Number I : The First Day [video]

[nobody_number_8]

[Axel wasn't sure what had surprised him more upon first opening his eyes; the fact the he wasn't looking up at Sora's sad-eyed, spikey-haired face silouetted against the backdrop of swirling colors that made up the scenery of Betwixt and Between, or the fact that he was still around to be looking at anything at all. He'd already been fading after that last attack, and he'd used the last of his energy to open the portal to The World That Never Was for Sora. He should be gone, faded back into the Nothingness that had formed him.

Instead, he was laying on something heard, looking up at a dark, metal ceiling and a... robot? What the hell?

The robot (who he noticed seemed sort of out of it, though who knew, maybe that was just how robots were) gave him a basic explanation of his situation and showed him to his room. A room that was obviously meant for robots, or at least beings, of a similar scale to the robot itself. Which left Axel in a bit of a predicament.

It took a bit of fiddling, but eventually he got the small communications device he'd been given to work. So hey there, Haven. Have an unfamiliar face bearing two small, purple, reverse-teardrop-shaped markings on it and framed by very spiky red hair.]

...There, think that's got it. Anyway, hey there. The name's Axel. Got it memorized?

Was just wondering... is there any place around here where a guy could get an actual human-sized bed? Or just a mattress? Or even just a sleeping bag or a hammock or something? Cause you know, nice as it is to get a free room, giant metal beds that I can't actually reach without teleporting or climbing really aren't my thing.

Comments

[Video]

[originaldragoon]

[It's actually kind of nice to a see a new arrival that isn't demanding to be sent back home.]

There is the Hub. It has a habitation wing with beds for those who are organic and human size.

Re: [Video]

[nobody_number_8]

[Going home would be... complicated. Not to mention it has a high probability of being lethal, as far as Axel knows.

Meanwhile, though, someone who isn't a robot! And mention of more. That's good, right?

Axel nods.]

Sounds promising. Don't suppose you could tell me how to get there from... I think the robot that was there when I woke up said it was a temple to some guy named 'Megatronus'?

[Axel shrugs slightly. It's pretty clear that the name doesn't mean that much to him as of yet.]

[Video]

[originaldragoon]

Megatronus, you say? Then you have quite a distance to go. It is on the other side of Haven from where you are.

Re: [Video]

[nobody_number_8]

Figures...

Well, guess I'd better get started then. Got any more specific directions than 'on the other side of town' or am I going to have to wing it?

[Video]

[organ_pharming]

An organic with teleportation capabilities? Interesting.

Re: [Video]

[nobody_number_8]

Could say the same about giant robots. Don't think I've ever been to a world quite like this one before.

Re: [Video]

[organ_pharming]

It's not common, but its a skill that makes scientific sense. I can't begin to hypothesize how organic parts could produce the same effect.

Re: [Video]

[nobody_number_8]

[Axel actually meant that giant robots were also interesting, but given that that wasn't how the robot had interpreted it, he decides to just roll with it.]

Well, technically, it's nothing that's a part of us that does it. It's just something that we've learned how to access and use.

[Axel, of course doesn't know exactly how it works either; a lot of things about Nobodies are like that. But he can at least give a basic rundown of what's involved in doing it.]

[Voice]

[raceme]

Hello Axel, sir. I'm B-L-U-R-R. [And boy, this robot sure talks fast.] You are new, I take it?

We usually get materials from the junk pile but _{don't let the} name fool you NOT everything in the junkpile is always dirty or ruined. However, we already have human sized rooms in the Habitation Wing if you want to stay there. It's near the bar and the pantry, where you can get food if you are hungry.

Re: [Voice]

[nobody_number_8]

[Boy he sure does talk fast. Though did that robot just call him 'sir'...?]

...Just Axel's fine. 'Sir' makes me sound like someone's dad.

And yeah, just woke up not long ago. The robot that was there gave me the basic 'you are here' rundown, but I'm wasn't sure how much I should trust it. Seemed like his batteries were running low or something.

[Axel shrugs. He really has no idea how robots work.]

And yeah, a lady mentioned that Habitaion Wing to me earlier. Unfortunately, I'll have quite a hike to get there, since its apparently on the other side of town from where I am; I'm at Megatronus' Temple right now.

[And he can't really use a Dark Corridor to shorten the trip if he has no idea where he's going, which is darn inconvenient. Food does sound good, though. A bar even more so.]

Whereabouts is this 'Junkpile', by the way?

[Voice]

[raceme]

[Yes, yes he did.] Sorry, force of habit.

the Acolytes aren't know ^{for their outstanding} bright personality but they do not lie, I don't think they are creative enough to do it.

You seem to be taken this surprisingly well. [Which is new. In a good way.]

I can drive you there. We really need to work on a proper way of transportation for organics. So far we are building decent roads.

Right in the center of the Haven, it's huge and hard to miss.

Re: [Voice]

[nobody_number_8]

Mmm, good to know.

I used to world-hop for a living. Only difference this time is that I wasn't planning on it. Nothing's appeared out of the wood work to try and kill me so far, the locals seem friendly enough, and I've basically been promised free room and board. All in all, I've been to worse worlds. No point in freaking out til there's a good reason. [shrugs]

And that'd be great, assuming your car or whatever is more to scale with me than the room I was offered.

[In which Axel is as yet unaware of transforming. X3]

[silverkitty]

... Is your fur on fire...?

[nobody_number_8]

[A talking saber-tooth tiger? OK, that gets a raised eyebrow even from Axel. Usually the talking animals are more... anthropomorphic.]

Nah, my hair's always looked kinda like that. Though fire is kinda my thing.

[silverkitty]

Never seen a human with such a... erm... Hair style before. My name is Shira, by the way. Nice to meet you, Fire-Mane.

[nobody_number_8]

Well, I've never seen a talking saber-tooth tiger before either, so we're even.

Nice to meet you too, Shira. ...And ya know, I like that name, 'Fire-Mane'. Makes me sound a lot cooler than I actually am. [Amused smirk]

[Video]

[happyduckbutt]

[This guy... For a moment, Ventus thinks it's someone else. It'd been a year now since he'd last seen him, but that was hardly enough time for Lea to have grown so much. ...not to mention that this guy calls himself something entirely different.

He takes a moment to swallow his disappointment before toggling his Link to speak.]

You can probably find something in the junk pile unless someone's stored some extra things they've found, somewhere.

Guess you just got here, huh?

Re: [Video]

[nobody_number_8]

[Axel happens to be on his way out of Megatronus' temple, and thus only half paying attention when Ven's reply comes in.]

That obvious, huh? And yeah, the fast-talking robot mentioned the junk pile too, but I-

It's right about then that Axel turns his attention back to the screen... and stops dead in his tracks when he sees a very familiar face on it. It can't be, but...]

...Roxas?!

[But... no, not Roxas. A closer look reveals that while the appearance and voice are right, the mannerisms are completely different. He deflates a little at the realization and sighs.]

...Or not. Never mind.

[And yet, though the mannerism's aren't Roxas' they're still familiar somehow. At first, he can't recall why, staring at the image on the screen for a moment and frowning thoughtfully. Which is when it hits him.

The reason he'd thought Roxas looked familiar when he'd first seen him, even though he didn't look like Sora. It had taken him days to remember why the first time around, but then came the memory of his younger, human self meeting a strange boy with a wooden keyblade. But that couldn't be possible... could it? He'd be grown up by now. Still, who else could it be? There couldn't be three people out there with that face...]

Wait... Ventus?

[Video]

[happyduckbutt]

[He wasn't expecting that. The name isn't his, but it's one he's heard before. ]

You're the second one to call me that.... Come to think of it, the other guy I talked to before was wearing black like you-

[It's too bad he disappeared a long time ago. Ventus would have continued to say as much, save that his train of thought is effectively derailed when he's correctly identified. He stares at the screen, his eyes widening. Recognition- then this person is from somewhere he's been before! ...could it be? He'd heard that time made as much difference as distance when it came to who all was brought here.]

...how...

You're... Lea? Is that you?

Re: [Video]

[nobody_number_8]

[Ventus has seen another member of the Organization around here? Well... that might complicate things. But for the time being, however...]

You are Ventus! Wow, talk about a blast from the past.

Anyway, yeah, I'm Lea. Or at least I used to be. It's... kind of a long story. For now, let's just say that a lot of things have changed back home since the day you kicked my ass with that wooden keyblade of yours.

What I'm more interested in is what hasn't changed, namely you. How is it you still look... well, like you did then? You should be grown up by now.

Moving this back over to prevent text-squish. X3

[nobody_number_8]

Mmm... I'll have to keep a lookout when and if they show back up again.

[Axel's glyph is hidden from view by his Black Coat, but he can almost feel it glowing as well, which is a very strange sensation, to say the least.

Axel follows Ven up the stairs, then nods when he points them towards the kitchen.]

One of those self-service places huh? Alright, I can do that. Anything that can be cooked over an open fire, I'm your man!

[Axel grins at that comment, for a moment looking much more like the Lea that Ven remembers, though it passes fairly quickly as they head back into the kitchen and get down to the business of fixing themselves some food.]

Hmmm... let's see here...

[There were plenty of cans of fruit, veggies, and even canned meat and broth. If he were feeling more ambitious, he might have actually tried to cook something, but as it was, the most promising things looked to to be some cans of heat-and-serve soup. Unless Ven had any objections.]

Soup OK with you, Ventus? Not sure I'm up for fixing anything more complicated.

[megaton]

I just arrived not long ago myself.

[Megatron's been finding this whole world utterly strange since he was apparently affected by this 'Pillar' sticking out of the junk pile.]

There aren't facilities for much, but there also aren't rules. If you found somewhere suitable, I think you'd be allowed to make what you wanted of it.

[nobody_number_8]

[Axel nods.]

That's the impression I got, yeah.

I've been directed to the Hub to start with, though, which seems pretty promising for several reasons. Not the least of which is that there's actually somebody I know from back home who's going to meet me there.

Thinking of eventually using the room they gave me at Megatronus' temple for storage, but that can wait til I actually have some stuff to store.

[megaton]

You've already received a better welcome than I did, then.

If I have a room I haven't found it, but the cave I woke up in has been working nicely.

Are you the same species as Ven?

[Since Ven is the human he's spoken the most with, he figures its the most logical conclusion.]

[nobody_number_8]

It's the warmest welcome I've had in awhile. Kinda weird, actually; I'd sort of gotten used to being unwelcome.

Cave, huh? I woke up on an alter. Which is... really sort of creepy, if you think about it, even if it's apparently the norm around here. Which option is better kinda depends on your point of view, though.

[Axel raises an eyebrow as Ven's name is mentioned, using it to cover the moment's mental debate as to whether or not to try and explain Nobodies to this new robot. He decides against it, however; it's really too complicated to explain in brief to someone who doesn't seem to be all that familiar with even ordinary humans.]

You know Ven too? Huh... small world; he's the friend from back home I mentioned. And yeah, we're the same species.

[At least they'd started out that way. Though since then things have gotten weird.]

Though thanks to this world's particular brand of weirdness, we're not the same age any more. From Ven's perspective, it's only been about a year since we last met, but for me, it's been about 12.