themainframe | 006 ☁ Video ☁ Dated to Arrival

This will be interesting...

[ because from what Ryu has gathered, things aren't going well. Sora is a part of the mess that had been started in Terra's time. and it had put Sora and his friends in danger. something the dragon doesn't appreciate. it's not something he is going to make mention.

but Vixie isn't bothered by it, oh no. instead she is holding out a paw to the other digimon. to shake! like the humans do, of course.

Sora shoots a look to Ryu, though. seriously... side commentary? ]

Riku passed his Mark of Mastery exam. Things aren't the best, no. Our world was once swallowed up by darkness and Kairi and I both lost our hearts at one point...

[ and none of that troubles him too much because... ]

But I've made a lot of new friends, and we'll always be connected even though we're worlds apart. Each and every place I've been to has good memories for me.

[ Sora looks thoughtful for a moment... ]

Which I guess I kind of have you to thank for that. So thanks.

[It's the side commentary, and the tone it's said in, that tilts things a little for Terra. Ominous statements, that don't quite align with what he's told, are the sort of mysteries he didn't much like. Worlds falling to darkness, hearts being lost, but somehow it's fine..?]

... Riku's not much older than you, is he? That's really young to be taking the test.

[Aqua and Terra were young for it. And Sora's younger than he is! Either Riku was a genius or something was seriously awry. But still.. if he could pass that young, who's to say he didn't earn it?]

I'm not sure what I have to do with any of it, but you're welcome, I guess.

[He scrubs a hand through his hair briefly, a gesture that seems a little puzzled and a tiny bit exasperated, but somehow a little amused too. The future is a weird place.]

I know you're leaving things out, but ... I'm not going to ask. [Not now. Not yet.] It's good to know something's going right.

[Meanwhile, Dorumon is faced with human greetings. They make a little sense for a renamon, as they have proper hands, but he has only a taloned paw to offer in return after a moment's hesitation.]

"I think we're all going to be great friends."

Leaving things out... Truth is, I'm not sure I get it all myself... [ Sora crosses his arms over his chest, thinking. answering, if only because Terra deserves to know this. ]

We know we're really young and pretty much self taught, but we didn't have a choice to take the exam. This guy in my time is trying to start another Keyblade War. Seven lights. Thirteen darknesses. That's basically what everything is coming down to.

[ and really it's the only thing that matters in the end. so maybe not everything is going all right, but Sora isn't worried about it. they have friends. allies. ]

The reason I'm not too worried is because... We have each other. All of my friends. Me. We draw power and strength from one another. I'll watch their back and they'll watch mine.

... Self-taught? Where's your Master?

[Self-taught just struck him as wrong. How could they learn everything they needed to know without a teacher?

Exactly what Xehanort is up to eludes him. The crazy old man doesn't explain all of that until not long after Terra's arrival point, so it just strikes him as stupid and really dangerous.. not igniting the buried hatred for Xehanort that would otherwise bleed through.

Still. It wasn't good.]

The first war didn't go so well for anyone. I doubt this one will too. It'll be stopped.

[Had to be. Surely he and his own friends would help if it came to it! And they'd have ten more years of experience to work with. ... Would he be master by then? Ven undoubtedly would be.]

I'm sure if my friends and I haven't been able to lend a hand yet, we will once this is caught wind of. You can count on it.

[He doesn't know. And it's probably for the best he never finds out.]

I know. You guys will help when you get the chance. Might even be right now and we just don't know it.

[ that's not a lie at all either. Sora believes it. Terra. Aqua. Ven... even though he doesn't have the full story and he's only really met them once, he knows they are important to his friends. to who he is. they are connected and that's never going to be broken either. sure... everyone is scattered. but it will work out in the end. Sora knows it. ]

But... Ah... The no Master thing. It's complicated. Riku and I kinda stumbled on this when our world fell into darkness and we were separated.

That's strange. Someone should have come to pick him up when he was old enough.

[Though the whole 'falling into darkness' thing is alarming in of itself. Dorumon's not interrupting any of this, but he is listening, and watching. It might be important!]

How do entire worlds fall to darkness? Individuals, sure, but worlds..?

[ not important, Terra! so not important that Sora isn't even going to touch it.

Ryu's expression finally evens out. touchy subjects are now passed. there had been more chances to learn what sort of things that Sora had not really talked about. while the kid is pretty open, there are just some subjects that Sora goes "it's not my story to tell." from there he'd leave it be.

but Vixie is now paying rapt attention. ]

Heartless, mostly. They find their way into world and gather hearts. Especially the heart of a world.

'Heartless'?

[A thing that did not apparently exist in his time, as surely that's something a keyblade apprentice would have been taught about.

He notes that some things aren't being talked about; there's probably a reason, but Terra's content to bide his time. Whatever went wrong, it clearly worked out. The scruffy kid he chose, a Master at what, sixteen? It was almost something to be proud of.]

I'm not sure I've ever encountered any of those before.

They're creatures from darkness. When someone loses their heart, the darkness that's left behind becomes a heartless. Like I said... They just go from world to world and gather more hearts. Just multiplying.

[ like a virus really, not that Sora thinks of it in exactly those terms. but it is what it is. now he's left wondering just when had the Heartless become such a problem. where there's light... there's always darkness. ]

The Islands are back though. A lot of worlds they had gotten are.

[Creatures of darkness. He knew of only one of those, and the idea of a whole lot of Vanitas was incredibly unsettling.]

I've .. never really encountered anything like that. Not with the heart-stealing.

[And if Vanitas tried to take Ven's heart, he'd snap the evil little monster's head off bare-handed.]

... It's good that your home's back, however. I don't know how something lost to darkness could be returned to light, but it's kind of nice to know it's possible. Are the problems in this world related to all of that?

[ at least Sora is keeping that much safe. ]

I don't know. The problems here... I don't even think a lot of the digimon even know. When I first got here, there weren't any answers to any of that.

[ which is really frustrating! how can you help when you don't know what the problem is... ]

[That causes his eyebrows to rise sharply.]

Just to be sure I have this right. We've all been pulled here to save the world. But what we're saving it from, nobody knows?

That's correct. I wonder if Jupitermon may know...

[ considering the fact that the giant digimon may have mentioned how the new Chosen had failed... ]

But he's probably not going to talk. He blew up our last town.

... Relying on people who blow up cities might not be a good idea.

[Terra has issues telling good people from bad people sometimes, but he doesn't need any help to know exploding cities are bad.]

"It'll probably become more clear as we get more people to help us," [is the Dorumon's suggestion, careful. They really don't know.

Terra sighs. Can this get more troublesome?]

Well, we'll get to the root of it sooner or later, I'm sure. Until then ... what? Is there something we're supposed to be doing? I don't remember it being mentioned.

"Well, we can see if we can find a meat bush."

Those aren't real.

[ hearing "meat bush" has Vixie and Sora snickering. even Ryu is cracking a bit of a grin.

but down to business. ]

Well you can't do much until you and your partner can evolve. Dorumon can protect you just fine as is, but if a strong digimon shows up?

At our present level, it wouldn't be enough.

[ they had found that out the hard way. together. but that really doesn't answer Terra's question. so Vixie will answer the best she can. ]

Honestly, we spend our days training and exploring. Sometimes working. That's all we can do at the moment.

[Meat does not grow on bushes. That'd make it a berry. And if it grew on trees, that'd make it a fruit! There were many things Terra could believe, but that one he's going to stick to his guns on. As Sora and his digimon snicker, Terra shoots the Dorumon a look]

If this is some sort of newbie hazing thing--

[Immediately, Dorumon's small paws go right back up in a remarkable parody of the human gesture, eyes wide.] I would never! They're real!

[There's no telling if Terra is seriously suspicious or not, but he seems to be. This matter of evolution diverts his attention for the time being .. and there's a distinct grumble.]

I'm not used to relying on someone else completely for my defense. It just seems... wrong. [Abusive. Taking advantage. Like being a leech.] And we're just not allowed to take on digimon on our own?

It's not that. We're tougher than the stuff from the real world. Most anything you'd try on us would be like ... uhm, someone just punching you on the arm, and they're trying to do it full strength. It might sting a little but it's not really going to do anything. That's why you need us. But we can't digivolve without your hearts and feelings and friendships, so we need you even more. We just won't get anywhere without each other. None of us. Not me, not you. Not Sora and his friends either.

[Terra says nothing to this, beyond simply looking displeased. He had worked for years to be certain he had the physical power to do what it took to defend the worlds.. and now it was useless? Was all that time and work for nothing here?]

Training I can do. I know plenty about that, at least. But what good is it?

[Some people accepted the need for their digimon easily. Some people don't. Dorumon glances at Sora and his partners; they seemed to get along just fine, and Sora knew what his purpose was in all of that. So why not Terra?]

I don't know plenty about it. If it doesn't do you any good, it would probably do me good. Maybe them too. You could teach us.

I don't think there's anything wrong with relying on others. Without my friends, I wouldn't have gotten anywhere. Without Kairi being there, I'd probably be a Heartless still. Without Riku? Well... There are lots of ways he's saved me and I've saved him. Donald and Goofy too... My power. The things I have done... It's never really been just me. It's always been because of my friends. They're what give me strength.

And that's what our digimon, our partners rely on. Yeah, it's hard not being able to physically fight beside them... But we are fighting with them. In here...

[ at this, Sora puts his hand to his heart. it's a little baffling for Sora, because this should be obvious. Vixie reaches to ruffle Sora's hair. he snickers while she talks. ]

We need you. You are special to us. Maybe you can't fight without us, but we can't fight without you either, like he said. I know it's not what you really want. It's not easy either... But you have a keyblade too. You're already aware that different worlds have different rules...

And unfortunately for you, these are ours. Sora and I struggled with it, but I hope that you come to terms with it swiftly so that you do not end up as we did at first.

[ Sora makes a little face. not a frown or anything. but he does look a little guilty. ]

Training is so that you can learn to work together better.

To be able to coordinate better.

Having a friend at your back or fighting at your side and having someone else do everything for you while you ... cheerlead ... is ... very different.

[If he can't fight his own battles, how can he keep the people he cares for out of harm's way? How can he protect anyone at all, if he can't even protect himself? How could he help Ven, or prove to Aqua and his Master that he hadn't given into the darkness, if he can't even fight back?

It was the rules of the world, but Terra didn't have to like it. He had no choice but to obey, but happily? No. He couldn't do what was most important to him, not without deliberately putting someone else at risk. A digimon was a person as much as anyone else was. Telling them to fight for him was detestible. The renamon is given a brief glance. Different worlds have different rules, and he knows it.]

Did you get as far as you have by sitting back and letting your friends do everything for you? Somehow you don't seem the sort to.

[And neither is Terra. It would make him unworthy of the keyblade he carried.

The matter of this boy having a keyblade is ...strange, and he'll have to deal with it later. Who had he gotten it from? Ven, perhaps, somewhere in the intervening ten years. Or Aqua.. or some other keyblade weilder the multiverse over.

There's resignation there, visible and displeased. Not even a keyblade apprentice ... or a master for that matter, can hope to change the rules of a world. He would abide, and loathe it every step of the way. Even in this world, darkness lingered. He wouldn't shed it so quickly, and it fed on resentment as easily as anything else.

In the silence, the rise and fall of feelings Terra's fairly good at keeping visibly hidden, are tracked by his digimon. Dorumon was fairly sensitive to his partner's moods already, and that would only heighten in time. That resentment, the fear and unhappiness were ... a little depressing, honestly, but he took heart in the idea he wasn't being outright rejected. It doesn't keep him from tucking up a litte into a fluffy purple ball of hurt.]

I know I'm not worthy to be your partner. I can feel it in you. But you rely on that weapon you carry, don't you? Wasn't it your strength once, the power you used to help others, and defend your friends and protect what matters? It's no different now.

[It's quiet. A little unhappy. Dreams of fast, good friendships hadn't died, but they seemed harder. Making a friend of this tangled knot of dark emotions wasn't going to be hard, if only he was allowed to. And maybe in time Dorumon could stifle those dark feelings and put light there instead. If ... he was just allowed in.]

Let me be your weapon, if I can't be your friend and partner. Let me be your keyblade.

[The denial is immediate but unvoiced. It wasn't that. It wasn't a matter of worthiness or friendship at all -- but aside from the brief look of surprise that flashes across Terra's face, he doesn't actually ... protest. Or say anything at all in response to it. Which might not make him look very good.]

... Just forget about it. Alright? I'll play by the rules of this world, there's not a lot of choice. No matter what, it still has to be saved.

I do what I can, yeah... And I hate having no power to protect the people that I care about. But if this is the best way to also protect them, then I will stay back and "cheerlead" as you say.

[ Sora snorts though. shaking his head. all this talk... keyblades. unworthiness... this is so depressing. Sora takes out his D-Stream and you know what he takes out of it. his own keyblade. he holds it for a moment, looking it over, then just drops it. it hits the ground with a thunk. Sora's just as stubborn as anyone, Terra. a kid that follows his heart - no matter where it may lead. and he will drill this into that thick skull too. ]

And the keyblade shouldn't be what you rely on. It's not the real source of your strength anyway.

[ should have guessed this would happen. but Sora is also poking at Terra's chest. right over the spot that matters. ]

It's here. The keyblade only responds because of a strong heart.

[ but Sora pulls back... that happy look on his face? the one he usually wears? it's pretty serious. ]

You guys were the ones that were chosen. Aqua. King Mickey. Ven. Lea. Riku. You. Not me. I'm going to tell you the same thing that I told Xigbar and Xemnas. No, I wasn't chosen. But that part doesn't matter. I'm happy to just be able to be a part of you guys and what you are doing. I don't need this keyblade to do what I know is right. I don't need the magic and all of the cool powers that comes from having one. My strongest weapon - your strongest weapon too - is the heart. A heart that accepts these guys and their feelings as they are and where they're coming from.

[ Sora is quiet for a second, fist clenching a little. ]

I'm just a kid, Terra. I know that even though I don't like being called a child. But this is important. I was almost possessed because I was so stuck on being powerless to do anything to save or protect some of my friends. And, like Ryu, I don't want you to lose your way. I've seen it happen to people - what they can become. What they feel like they need to do to prove themselves worthy again.

It's hard. I know that... But just at least think about it, okay? Because if your heart is in the wrong place or wavering? Here it's not just you that will be effected. It will put your partner in danger too.

[ dark evloutions... he's seen them and he's thankful for the fact he's never hurt his partners like that with negativity. ]

I didn't say I wouldn't.

[He'd 'fight', using the pathetic and shameful idea this world had of how the Chosen should 'fight', but he wouldn't like it. There wasn't another way. He'd just said as much, and that was wrong to them ... but when Sora says it, it's okay? It's fine for someone else to say they hate it but they'll do it anyway, but Terra can't? The slow frown that crosses his face doesn't come with words.

Chattiness is difficult, and the urge to simply leave this behind and focus on the real problems was strong. Standing around arguing wasn't going to get anyone anywhere.

The way Dorumon startles visibly when Sora draws and then drops his own keyblade is only a reflection of Terra's shock, though it doesn't show on him. He knows that blade. And he knows that Sora shouldn't have it.

That blade was meant for the other one.

Everything that's said is heard but there's no real way to tell how much actually gets through. Is he even still thinking about what Sora's saying?]

... Hey. Don't put yourself down like that. You're not 'just a kid.' [It's not Terra that interrupts, it's Dorumon, his fuzzy and yet reptilian features drawn into a frown.] At the very least you're only a couple years younger than my Chosen. And if you didn't notice, we Choose mostly 'just a kid's'. You know why? It's the young that can believe the fiercest. In themselves and in other people. The older your people get, the more cynical they get, the less they believe. You're not just a kid, Sora. You're everything we need, and most of your grownups won't ever be able to be that.

[It might be a derailing. But it seems the purple digimon will speak up on what he feels strongly about, and that's.. one of them. Terra remains silent, watching not Sora or his own digimon, but the blade on the ground.]

... So. ..So don't think that way. Don't say it that way. If you say something enough you begin to believe it.

[ all about heart attitude! yes, Sora doesn't like it. but he does this, not just because it's the only way. it isn't... Alexa had found some effective things. but because to NOT allow this rejects the feelings of his partners and implies he doesn't trust them.

and Sora won't have that.

but his expression softens at the fuzzy dragon's words. he already knows a lot of this. Sora doesn't really need the reassurance. but... ]

Thanks for that.

Just don't forget it. Bad events can wear people down and I think things will get worse here before they get better.

[That's what Ryu and Vixie were for, right? To help keep Sora on his toes and positive thinking. Now if only it would work on Terra as well, who still remains quiet for a while, saying nothing.

But he's listening, and he's watching. And when he does speak, there's something a little different in his voice. It's not a good difference, but it's not hostility or anger.]

I know that keyblade.

[He's not speaking loudly. He doesn't have to.]

It wasn't you I chose to have it. How do you have it here instead of him?

[Sora said he wasn't chosen. But stealing a blade is impossible, it always returns to its proper owner.]

We'll take care of him.

As we have since his arrival.

Thanks guys. [ head locks into hugs for both of his partners. his grin is reaching his ears. all warm and fuzzy feels until...

until Terra speaks. Sora is already aware that the keyblade he has originally had been meant for...

he lets his partners go, picking up the weapon to put it away. ]

It's part of the complicated stuff. It's not really my story to tell. But I guess when a heart wavers, even a keyblade can go to someone else.

[That was good. At least one person would be kept afloat even in the mess that would surely follow. Dorumon was satisfied with that. A functional partnership, even with one digimon or two, was important.

The more people cooperating with each other, the better. Now if every team could be as solid as these three seemed to be..!

Terra's noted it of course. But he wasn't going to be able to enjoy - if that was the right word for it - such a relationship easily. Most of his attention seems elsewhere, but he's missing very little of what's going on.]

When you have something very precious that was given to someone else, claiming it's not your story to tell and being evasive isn't a good idea. I won't ask again.

[That could be a reassuring statement that Terra's not going to pry if Sora insists on not telling! ... Or it could be a not so subtle prod to provide what he wanted to know or else. Dorumon looks up at him, then at Sora, then at the keyblade before it's put away.

Two thoughts occur to the purple dragon. One, this situation is uncomfortable and two, he wanted to know how to keep objects hidden away too. Then Terra wouldn't have to tote around that great blade all the time like his own personal albatross.]

Maybe it's a secret. It can't be that important, right? Let's just.. go do something else! There's a beach not far away I think, maybe we can find some other digimon willing to help us train--

It's important to me.

[It meant something went seriously, catastrophically wrong. It meant Terra failed again, this time in simply choosing someone who had the heart and mind to wield a keyblade. That Riku was a master now was only a small reassurance.]

Terra...

[ Sora looks to the ground. it is just that... ]

Riku's had to struggle a long time because of it. Ever since he's felt like he wasn't worthy to hold a keyblade. It didn't matter that we beat the bad guys together. Didn't matter that he was working in the background to help me and everyone else. All he can think about is the one time he let the darkness in. I've forgiven him. A lot of people have. But he fought for so long to forgive himself that it just doesn't seem right to keep talking about it.

He passed the test. He's a Master with a keyblade all his own and has helped put worlds back to where they belong. Sacrificed himself. Took a dive into my heart to bring me back... That stuff means so much more than what you're asking.

Edited 2014-01-15 23:39 (UTC)

006 ☁ Video ☁ Dated to Arrival

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