Hollow Bastion, Fourth Visit:
In Which Time Off is Taken
Roxas glanced up as the kitchen door opened and Namine stepped through. The blonde girl immediately drew her brows together in confusion, glancing between Roxas sifting through the refrigerator and Axel lazing at the table.
"Did you two just wake up?" she asked. "This is the second day in a row..."
Roxas shrugged, claiming a box of eggs and shutting the fridge. "We all deserve a little rest after that adventure," he said dryly.
Namine frowned, very slightly. "What happened to the defense of Hollow Bastion? When we came back from Halloween Town you were furious that the others weren't doing their utmost to save it."
"Yeah, and we had to make an unnecessary detour to save them," Roxas pointed out.
"And the one good thing that came out of that detour was learning that Demyx is the one who'll be leading the charge." Axel leaned back in his chair, kicking up long legs onto the chair next to him and smirking at Namine. "Load off my mind."
Roxas agreed entirely. He'd been dreading all this time that it might be one of the seniors -- Xaldin, Xigbar, god forbid Xemnas or some combination of the three -- and the knowledge that it was just Demyx made it harder to feel any real dread. Part of Roxas felt that, after the incredible ordeal that had happened at the Coliseum, Demyx was their reward.
Part of him was grateful, because their triumphant escape had worn him to a thread. It was strange, because he hadn't exerted himself too much, but it was the inside of him that was tired: the heart. All those surprises and the emotional roller-coaster ride of horror and guilt and fear and relief had left him exhausted.
"That doesn't mean that Hollow Bastion isn't in danger," she protested. "Do the Dancers even have any weaknesses these people can defend themselves with?"
He frowned, just slightly. "No, but there are people here who are good enough to take down a Dancer."
"Maybe half a dozen of them. Against two hundred or more Dancers." Namine tangled her hands in her long sleeves, and the gesture caught at Roxas's attention. She seemed a little nervous, he realized with surprise.
It took him a moment to realize how assertive she was being: practically arguing with him, trying to make her opinion heard, even though she was clearly uncomfortable doing it. And she wasn't smiling, he saw.
Roxas found his own lips turning up slightly in a smile, and he glanced away. "...You might be right," he admitted. "We're probably taking this lightly. Maybe we'll go out in a few hours and -- see how the preparations are going."
Namine relaxed visibly. "That would be great. I'll go with you!"
"I'd like that," Roxas said.
She smiled, a little relieved as she unwound, and murmured half to herself, "I'll have to get the laundry going pretty quickly then..." before hastening out of the room.
Which just left Roxas and Axel in the kitchen... Axel staring at him, expression carefully neutral.
"What?" he asked Axel dismissively, turning back to the counter. "How do you like your eggs?" They'd missed breakfast as a result of sleeping in (or he'd slept in; Axel had lingered).
Axel seemed to accept the topic change, but his attitude was no less sharp. He raised his eyebrows. "You cook? ...why?" His tone was full of contempt.
Roxas shot him a withering look. "Because everyone has to eat. Even you -- although I think I see why no one would want to feed you."
"That's what Chinese takeout is for."
"No one eats Chinese takeout for breakfast, Axel," he said, rolling his eyes.
"What are you talking about? Everyone eats Chinese takeout for breakfast. Just because they don't have any Chinese restaurants here doesn't mean people wouldn't have it for breakfast if they could."
It was like having an argument with a wall. A wall who had been raised by wolves. Roxas sighed and decided that Axel would have whatever kind of eggs he felt like having. It wasn't like he'd be able to taste them much, anyway. He returned to the stove-top, saying, "I got used to doing it in Twilight Town. I lived by myself, mostly."
Axel made a noise of recognition, but he didn't say anything about Twilight Town. He just asked neutrally, "You any good?"
Roxas shrugged, cracking open the eggs. Scrambled would do. "I was okay. I mean, everything came out edible and tasting fine, and I can follow recipes and that sort of thing."
"They've got recipe books here, if you're interested."
"Why would I be interested when we've got Leon here?" Roxas laughed. Setting aside the obvious lazy benefit of having someone else do his work for him, they could be making the same thing and Leon would still produce the better meal. He just seemed to have a knack for it -- some awareness Roxas lacked about how to improvise and adjust, what would complement what, and how to do everything just right. Roxas could follow basic instructions, but that didn't mean he had any sort of refined palate.
Axel also laughed, but it sounded different. When he glanced back over his shoulder, the redhead was smirking, somewhat fondly. "'cuz maybe you'll be a better cook than he is."
After the glorious pot roast that Leon had made last night, it was a patently absurd statement. Roxas wouldn't know which end of the pot roast went up. "I think we'll leave that judgment up to the people who actually can taste things," he said dryly.
His cooking experience was very limited: he'd made meals for himself, but simple things, like stir fry. Chop things up, put them in a pan with ginger, fry for a bit. It had been hard to justify doing anything more complex when he would be the only one eating it.
His 'parents' had always been at work.
Roxas braced his hands against the counter for a moment, leaning over it and -- finally closing his eyes. "How long was I in Twilight Town?" he asked, soft.
There was a long silence. The egg mixture swayed restlessly, losing its momentum. Finally, Axel said, "...About three weeks."
He couldn't help it -- he chuckled. "Really?" Roxas forced himself back into motion, lifting the egg mixture and pouring it onto the heated pan. "I guess I kind of cheated when I learned how to cook, then."
It wasn't like he'd actually had time to develop the skill, or any of the experiences of developing it. He remembered everything clearly -- his mother when he was younger, showing him how to dice onions effectively and without too many tears, and the cookbook in the house that had been his only friend when it came to feeding himself in the frequently-empty house, the many first tries he'd made that had resulted in burnt grilled cheese sandwiches and tasteless mashed potatoes.
"...Why? How long did you think you were in there?"
Roxas smiled, not sincerely. "I can remember a long way back, if I try and think about it. But when I'm not doing it on purpose, I can't recall those things the way I can recall the Organization."
He shifted the eggs with a spatula, thinking again about DiZ, and how much pain he owed that bastard. Back then, maybe he'd just have felt the echo of anger, a sad desolation. He'd been raised -- programmed -- to feel powerless to help himself.
It was strange. He hadn't felt anything for a long time, in his memories of Twilight Town, and he'd gained access to strong emotions the more of Sora's memories he gained. But as a Nobody he'd felt those same strong emotions. It was only in DiZ's world that he'd been as empty as DiZ imagined Nobodies always were.
Because he programmed me that way, he thought, clenching his jaw.
He had to stop thinking about this. It was a hateful circular path of logic that would just get hm more and more agitated.
Roxas glanced down at the eggs and then belatedly took the pan off the heat, stirring them up a little more. He crossed to nudge half of them onto Axel's plate. "You want something stupid on them, like... tabasco sauce or something?"
Axel started to reach for the plate, stopped, and gave him a flat look. "I'm not Aerith," he pointed out. "And tabasco doesn't go on eggs. Maybe a lot of pepper..."
"It does go on eggs if you feel like it goes on eggs," Roxas responded with a trace of amusement. "Olette takes it on hers."
At least, that was what he remembered. Axel avoided looking at him. "Like they'd even have any," the redhead said, smirking slightly, and reached for the pepper instead.
"You're the one who said Aerith would take it on her eggs. She'd just -- take it on her fruit or something."
"Eugh," Axel said descriptively, his lips twisting. The eggs on his plate were almost black from the sheer amount of pepper he was adding.
Maybe he'd be able to taste it. Axel had been living in the World That Never Was for much longer than Roxas had, and the other Nobodies had described it to him: despite the heavy leather they used to protect themselves, eventually the dark began to erode their senses. Taste and traditional scent were the first, dimming as their attunement to the darkness grew stronger, and then after years of exposure, the sense of touch started to fade, a growing numbness that Xigbar had described to him once.
He'd said that it sounded terrifying, and Xigbar had laughed.
I'll ask Leon tonight, Roxas thought, shaking off the memory. Maybe he can make something actually good that's strong enough that Axel can taste it like the rest of us.
He tucked into his own eggs, plain. They were passable, if not terribly tasty, but he didn't envy Axel his incredibly peppered eggs; Roxas was still able to taste things just fine, and that much pepper would choke him.
There was a startled yelp from the other room, and Roxas perked up, frowning. Axel was looking in the other direction, expression drawn, but he turned back to Roxas in a moment and nodded; the Assassins hadn't sensed anything. Roxas inhaled the remnants of his plate and then left it on the table, shoving quickly into the living room.
Oddly, the hardboard floors were wet. Roxas frowned down at the fizzy water for a heartbeat before the door slammed shut behind Axel, so fast that the redhead jumped and spun around. It slammed open again immediately, and more water and soap bubbles somehow came flooding up the staircase.
Roxas turned around, wide-eyed, and finally noticed Cid and Namine. They were crouched on the floor, attempting to mop up the mess, he in an undershirt and boxers, she in her plain white dress.
"This is why I don't go to fucking Merlin for my laundry," Cid gritted, not for the first time.
Namine sighed. "It was only for a few seconds--"
"A few seconds is enough!"
She resumed scrubbing, asking wearily, "Then how do you do laundry, Cid?"
"I go to the laundromat. Two blocks from here. They've got washing machines, ever heard of those?"
Axel threw himself down onto the couch, studiously not helping; he propped himself up against a cushion. He asked curiously as he speared some more of his eggs, "Hey, that does sound sort of like a good idea. They take care of you for free? Seeing as you're saving the town and all..."
Cid snorted. "Yeah, community service doesn't get you freebies in the real world. Electricity's scarce, Red." Axel's eyebrows went up, but the older man didn't notice, stubbornly scrubbing at a spot on the floor that had distracted him from cleaning up the overflow. "The owner's a friend of mine. But don't tell her I said that."
He leveled them all with a fierce stare; Roxas and Axel exchanged a quick amused glance. Axel asked slyly, "Why? Does she think you aren't... or you're more?"
"Oh, fuck off. Like that woman could ever get a man."
"It must be very difficult for her," Aerith agreed, stepping in through the doorway and taking the mop that Roxas had just picked up. "Cid sits in front of her store on his lunch breaks every day, talking about gummi ships and barking at any man who looks at her twice."
The man reared up, indignation slightly ruined by her pleasant smile and a choked sound from Axel's direction. "Now you listen here, you ungrateful--"
"Leon wanted to see you outside," Aerith explained helpfully, nodding at Roxas, and then at the Nobodies. "You two should go also."
So that was why she'd taken the mop. Roxas rubbed the back of his neck and started to head for the door, then caught himself. "Ah, we left plates on the table," he said sheepishly.
"I'll take care of them," she said without looking up, starting to mop.
"Thanks."
Outdoors it was unseasonably warm, the encroaching winter still held at bay by the bright yellow sun and pleasant breeze. The air was fresh and felt good, and Roxas closed his eyes for a moment, just enjoying it, spreading out and letting his body stretch. He'd been in the house for two days, and in the Underworld and in Halloween Town for longer.
It felt like forever since he'd just enjoyed being outside. And maybe it had been forever, because the outdoors had changed substantially since what he remembered.
Roxas lowered his arms again slowly, taking in the cobblestone streets. There had always been construction materials lining the perimeter, but previously it had been wood and shingles and paint and other symbols of their desire to rebuild the commercial and residential aspects of their home. Now there were crates of metal sheeting and heavy barrels of cement that had been used to mend the gaps in the outer walls; there were no Shadows anywhere to be seen, but more than a dozen people he'd never seen before were out, talking quietly amongst themselves with weapons in hand.
A slim blond man was chatting with Leon and turning knives over in his hands; when the stranger caught sight of them, he flashed Leon a grin and bounded off, a tawny tail curling behind him. Leon smiled slightly at them, turning. He'd recovered pretty gracefully from the ordeal at the Coliseum, and seemed to be in high spirits, for Leon. It might have been that he was just burying his disappointment, but it also might have been reassurance that Hollow Bastion was in less danger than they'd assumed.
"Good to see you up and about," Leon said when they were close enough. His lips twitched up a bit and he turned away, looking out over the town. "It's coming along nicely. Huey, Dewey, and Louie are even giving us a small discount."
Was that... a joke? Roxas rubbed the back of his neck, grinning in response.
"Everyone around here's a mercenary," Axel muttered drolly, probably remembering Stiltzkin.
Roxas said over him, "Well, that's good news. Everything out here looks great. You've done so much in such a short time."
Fortunately Leon seemed to have missed Axel's quiet comment. "Yeah," he agreed softly. "Everyone's really pulled together. I guess... this place means a lot to all of them, too."
"It's wonderful how involved everyone is getting," Namine observed, a little admiringly, craning her head to see everything. "You've built up the walls so fast."
"Necessity," Leon said. "They knew they had to." He gazed for a moment longer at the sight and then seemed to shake it off. "The walls aren't as fortified outside the main village, but no one lives out that way, so this is our priority. It might make getting to the castle a little difficult."
Roxas took a few steps down the road, observing a small group of people in the clearing by the stairs who seemed to be practicing a few lunges with swords. His lips quirked up at the sight, and he asked, "Why worry about getting to the castle?"
Leon strode ahead of him, nodding at the slim blonde girl tutoring the group. "The security system. Cid can't do much remotely, but he thinks that if he can get to the main computer inside of the castle, there'll be a way to program it so that it will fight Nobodies." He didn't glance back at them. "...But not either of you."
"Or the Assassins, if that's okay with you," Axel said, light and lazy but with narrowing eyes. "The old man's right. If we can program it to do that, using the main terminal will probably help. We'll have access to everything."
Roxas tightened his lips. It made his skin crawl slightly to think of relying so heavily on a computer program, bringing up the memories that he'd tried to tamp down on just a short while ago. Unfortunately, there was no denying how useful the security system was, and it would be tactically stupid to suggest ignoring it -- not to mention how dangerous it might be to Axel and Namine to leave it alone.
"Why don't we go there and get that over with, then?" he asked pointedly.
"We'll get there," Leon assured him. "Cid wanted your help, Axel, so I thought we'd head out there, if you're free. But we haven't found the main computer yet. It's a big place."
Roxas glanced up at the castle; it loomed high above the town, broad and tall and still in disrepair, the cranes and platforms around it empty, motionless. It would probably take hours to properly explore, even assuming that it wasn't crawling with Heartless, like the rest of the world outside these walls.
"Do we have a starting point?" he asked, a bit dry.
Leon didn't smile, but Roxas thought he could tell that the man was in high spirits nonetheless. "We have an idea," he said.
NEXT >>> The future...