recidivated | ( ic ) contact

There's no need to worry. Whatever happened to me was temporary, I'm... better now. Everything's better.

[ there's something in the way she said that last sentence that says otherwise. ]

I'm glad to hear that.

[and she picks up on that hint as her brow furrows; she's gotten a lot better at reading those kinds of things. she's not sure how to bring it up, though...]

Well... what's up?

[smooth.]

I want to thank you for being there for me.

[ it's not a total lie; it is actually part of the reason she called. ]

Wha...?

[that reply catches her by surprise. she wasn't expecting something like that... though it only confirms her suspicions further.]

I'm your friend, Naminé. Of course I'll be here for you.

[she figures there's no use in beating around the bush anymore.]

Did... something happen?

[ she lets out a small laugh; Xion never let things get by her. ]

I'm guessing you haven't checked the room listings yet.

[... oh no.]

Who left this time?

["this time," she says. once upon a time, she had been absolutely terrified at the prospect of losing any of her friends. now, though, after seeing so many people come and go—including one of her best friends—she can't help but feel a little... unsurprised, at this point. it's a terrible thing, and she knows.]

Kairi.

[ it's said quietly, almost under her breath, but she knows that Xion caught it. A silence falls after the name, until she decides to break it. ]

Just a few hours ago.

[there's a sharp intake of breath on Xion's end. she knew it had to have been someone really important for Naminé to have called her... this just kept getting worse. hearing the tone of her friend's voice doesn't make it any better, either. she pauses a little, too.]

Are you in your room right now?

I am.

There's no need to knock.

I'll be there soon.

[with that, she hangs up. while she and Naminé are only a floor apart... she doesn't want to waste any more time than she has to. she opens up a corridor, not even bothering to look for her coat. it would only be a short trip, after all, and in this moment, seeing her friend as soon as possible is more important to her than her own safety.]

[it's stupid and impulsive, she knows, but she had always been a little hard-headed like that—just like a certain other somebody out there.]

[ when Xion arrives, she'll find Naminé on her bed, lying down on her stomach, with her sketchbook open in front of her. She's not drawing, but is instead slowly flipping through the pages.

she looks up when her friend arrives. ]

[Xion steps out of the corridor and into the room quietly—not that she can be much of anything other than quiet right now. every step she takes seems to be as loud as a gunshot in the otherwise silent room.]

[several strides later, she looks into Naminé's room, doing her best to keep a smile on her face. it's hard, yes, but she has to at least try.]

Hey.

[ she sits up correctly, and offers the girl a smile in return. It's theatrics, of course; they both know that the other isn't really in a smiling mood.

but she still waves in a cheery manner. ]

Want to sit?

Sure.

[she crosses the room and takes a seat next to Naminé, settling down with her smile still in place. now that she's here, though... she has no idea where to start. or if anything she has to say will even make things better. she's sad right now, sure, but it must be nothing compared to what Naminé must be going through, she thinks.]

[ when she speaks, it's in a tone that Xion should know quite well; the one she uses when she has to explain something from back home, usually bad. But the smile remains on her face. ]

We keep losing people.

[she does recognize it. in fact, it brings her back to their first meeting, back when Xion was still trying to figure herself out. that really was a long time ago, wasn't it? how much things had changed since then... nothing stayed constant forever, after all.]

[she looks down, hands folded in her lap.]

They're not really lost, right? They'll always be with us...

[she sighs.]

BUt it's not the same.

[there's a poorly-timed knock at the door -- but then, when is there a good time for a visit like this?]

[ she opens her mouth to reply to Xion, but closes it when Riku interrupts. ]

Excuse me for a moment.

[ and as quietly as she can (which is pretty quiet, she doesn't normally make noise when she moves), she goes to open the door. ]

[he's looking worse for the wear and sporting two large stuffed animals under his arms: a sparkly dolphin and whatever the hell this is, seeming terribly out of place]

...Hey.

[at first she nods and stays seated as she watches Naminé walk toward the door with bated breath. she closes her eyes and takes a few breathes to calm down, collect her thoughts. maybe with this reprieve, she'd be able to better articulate how she's feeling (ha ha) right now.]

[when she hears Riku's voice, though—there's no way she can't recognize it, after all—she looks up. she waits for a bit, then decides to stand up and make her way over, too.]

[ it's not normal for Riku to wander around carrying toys, so it doesn't really take her too long to realize who they actually belong to. ]

Hi, Riku.

[ when Xion appears, she moves slightly to give the other girl some room to see him too. ]

[even more out of place in front of the two of them, he feels like he's accidentally called to head some meeting -- the leadership role hasn't suited him in a long while now]

[he pulls himself into the door and closes it behind him, if only to give himself some time to think]

...So I take it we all had the same idea.

[Xion nods a bit forlornly, keeping her eyes locked on the ground.]

Naminé just told me.

[ no matter how hard it is for her or Xion, she knows that Riku is taking it the worst. Xion lost Axel, but she still has Roxas. Riku lost both Sora (repeatedly) and now Kairi.

if only they didn't have to go through this every few months. ]

When do you think it happened?

While I was out, I know that much. There were left-overs and a note...

[but he'd cleaned and cleaned and cleaned, as if trying to scrub her presence out of the apartment]

[mechanically, he hands the two girls the stuffed animals]

Figured she'd want you to have these.

[a light laugh]

After all, what would I do with them?

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