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Kai had covered a lot of ground and to his disappointment, still hadn't found 'Jem anywhere. He didn't feel her either, and he'd learned to trust that sense a while ago. She just...wasn't here. So now he sat at a picnic table in the courtyard with a soda and candy bar, still untouched beside his hand, while he played with a few (bigger than normal) marbles he'd made out of ice. He usually didn't use his magic for stuff like this, but it was keeping him distracted.

Not that being in this place with no explanation wasn't enough of one.

[ooc: Kai should be talking to people, but if left up to him it might take a while. Feel free to come ~~stare at~~ say hi to the magic user.]

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It was almost like being ten again, honestly. Kai nodded, trying not to grin too much.

"It could use better defenses, too. Really, those blankets couldn't keep out a breeze." Tadakuni wasn't a bad guy, and Kai was glad he'd met him.

"Maybe it could have some sort of identifying flag."

SWEET! I could definitely help out with that.

[Tadakuni, on the other hand, is grinning a lot; especially as Kai mentions an identifying flag.] OH-!

It could be, like, a skull and crossbones- Except the skull is a shark-head... AND it's on fire!

A shark's skull instead of a regular one? Different...but awesome. The fire was a good idea, too. Kai let out a small cackle and raised an arm skyward. "Half fire, half ice!"

He took a sudden look around again, but it wasn't to see if anyone had noticed his outburst. "Why don't we have any paper? We should be writing this stuff down."

[Thumbs up!] Niiiiice! Yes- exactly!

[He waves his hand dismissively, as he finally gets to taking a bite out of his half of the candy bar.] Nahh; it should be fine. I always remember the things I'm really pumped about!

When I get back to my room after this, I could start a draft of some potential designs- then I'll bring them to your room later. Sound good?

Kai grabbed his soda and nodded, playing with the ring tab. "Yeah, that works. I'm in the East dorm...just yell if I don't have a sign up on the door. I need to get my hands on a notebook or something, I should be taking notes on this place. 'Jem'll kick me if I don't have stories for her when I get back." He took a sip and set the can down, thinking. He was worried about her being on her own, but-

"'Jem's twelve. After the- She wanted to come with me. I owed her. I think she keeps me out of trouble." Kai smiled faintly. "She's a smart kid, I've been teaching her fire."

[A nod.] Okay, sounds good.

Mm? [Tadakuni blinks; speaking after taking a sip of his own soda.] Uh...

...Fire-spells... at twelve years old? You don't think that's a little... young?

"Yeah, actually, but she ought to be able to defend herself if I'm not around. Like now." Kai snorted laughter suddenly. "It might get a little out of hand sometimes but it works a lot better than trying to stab the Heartless with a stick."

He grabbed his half of the candy bar, gesturing with it. "She fishes with a sharp stick, right - it's not quite a spear but it's close - and she's taken to poking me with it every morning to wake me up. It's pretty gross."

Kai had been trying not to refer to the 'monsters' by their real name, simply to avoid having to explain them (and possibly worry Tadakuni), but he didn't seem to realize he'd slipped.

Huh. That makes sense.

[He finishes up his candy bar now; popping the last piece into his mouth.] -Still better than the way my sister sometimes wakes me up...

So... the monsters are called "Heartless", huh? Guess that must mean they're pretty brutal.

"What does she do, throw heavy objects at you until you get up?"

Kai snickered, then stopped. Wait. Did he just- He did. Damn.

"Yeah, brutal's one way of describing them." He stared at his chocolate for a second before dropping it back on the table. Appetite, what appetite? He'd also just noticed his marbles had pretty much melted by now. The bigger sphere was holding up better, of course. He reached over and grabbed it before rolling it back and forth in his hands, refreezing it.

"How old is your sister?"

Sometimes. If she's pissed off. [Tadakuni's expression is entirely serious.] Once when I was 9, she pushed a bookshelf over on top of me. ...I still... don't really know how she moved that thing on her own...

[The mere memory is enough to send shivers down his spine. In fact his expression as he speaks of his sister nearly mirrors the other boy's expression as he spoke of the heartless. Tadakuni looks back up at Kai's question.] -Oh, she's...

...She's... uh....

[Wait. How old was she again? It takes him a moment before he remembers-] O-oh yeah, she's about a year younger than me, so she should be 15 now.... I'm pretty sure. I think. We don't... really talk much. -Outside of when she's mad and on a rampage...

[A pause. Tadakuni gives Kai a serious expression.] ...D-do you think my sister could be one of those "heartless" you were talking about..?

Kai's eyebrows pretty much went into his hair as he listened. His own sister was like that? What the hell was wrong with people? "Family's not supposed to be like that. I'm sorry you've got to deal with it." Then: "Maybe she could give Godzilla a run for his money." Okay, that wasn't nice.

"...Unless she's ink-black with big yellow eyes and antennae, and goes around ripping people's hearts out of their chests with claws, she's not." Kai shifted uncomfortably on the bench. "Though that's just what a Shadow looks like. There are other ones."

[Waving it off.] You get used to it after a while. ~~[Also, it is sometimes his own fault for provoking her a little.]~~

[Maybe it wasn't nice, but even Tadakuni can't say for sure whether it is or isn't truth.] Hm. I dunno... Maybe if she were taller...

[At Kai's description, Tadakuni takes a moment to actually consider it. That last part could be hitting fairly close to home, for all he knows. He's not foolish enough to think that he's seen his sister access the full extent of her abilities just yet.]

[But... hey, waitaminute- these "Heartless" are starting to sound more and more familiar. Isn't there an RPG with monsters in it fitting that description? It was... that Square Enix game, right? What was it called again...?]

[...Eh, maybe he's just thinking of Dragon Quest.]

[Tadakuni dismisses the thought.] Huh.... so... These "Heartless" come in a lot of forms, then...

[A pause.] ...You don't think... that they could follow you here, do you..?

"Tch, I wouldn't. I'd end up chucking stuff right back. Maybe it's a good thing I'm an only child." He held a hand a bit off the table. "Or we could shrink Godzilla." Yeah, he was just weird.

At the question, Kai shifted again and looked up at the sky. Nice day, very sunny. Yep. Honesty was good, right? And he'd been honest so far. Maybe a bit too much, but Tadakuni didn't trip any of his 'Ack, time to shut up' wires. Damn.

Still looking up, Kai shrugged. "Maybe. The Heartless have a real problem with the Keyblade, you know? And you have to have a strong Heart to wield it, and they really like those..." He dropped his head back down to look at the other boy. "It's kind of like a beacon. But if they do show up, it'll be fine. I'm better at this than I used to be. Besides, if anyone else around here knows magic, that'll help too."

[He scoffs.] Easy for you to say, when you're trained for dangerous combat situations. But that's one battle I try to avoid completely. [A pause.] -Also, even though she's my sister, I'm pretty sure she still... probably... technically counts as a girl. I don't think the rules allow me to hit her.

[Shaking his head.] You can't shrink Godzilla, man! I think they already tried that once in the 1970's cartoon, anyway. And besides, it's like... sacrilege. ~~[Although not as much as the existence of Godzuki.]~~

[Raising his brow.] ...A strong heart? [Tadakuni rubs the back of his neck, looking a bit uneasy.] Jeez; in that case- I hope I don't have one of those...

"Not as trained as I'd like." Kai muttered. "Though that doesn't have a lot to do with it, I just take after my mom too much. You're right about not hitting girls, though...well, as long as they're not trying to kill you, anyway."

There'd been a cartoon? Really? How had he missed that? "Real sacrilege is turning him into a sock puppet, actually." But.

Kai leaned forward and poked Tadakuni lightly in the chest. "No, it's a good thing to have. People with weak Hearts succumb more easily to the Darkness inside it." After a moment, he sighed. "Though sometimes people with strong ones do stupid stuff too."

[A short chuckle.] Can't argue with you there. ~~[It's probably good that he did miss it, really.]~~

[Tadakuni blinks down at the poke, before looking back up to Kai with a bit of a smile.] ...Okay then, how about this;

I darken my heart up when the monsters come around... then I lighten it back up again only after you've beaten them all up. [He half-jokes; resting his head in one hand.] See? Loop-hole!

~~Oh god yes good thing he missed that what even~~

"NO!" Kai stood up so suddenly he knocked his soda over. "You can't do that, they'll turn you into one of them and-"

He cut himself off as he realized he was freaking out. He dropped back down and put his head in his hands. It was just a joke, stop overreacting. Overreacting, right.

"My mom-" Kai paused, took a breath, tried again. "Heartless just don't go after people's Hearts, they go after the Heart of worlds, too. Once the world falls...some people with strong Hearts survive, end up somewhere else. My mom did, when she was fifteen. Afterward, she made some pretty stupid decisions." That was putting it mildly.

"She did some awful things, all the while telling herself it was justified. She was just trying to save her best friend, after all. After a while though, she started using the abilities the Darkness gave her to wreak havoc for the fun of it. She...got better before I was born, but-"

Kai dropped his hands and sat up straight. "Never mind. I'm sorry I yelled. You were just kidding." He forced a smile before reaching out to right the fallen can. Great Kai. Scare the new friend off, super.

"The Light's stronger than the Darkness," He said quietly. It sounded like something he was used to repeating to himself. "But it doesn't mean you can let your guard down."

-! [Definitely startled, Tadakuni jumps; blinking and staring wide-eyed at the boy in front of him as he speaks. The High-schooler furrows his brow and listens in silence; feeling increasingly bad as Kai continues.]

[After a moment of silence, he speaks again; warily-] I'm... s-sorry, man...

...I guess I just... make stupid jokes when I'm nervous, so... um.

Didn't mean to make light of the situation-- [FFFF HE JUST MADE AN UNINTENTIONAL PUN DIDN'T HE] -I MEAN,

Just... forget I said anything. [Wow doesn't he feel like a loser. Tadakuni awkwardly averts his gaze. Should he just leave now before he makes matters worse?]

"It's okay, really. I should've been more clear about it. I guess I'm just still-" Kai gestured outward. "I'm used to traveling from world to world, but not knowing how I ended up here and not being able to leave..." He flexed his fingers experimentally. If Tadakuni listened closely, he might be able to hear a faint, odd sort of warping noise; other than that, nothing happened. Kai gave him an almost pleading look before trying another smile. It was small, but real this time.

"I'm still interested in doing the fort, if you want to."

[Tadakuni also eases into a small smile; giving Kai a bit of a sympathetic look.] H-hey...

...Of course, man. [He gets up from his seat, then leans over to briefly pat the older boy's shoulder.] -And it's gonna be awesome.

Just because we're stuck here doesn't mean we can't make the most of it, right?

[Tadakuni releases his shoulder and gets up to leave; but before he does-] I'll come by later on tonight with a few supplies. Don't forget!

[And with that, he gives Kai a small wave; turning to walk off. He has a few designs to plot out, after all.]

"I won't! See you!"

Kai grinned as he watched Tadakuni leave. He was right; might as well make the most of it, forts and all. Besides, he could use a vacation. He quickly began to clean up his mess; he had some paper to find and notes to take before his friend dropped by.

((And so, the saga continues...))

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/dying of laughter over here

XD

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