oathbreakers | [001// Audio] REUSING 1ST PERSON SAMPLES GO!

[The communicator clicks on—the sound of rustling. After a moment, there is the distinct click of something being set down.]

So. After a bit of exploration, I think I’ve managed to figure this thing out.

[The voice is young and smug—Riku is very pleased with himself.]

We’re on a ship, right? You can tell by the windows.

Now, just need to figure out why I’m here and not in Hollow Bastion any more. If this is Maleficent’s idea of a joke…

Anybody out there?

[Pause.]

Better yet—anybody out there heard of a girl named Kairi? I’m… looking for her.

[No, he’s not mentioning Sora. Not at all.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

lightwithin

Hm... Okay!

[And she settles down in the corridor outside her room to wait. She won't be able to persuade Riku to let her find him. But finding her will probably take him a while unless he happens to be on the same deck. And what are the chances of that? Oh wait!]

Oh! Don't forget your key card!

From:

oathbreakers

[Nice job catching him; Riku was almost out the door. He looks around and finds the card, stuffs it in his pocket and darts out the door.

...oh, hey! There's a Kairi. A mere six doors down! That's remarkably convenient. Only she doesn't look like the Kairi Riku had been searching for. She looks. Different.]

...Kairi? Is that you?

From:

lightwithin

[Kairi looks up and then smiles before getting to her feet. She closes the distance between them at a fast walk. Riku hasn't changed a bit. For now, that doesn't strike her as remotely odd. She laughs.]

Yes, it's me.

And it's really you! I knew I'd see you again, but you never came home...

And now you're here.

[She can't help but smile, even as it hits her that Riku may now be trapped here too.]

From:

oathbreakers

[Okay, so Kairi has long hair, is -taller-, and looks older than the last time he saw her. -What?-]

What do you mean, I never came home? The islands were destroyed, remember?

[They didn't exactly have a home to go to.]

You're the one that's been missing, Kairi.

From:

lightwithin

[Kairi looks at Riku properly again. He really hasn't changed a bit. At all.]

Yes, but you and Sora, you fixed it. The islands came back.

But neither of you ever came home. I waited a whole year. I've been here months now.

Did you come home and I wasn't there?

[It's a horrible thought, but it's the closest thing to sense she can find.]

From:

oathbreakers

[Staaaaaaaaaaaaare.]

What are you talking about? The last I saw you, you were...

[Pause. He can't bring himself to say it. Time for a subject change! He's teasing, now, but it's probably not working as well as he'd like it to. Probably because he has eyes.]

C'mon, Kairi, are you sure you're not just spacing out on me?

From:

lightwithin

[Frown. Astrid mentioned something like this happening to her on the ship too. Could it be...?]

The last time I saw you you were... At Hollow Bastion.

[It was almost a smooth save. Almost.]

I'd just woken up.

Do you remember?

From:

oathbreakers

[Much as it pains him to say it...]

No. The last time I saw you... we'd just found you. You weren't... awake.

[That's one way to put it.]

Kairi, what happened?

From:

lightwithin

I don't know what happened to you. I was--

[She swallows. She might as well say it.]

My heart was within Sora's. He turned himself into a heartless to wake me up. Then Ansem tried to attack us, but you stopped him. But... You couldn't escape with us. I'm sorry Riku.

I called Sora back. We went back to Traverse Town and then he went to find you. And then... I was in this dark place, standing on sand. Sora was there, but all the worlds started reappearing and we got separated. And then I was back on the islands.

[She pauses, frowning, unsure whether or not she should go on.]

From:

oathbreakers

["Was." Riku can put the pieces together. He folds his arms, looking around with a new outlook.]

So this place has people from different times, in addition to different worlds. Right?

And you come from a later time than me.

From:

lightwithin

[Kairi hesitates and then nods.]

Yeah. I think so... A year later.

[She pauses again, trying to digest that. The certainty she'd felt that she would see Riku again... She'd never imagined it would be like this.]

It doesn't matter. You're alive. We're both here now. That's all that's important.

From:

oathbreakers

[Kairi, you really need to stop saying things that pique his interest. He laughs, though, shaking his head at her.] What do you mean, I'm alive? You're the one I was worried about!

[He flashes her a smile, though--he's glad to see she's okay.]

From:

lightwithin

[Kairi returns the smile easily.]

Heh. Well you are.

And I've been safe the whole time.

[...She had her best friends looking out for her. Until she arrived on the boat, of course.]

But this world isn't very nice.

From:

oathbreakers

[Safe. Safe with a missing heart? But Kairi'd said something about her heart being in Sora's... for just a split-second Riku scowls, but he'll bother with that later. Right now, he's got other things to discuss with Kairi.]

I'm glad.

I heard that... something had happened with you. What happened?

From:

lightwithin

[Kairi looks blank for a moment. Something had happened with her? But she'd just explai-

Oh. That.]

There was... Erol.

He threatened me and Xanth. Another friend - Jinx - tried to protect us, but a lot of people ended up in danger.

One of them died.

[And she's doing a very bad job of hiding how much it still upsets her.]

From:

oathbreakers

[He can tell. QUICK WHAT DOES HE DOES DO IN THIS SITUATION? Same thing as if it were normal Kairi? Okay, that'll work!

Riku reaches out to lay a hand on Kairi's shoulder, if she'll let him. Judging by her reaction to that, he wraps an arm around her shoulders so he can give her a little squeeze.]

Hey. People only throw themselves in danger like that if there's something they really want to protect.

[Huh, it's like he's speaking from experience or something!]

From:

lightwithin

[Kairi returns the hug, folding into it.

She's smiling again when she pulls away.]

I know but... I couldn't help.

Even if they say there's no escape, I'm glad you're here Riku.

[Riku always knew what to do. He was always the one with the plan.]

From:

oathbreakers

Hey, don't say it that way. [Trying to make sure Kairi keeps smiling go!] We're together now. And we've made it off the islands! We finally made it, Kairi.

[And this time, he doesn't plan to let anything tear them apart.]

You'll see. Just leave everything to me.

From:

lightwithin

[Kairi's still smiling. He was right; they had made it. She'd chosen to leave home to find Sora and Riku, and now here Riku was here, as adventurous as ever.]

Hehe, okay.

Just watch out for the giant bees. But the bears won't hurt you.

Oh, and some of the food does strange things, especially at parties.

[She manages to keep an almost-straight face for a whole twenty seconds, before smothering a giggle behind her hands. She's both perfectly serious and teasing at the same time.]

From:

oathbreakers

[Giant bees? Bears? Food with strange affects? Riku grins; this place sounds interesting already.]

And how do you know all this stuff? Been getting into trouble without me?

From:

lightwithin

Heh, maybe I have.

I suppose I could show you the bears...

[She starts strolling towards the stairs.]

But it might be more fun if you find the other things by yourself.

C'mon!

From:

oathbreakers

[Now you're talking, Kairi! Whatever else, he's on a new world that's ripe for exploration, and she's by his side. Riku follows after Kairi, catching up to her easily.

Everything else can wait.]

So... someone told me that there are people that have been here for years. How long have you been here?

["--by yourself" is the end of that sentence. Riku won't say it, though.]

From:

lightwithin

[Kairi starts down the stairs to deck eight.]

Oh... Four months, heh.

It's been great, some of the time. There are so many people from so many different worlds, and strange things happen for no reason.

From:

oathbreakers

[Well, that's not too long. It's four months, but nothing -too- bad seems to have happened to her while he was gone, so Riku's not splitting hairs.]

It sounds like this is a pretty interesting place, so far. Lots of people, lots to see, somewhere new to go... what makes it so that it's only great some of the time?

[Riku's heading down the stairs too, looking around as they step off onto deck eight. As they enter the deck proper, he lets out a low whistle. There's stuff -everywhere-, he'll have to come back to this deck to see what all there is to be seen. But right now, he's following Kairi in search of these bears she spoke of.]

From:

lightwithin

[Kairi leads the way through the Casino towards Kuma Ko, shooting quick glances at Riku to see his reaction.]

Hmm... Well, a couple of months ago, a girl was trapped. Some people set her free but... She killed them, and then she changed the ship.

A lot of people were hurt.

[Sushi restaurant ahoy! Kairi stops at the entrance and waits for Riku to notice the sushi bears.]