossom look. It's a bit of a strange mashup, and yet the chaos seems to have a sense of harmony as well—especially when considering everything else that the feast has to offer. This is one divine feast that is going to be completely topsy turvy.

A. What's Your Sign? Everyone will find themselves mysteriously "tagged" with a special sticker and will suddenly gain special characteristics based off the animal: ears, tails, behavioral traits. They're mostly mild and to add flavor, but they may also feel different compatibility towards another, such as more attracted or opposed. The sticker will be hard to remove, but it is possible to swap with someone if they want to try a different experience.

B. Special Bowls. There are many tables and anyone can sit wherever they want. Just don't forget to pick up the special dinner bowl already personalized with their name on it. Of course there are some extra paints and decorations that can be added to it if one desires.

C. Wild Food. Every table has the same kind of food, and there is plenty to go around. Of course, that's only if the food can be caught and if one can keep an appetite for some of them. The boar's head is a bit talkative and might settle down if someone stuffs an apple in its mouth or tells it a joke. However, it might just get several laughs by the barrel of monkeys funnel cake nearby, monkey shaped pastries hiding within it to chuck out various candies and fruits. Not even the candy is safe, at least not the stringed ones. Licorice, chocolate coated taffy, and others will start slithering around and even hiss, sometimes wrapping around the arm of those who try to eat them. Playing some music might calm these sweet serpents so they can be eaten properly. How about that special carousel cake stand with the horse cookies prancing about?

D. Spice Up Your Li—Meal. However fear not. There is normal food around so it is possible to have a proper meal. However, some helpful little dragons may fly by to add a few herbs and spices to the dishes. They are quite friendly and will listen to requests, however if one is rude or too demanding, they may just dump a bunch of a hot pepper and other unsavory seasoning instead. Make a good enough impression and they might make house calls, even follow someone home. They live to spice up food, after all.

E. Drink Tea. Although there is an assortment of beverages, the prevalent one will be tea. They are similar to the ones found in the cafe and all will help bring out festive dreams and restful sleep later for everyone. However, someone is clearly making mischief as they have slipped in some rodentia tea. Drinking it will cause the drinker to shrink to the size of a rat. The only way to return to normal is to find the elusive cat cookies, which can be strangely hard to find; they seem to vanish and reappear at random, but only the ones with wide grins and “Eat Me” written on them can be eaten.

II. FUN & GAMES

Perhaps the food isn't up to one's tastes, or they just would rather have some fun. There are a few games around the plaza that everyone is welcome to participate in and they are encouraged to play to their heart's content. Just beware of the geese as they are being a menace not only at the tables but disrupting games as well.

A. Playing Chicken. A simple game, really, one that will test one's creativity and taste buds. There is a goat cheese fondue fountain surrounded with various platters of cooked chicken: grilled, steamed, boiled, baked, fried. This fondue fountain, however, is special. The flavor of the fondue can be altered depending on the kinds of emotions near it. Joy and love make it sugary sweet, anger and jealousy spicy hot, despair and distrust salty sour. And of course everything in-between including a chaotic mix. The challenge is one person will try and alter the flavor of the fondue, lather it on a piece of chicken, and then hand it to their opponent. The chicken must then be consumed. If not, the one who "cooked" it wins. If it is consumed, then the second person can now do the same to the other. This continues until one forfeits. It should be noted that the emotions of the one eating can also affect the fondue. (It is of course possible to take either the fondue or chicken without playing this stomach churning game.)

B. Gravity of Luck. There is a special wheel lottery set on a table decorated with rabbits. In fact there are a lot of rabbits congregating here and would love a few carrots. Anyone is free to spin the wheel one time per round to determine what kind of special "gravity" effect they receive. Each time the wheel is spun, a ball will drop and the color will indicate the type. A gold ball will cause them to lose all sense of gravity, their bodies starting to float away and although they can fly and float around, they'll need help being tethered down. White balls allow them to jump higher, small mushrooms appearing at their feet so others can follow. A black ball will cause them to be stuck in place, even fall flat all the way to the ground and need help standing up. Those imbued with the power of the different balls can help balance each other out until the effect wears off in half an hour.

C. Ox Go-Kart. For those who really want some speed and action, there are ox driven carts stationed by various streets. Two people can partner up with one driving and the other serving to help try to slow the other cart down. In this race, all non-lethal, non-destructive abilities are allowed to try and disrupt the other racer. Perhaps utilizing dreamotion based abilities may fare better. Just beware of other obstacles, especially any random crying dodos that create giant pools of tears as water hazards.

D. Tiger Fishing. There are special colorful ponds filled with sparkly gummy koi fish. At each one there is a little round tiger(?) with a pair of tiger mittens. In the same vein of fish scooping games, players must wear the tiger mittens and catch the gummy fish with them. It won't be easy as the gummy fish are even more slippery than normal. Perhaps some other skills could be used...but the little tiger will be watching and will latch onto anyone's heads who try to cheat. But if caught, they will make for a delectable treat—or interesting pet.

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[ Passing him a fleeting smile as he concurs with her, the girl admits, ]

It'll be hard to know for certain, but... with so many people here, maybe we can find out more about what's been happening to everyone else, too.

[ And thereby come to some kind of better understanding. The rules of whatever process is involved are so fuzzy - it unsettles her, not being sure. Even so, it might well turn out that any efforts that direction will be for naught, and Naminé elects to try not to dwell on it for now. ]

... Huh.

[ Although she can't quite settle on how to feel about the situation Roxas describes, she'd very much prefer to think that there was some kind of legitimately positive relationship between the two. That thought gradually draws the smile back to her mouth, and she even manages a faint laugh when she lifts a hand to hold one finger almost against her face. ]

My lips are sealed.

[ Goodness knows the girl can keep a secret. All this talk of relationships, though, brings her to the inevitable question. Her chin tucks subtly, carefully as she asks it, voice lowering slightly, as if to avoid asking a personal question too loudly. ]

What about you and Sora? Have the two of you...

[ She isn't quite sure how to phrase it. 'Made up'? 'Been getting along'? ]

Right.

[The more they understood about this weird place, and about what happened to them, the better.]

Good. I don't think he'll be too mad, but it's probably something you'd better ask him.

[There was definitely some more positive vibes around Roxas's description of Vanitas. He was still blunt, and could be cruel, but he definitely has learned to warm up a little.]

Sora and I? Well, yeah, we're on better terms. After all, he helped me to...

[He trailed, a thought striking him.]

Naminé, what's the last thing you remember? From our time fighting against Xehanort?

[ The fact that Roxas had anything positive to say in general about the dark-haired fellow was a surprise in and of itself. Before a few minutes ago, Naminé might have counted Vanitas amongst the people she hoped not to see here, but in light of Roxas' comments, Naminé finds herself curious about the possibility instead. Still wary, but curious. ]

I understand. I suppose it was rude of me to ask you...!

[ Putting poor Roxas on the spot hadn't been her intention, of course. Naminé's unexpected relief lasts through the first part of Roxas's answer about his relationship with Sora, the corners of her mouth rising along with it. They make up the distance going back down, however, when her companion inquires as to the state of her memories. Letting out a breath, she tries not to let the sinking feeling in her chest show on her face. ]

The last thing I remember...

[ It's a reasonable question - maybe one she ought to have asked him first. But she's noticed in the little things already, in-between the lines of what he's said so far; she suspects that she knows less than he does. ]

I don't remember fighting against Xehanort at all. Not directly, anyway.

[ Xehanort's Heartless, Xemnas... She knows the name, knows the elderly face from the memories she found deep inside Sora's heart and the younger one from a portrait. But she shakes her head, and says, ]

The last thing I remember from our worlds is... being in The World That Never Was, with you and Sora and Kairi.

[ And Riku, of course, as well as the others - but she's sure Roxas can get the picture. It was a memorable moment for all of them, she assumes. She tries to smile when she admits it, really she does, and yet-- it comes out so sad. ]

But I guess - that's not what you remember last, is it?

No, I don't think it's rude. I just think it's better to come from him than me.

[It was mostly out of respect for the dark-aligned Keyblade wielder.]

[He listens to her answer, nodding slowly. He does frown a little bit when she mentions The World That Never Was, both for the memories associated with that place and the fact that Naminé... doesn't seem to remember the same things he does.]

[At her question, he shakes his head and offers her a small smile.]

No, it's not. I actually remember... a lot more that happens after that moment. I could tell you, but it might take a while to do so.

You're probably right...!

[ But it had been hard not to ask, as much of a surprise as that whole topic of discussion had been. Still, better to hear it from the horse's mouth, as it were.

And if she hadn't already been expecting the facts to be what they are, she'd suspect them from the tempo of his nod, from his little frown. He smiles, she smiles back - but her eyes are expectant, her shoulders set as she waits for confirmation she knows will come. When it does, they relax only slightly; her eyes flutter shut for a brief moment, then open again as her the curve of her mouth tightens subtly into a faintly wider, more deliberate smile. ]

I figured as much, [ she admits. ] These days everyone seems to remember all kinds of things that I don't.

[ And her ribcage is thrumming with nervous wonder at the possibilities, at what he might know of the future. Part of her isn't convinced she'll ever see it, but she still dutifully raises her head to consider the treehouse above them. ]

We can go inside, if you'd like sit down somewhere quiet. I won't ask you to tell me everything all at once, but... [ Her smile falters, growing almost apologetic; she lets her eyes fall, so as not to put too much pressure on him. ] If you could let me know-- even a little bit of what happens, I... I'd be really grateful, Roxas.

Edited 2021-09-10 03:45 (UTC)

[It definitely seemed like everyone's memories weren't aligned in the same ways. He nods in understanding; it must be hard for her, especially if the last thing she remembers is their showdown against Xemnas. That felt so long ago, even to him.]

Sure. I'd be happy to. [If it'll help Naminé get caught up, he'd be happy to tell her what he knows. He looks up at the treehouse she had come out of.]

Though, you're right. It might be better to sit down for this. Do you mind?

[ His agreement prompts a sincere curl at the corners of her mouth. Perhaps it's premature, but, ]

Thank you.

[ Her appreciation is audible in each syllable, and at his question, she shakes her head. ]

Not at all. There are still a few bugs left inside, but I don't think they'll bother us. [ Especially after that whole fire debacle encouraged a few of the less stubborn ones to make themselves scarce. ] And if they do, I'll...

[ Now might be the time for some kind of silly bravado, but she hums, not feeling quite as up to it as she's like when everything in her is filled with anticipation for what she might soon discover about the future. ]

Well, I'll figure something out.

[ Before she lets her nerves get the better of her, the girl offers one last sheepish smile and then turns to lead the way back toward the winding stairs, her hands coming to lace together in front of her so as to keep them busy. ]

Edited 2021-09-11 04:11 (UTC)

[Roxas looks up at the treehouse in question, nodding. Fortunately it did seem like some bugs weren't as violent as the termites, so hopefully they won't be too much of a problem. Though, Naminé's display of bravado, or lack thereof, does make him smile.]

We'll figure it out together.

[Roxas follows her into the treehouse, up the winding stairs. He looks around as he does, taking in the sight around them.]

You know... it's kind of funny. I remember when I was coming to you for answers I didn't have, and now I get to return the favour for you.

[ Slowing a moment at his first comment, Naminé glances back over her shoulder with a warm, ]

Agreed.

[ She's not hard to keep up with this time as she climbs ahead of him; the distance is companionable, rather than the ghostlike pace she took so long ago when she lead him to the mansion. The irony isn't lost on her, either, and she breathes out the wry shadow of a laugh as the top of the stairs gradually grows closer. ]

I guess it's only fair.

[ Her tone is self-effacing. Truthfully, she's deeply unsettled by being this far out of the loop. Knowledge has always been one of her greatest allies, and to have so little of it these days - it makes her anxious. Now that it's her turn to ask the questions, it feels more like a punishment than anything else, possibly one meted out for having tucked away so much information about others that she oughtn't have been able to gather in the first place. Softly, she admits, ]

I always hoped I'd never have to ask you for anything else. That when we met again, we'd be able to talk about everything without a care. [ Her voice sounds subtly fond, a little wistful, though she doesn't look back. ] But I guess-- maybe I was wishing for too much.

[ It's more observation than anything regretful. She's not bitter about it, especially because-- ]

Still... I'm really grateful to have this chance, too. [ Quieter, ] Just to see you again, Roxas, even if the circumstances aren't what I imagined.

[He truly wonders what kind of things Naminé has gone through on that other world of hers, and feels bad for her being so out of the loop. But hopefully, he can put her worries at ease. He shakes his head a little.]

I don't mind, really. I don't mind helping out friends where I can.

[And he means it; she has become a friend of his, even if she doesn't remember it. Or... hasn't experienced it yet. Time was a funny thing...]

[But once they get up to the upper floor of the treehouse, he will move in further to take a seat on an old-looking stool that looked to be made of the same wood as the tree itself. Once the both of them are settled, he'll turn to Naminé.]

Okay. So, the last thing you remember was The World That Never Was, right?

[ There's that word - friends. Naminé isn't quite ready for it, and that might be obvious in the way her whole body seems to jump slightly. The sudden curl of her fingers isn't subtle as she very nearly misses a step on the stairs. Cheeks flushing, it occurs to her then to mention a little breathlessly, ]

Careful, [ And it's not making an excuse for her almost-stumble, but-- ] I think the wood might be rotten in a few places.

[ That's easier than finding the right words to reply to that title. Should she call attention to it? Was it a careless oversight, or did he mean it? The questions mix in with all the others she has, and in the face of the realization that she'll have to ask him that, too, if she wants to know for certain, Naminé nudges the thought aside. (She'll just keep the word close to the heart she doesn't yet believe she has and appreciate it for what it is.)

There aren't many safe-looking seating options in the treehouse at the moment - some cleaning'll be necessary in the near future - but there's at least a small degree of choice. After a moment's hesitation, Naminé sits not too far from Roxas, turned on a matching stool so that she can face him with her ankles tucked together and hands resting almost anxiously on her lap. There's no enormous table between the two of them this time, no awkwardly placed vase to break line of sight. Naminé feels-- oddly vulnerable, but it isn't a bad thing. ]

Right. [ Her agreement comes promptly, her mouth a sober line. ] You and I were there together. I remember reaching out to Kairi, and then... after that, I was somewhere else.

[ There's an in-between part, maybe - the feeling of fading back into her Other - but it doesn't bear describing. ]

[Her tripping on the wood had him reaching out to her, but it seems she's managed to catch herself okay. But once they're both seated down, Roxas has to take a slow breath. This... would be a lot to go through.]

Yeah. I remember that, too. When I went back to Sora... well, I spent a lot of time in his heart. It was a weird feeling; I know I was in his heart, but I could still feel things through him. Like, when he was in Twilight Town, or near my friends...

[Even if at the time they didn't know him, his heart still resonated from within Sora's. He'd missed them, even if the only versions he remembered interacting with were digital copies.]

But, Sora never stopped looking for a way to bring me back. To bring all of us back. Because he wanted us to be able to live our own lives, not just be inside his or Kairi's heart. And in the end... he did. He found a way for us to become our own people.

[ Shifting in place, Naminé looks as though she's not quite sure how to feel about that first part. Her expression catches somewhere between sympathy and relief; she'd always wanted to believe they'd both continue to exist within their Others, but it had been so hard to know for certain what it would be like. ]

I'm glad you were still able to be close to them, [ she decides finally, hesitantly. Quieter, ] For a little while, at least.

[ The notion is so bittersweet that it sits in her mind a moment before Roxas continues. When he does, though, her attention snaps back to his words in an instant. Her eyes only seem to get rounder from there, anticipation and disbelief mixing together until the one thing she can manage to answer with is a tiny, awed, ]

He--... he did? [ If anyone could have, she'd always thought it'd be Sora. That's another of those fond hopes she was never sure she ought to put her faith in, but-- ] He really did it--?

[ Her voice is subtly tight with emotion. ]

[It is bittersweet, indeed. Roxas truly believed the only way he could interact with his friends was through phantom emotions resonating within Sora's heart. But then Sora had more or less done the unthinkable, in the best way possible.]

He did. [He can't stop the grin that forms on his face as he nods.] He got some help to do it... from Zexion and Vexen, and even Saix, believe it or not. They wanted to help Sora too, and got replicas for us to use.

[He places a hand over his chest.]

Technically, this body I'm in is a replica body. But Vexen said they were his best ones, human in every way. We were able to use replicas to become our own people. You, me... and even Xion.

[And the fact that he's even saying that name, and knows who that person is, should be very telling for Naminé as to just how far Sora had gone to help them.]

[ Naminé doesn't know whether to smile or to burst into tears at his confirmation. What she winds up with is somewhere in between; even as she smiles she can't help shutting her eyes a moment, a hand curling over her mouth. ]

All of those guys...

[ Saix really is the most unbelievable one in there, but Vexen's not terribly far off from it, himself. If she weren't hearing it from Roxas, she might struggle to believe it - but she trusts him more than well enough to take his word for what happened. And sure, she's wondering about the logistics, doesn't miss the term 'replica'; it's just that there's so much to take in that it doesn't even occur to her to interrupt.

There are implications in that description that she wants to ask more about, but... that name really does push aside all of it. Sucking in a shocked breath, Naminé looks close to disbelief - except there's no room for that, because there's only one way Roxas would know that name, and of that Naminé's quite aware. The girl only manages another couple of seconds before her welling tears finally begin to flow over; ducking her head, she turns her face into one curled palm, trying to press them away. ]

Sorry-- [ she chokes, too emotional to be fully embarrassed. ] I'm sorry, it's just--...

[ Give her a second, Roxas. ]

I'm so glad.

Yeah. I wouldn't have believed it myself if I didn't see it.

[Had he been told this before joining with Sora's heart? He wouldn't have believed a word of it. But it was true, every word of it.]

[He does give a start when she begins to cry, one hand coming up and reaching for her. But he doesn't touch her, not yet. But she doesn't sound sad, even though there are tears... emotions are so strange that way. He falters a bit, hesitant on how to console her, before he lowers his hand and offers her a smile.]

Yeah... I'm glad too. I know it might seem hard to believe, since you don't... know that it's happened yet. But trust me. We're all okay.

[ Naminé herself doesn't know how to be consoled. Her experience in that area is limited, and after meeting Roxas again, it feels almost as if she needs to start all over from scratch with everything she has learned about interacting with other people. Through bleary vision she sees his hand come up; she's still unable to hold back the tears even as she watches him uncertainly, not unlike a frightened animal.

But she's touched, despite how his hand falls again without reaching all the way forward. Almost before he smiles, she's already returning it, and from there it grows until it meets her watery eyes. She's happy, really she is; she's just never learned to deal with that, either - how pleasantly it hurts in the very core of her chest. ]

I do, [ she gasps out, and yet her voice is warm with it even amongst the thickness of her tears. ] I believe you, Roxas. That's why I can't-- stop crying.

[ She doesn't have any other way to process her relief. Sadness doesn't make her weep like this, not often - but joy is much harder for her to overcome. Wiping at her face, she lets her eyelids fall for a moment as she makes a concerted effort to control the water escaping down her cheeks. Once she has some tenuous control, she reinforces, ]

I can't picture it right now, but... I know you wouldn't lie to me.

[ There's no question that she trusts him, at least. ]

[He hates to see her cry like that, and after a moment's consideration he does move his stool closer, so that he's close enough that he can rest a hand on her back. His time in Aefenglom taught him that sometimes, a simple hand in his hair or on his back was a great comfort, so he tries to offer that same comfort by rubbing her back carefully.]

I guess it's a bit hard to picture, huh? Even I can't believe it, some days. But, it's really real. And after all that, we all worked together to stop Xehanort.

[Oh yeah, that's... also a thing. He frowns a bit.]

Do you know anything about Xehanort?

[ A few months ago, perhaps she would have felt a hint of anxiety at having anyone touch her. These days it's less of a challenge, but more than that - she meant what she said about trusting him. His hand on her back is welcome, comforting in the way he intends. She still hasn't learned how exactly to respond to that sort of thing, but she bends just a little under the touch, shoulders relaxing in some small measure.

Nodding at his words, Naminé continues to dry her cheeks the best she can. Fortunately that's made a trifle easier with the mention of their mutual enemy; it might not be a pleasant topic, but it's distraction enough from the source of her tears. ]

I know of him. About some of the things he did in the past. [ Her voice is just a tiny bit raspy, although her tone is serious. ] I know... that he caused a lot of trouble in Ventus, Aqua and Terra's time when he was trying to form the X-blade. And - I also know that there was a much younger man named Xehanort who was a part of what happened in Radiant Garden.

[ From her perspective, it all seemed likely enough to be connected. Exhaling as she blinks away the last of her tears, ]

I suppose-- I shouldn't be surprised that all of you know who he is now, too.

[He's had a year and a bit to learn to be a person on his own, but emotions are still a strange thing for the Nobody to understand. But he's glad that he can offer even a little bit of comfort to her. As he listens to Naminé's words, a small frown forms on his face. Yeah, that sure sounded like the Xehanort he's come to learn about.]

Yeah. We learned about who he was, and what he wanted. And... I learned how Xemnas was connected to him, too.

[In the end, it all linked back to Xehanort, didn't it?]

He was our final opponent. The one that we had to stop in order to fully prevent the worlds from falling to darkness.

[ Naminé has the advantage of more secondhand knowledge of emotions than Roxas might possess, but unfortunately that's never been applied to her own feelings. For all the depth of her understanding of other people, she's never really given the same consideration to her personal needs, and more often than not finds herself at a loss in that area. They've been easy enough to ignore for most of her life so far, but now that she's been presented with the idea that she'll actually get to be a real person, it's all going to catch up with her eventually.

Letting out a quiet breath of a sigh, ]

I think maybe I was hoping that it would all be over once Xemnas was gone. But... I can't say that I'm surprised that Xehanort found another way to come back. From what I learned about him, he seemed to be very cunning.

[ With that thought in mind, Naminé can't help but hesitate. Tracing back over the words in her memory, she pauses only a moment or two before asking carefully, ]

Does that mean... it's finally over, now? He's finally-- unable to hurt anyone else?

Yeah. Really cunning. It's... kind of impressive, really.

[He has to hand it to the guy, the amount of plans and backup plans he had was honestly impressive. If he hadn't been trying to bring about the destruction of the worlds and hurt his friends, Xehanort could have been pretty brilliant.]

But, yeah. It's over, and he's gone now. For good. I saw it with my own eyes.

[He says it with a firm nod and a smile. That's something he wouldn't dare lie about.]

Mm.

[ Very impressive, that they can both (reluctantly) agree on. At Roxas's confirmation, the girl deflates slightly in both relief and something like sadness. ]

That's good. [ Mustering a smile in return isn't too hard. ] I'm sorry that it had to be that way, but... it's better that it's over, now.

[ There are few other manners in which to take 'gone for good' in this context. She lets it sink in a moment or two, then, ]

So-- what happened after that? Are you... are we--

[ After struggling briefly with her phrasing, Naminé voice gets quiet, almost careful when she finally asks, ]

Are we happy?

Yeah. I'm glad it's over.

[Honestly, Roxas is just glad that, by all accounts, Xehanort was well and truly gone. It meant they could all live happily now. That's what they fought for, right?]

[Speaking of happiness, Roxas waits for Naminé to finish, before he grins and nods.]

Yeah... we are. I got to go back to Twilight Town with my friends, and meet up with everyone on Destiny Islands... we're all happy and back home. Everyone is.

[Though, he pauses, a small frown on his face.]

Well... almost everyone. Sora... he did something stupid.

[ Without thinking about it, Naminé's smile instantly broadens at his grin. Her heart feels so warm and full in her chest that she almost can't breathe for it, and words are just as impossible.

Letting out a gasp of a laugh, she quickly brushes a hand against her cheek just to be sure no further tears have snuck free. It comes away dry, and she curls her fingers against her hair a moment, trying to compose herself.

Unfortunately, his pause helps with that. Her head lifts slightly as she senses his frown before she sees it directly. Her own smile ebbs, a quiet, creeping chill starting to worm its way through amongst the gladness in between her ribs. ]

'Something stupid'...?

[ she repeats, not actually sure she wants to hear it elaborated upon. But no - it sounds important, and all the more so for the inclusion of Sora's name. ]

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