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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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"Last time I checked I was. But maybe I'm a figment of your imagination." He smiled faintly to show he was kidding before nodding, looking down at his weapon. "Yeah, so are the monsters. Really wish they weren't."

Kai snorted at the hero comment. Yeah, right. "Not really, I've only been doing this a couple years. Still learning. I couldn't even save 'Jem's family, what kind of hero-" He stopped abruptly and glanced away before changing the subject.

"This has two other forms, the basic one and one attuned to fire magic. Blooming Crystal's thing is ice." He tapped the petals.

D-don't say that, man... You're probably joking- but part of me really is wondering whether this is all just a... really long dream, or something...

[...He even has a tragic backstory like an RPG hero!]

[Tadakuni cants his head to the side, curiously.] ...Do you like doing it?

Aren't you ever... scared? I mean; how old are you, anyway..?

"If it's a dream, it's the weirdest one I've ever had...or maybe not."

Kai's fingers curled around the hilt at the question before he made himself let go again. "Sometimes. When I can help people. But-" Telling Tadakuni this thing could be a beacon for the 'monsters' wasn't such a good idea, so he changed course. "-I kind of miss home."

He grinned suddenly, meeting the other boy's eyes. "I'd be an idiot not to be sometimes. And I'm seventeen." He willed Blooming Crystal away, and it disappeared with a small flash.

[Furrowing his brow with a sigh.] Yeah... I miss home too. Especially all of my video games... and manga....

[A pause.] -Uh, but.... I guess I shouldn't complain. Sounds like you've got way more serious issues to worry about than I do, and you're only a year older than me. I couldn't even imagine--

[He jumps slightly as the weapon suddenly disappears in a flash.] H-hey, warn me before you do that stuff!

Kai laughed and grabbed his unopened soda. "Sorry! I'm used to just- you know. Scared myself the first time I did that, actually. Wasn't sure how to get it back. Hell, I wasn't sure how I'd first ended up with it."

He popped the soda and took a sip, shrugging. "Don't worry about it. I miss stuff like that too. Silly stuff. Blanket forts." Kai blushed suddenly. "Not that I do things like that now. But when I was a kid my uncle and I used to make the most awesome ones ever."

OH-- DUDE-! [Tadakuni begins, excitedly;]

My forts are the BEST! I always put up a bunch of seat-cushions around the perimeter- stacked up like THIS, right? [His hand-gestures fall in line with his description; animated movements making his point clear to the other boy.] -And then, there are a bunch of pillows inside for comfort- but THEN there's this little section at the top for you to peek out of so that you can always see who approaches from the inside!

If you keep a bunch of dirty socks stocked up inside, you can roll them up and hurl them out from that opening- to help guard your fort from intruders...!

[A pause. Tadakuni awkwardly averts his gaze.] ...Uh...

-Not that... I've done that kind of thing recently either.... [Ahem.]

[Yeah; it's been at least a month since he's built a pillow-fort. But really, this shouldn't be surprising to anyone at all familiar with the kinds of "silly stuff" that Tadakuni and his friends usually do to pass the time.]

Kai was a little startled by Tadakuni's enthusiasm at first, and he simply stared at him as he gestured, soda forgotten in his hand. Once he'd finished, he set the soda down and gently thunked his head down onto the table top. After a moment a few quiet snickers escaped him before he sat back up.

Kai looked around as if to make sure no one was eavesdropping, then:

"Picked out a bed before I came out here. I kind of...turned the bottom bunk into a fort. Well, it's more like the blankets are acting as curtains. Privacy, and stuff."

Yep, that was exactly it.

[At first, as Kai begins to laugh, Tadakuni nervously blushes; feeling a bit embarrassed- but just as he opened his mouth to try and defend himself- the other boy speaks up again; putting his worries to rest.]

[With a small smile, Tadakuni mirrors his action; looking around a bit before leaning into whisper.] Y'know.... if you want....

Maybe I could help make a few "adjustment"- show you how to really make your fort look cool...

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!

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/dying of laughter over here

XD

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