moonstrualcycle | no running in the halls!

You mean we don't synchronize? I wanted to be the red one.

[ Like Power Rangers! ]

How long has it been for you? Since things ended.

Oh, you were the red one, don't worry. Uh... two weeks. Almost three. Ienzo made me stay in Radiant Garden for a few days after I woke up, to make sure I was stable.

[we're now fully in headcanon territory, i guess, since the game didn't cover this part.]

That's really not long at all.

[ Holy shit. So, uh... ]

So— we've been hanging out? Did I miss some impactful reunion?

Nah, the impactful stuff happened as I was dying, as it should've. And yeah we've been hanging out, us and like.

[she has to count on her fingers (possibly just for show), hang on. there are at least two instances of what is deinitely three people that come as a set, make of that what you will.]

A dozen other people, max. It's not all of them all the time, thank god.

Did we move in together or something?

[ Unbelievable. How can you imply that things went down while you were dying and leave her itching with curiosity? Horrible best friend— wait. Huh? ]

A dozen?

[ She's going to silently tick names off of her own fingers, and it's a struggle to come up with any after five. Eventually she reaches six, then stops. Demyx? Huh? Huh? She's hoping Isa says yes, to get rid of this hope: ]

I guess we made new friends?

[she's welcome to try and dig that bit out of Isa, it actually wouldn't take that much. would probably knock this insufferably smug expression off her face, too.]

Wouldn't you like to know? And yes, we did. Some of them were already your friends, though.

[a real friend might not enjoy watching Lea squirm this much, but here we are. she'd love to tell her, honest! but it might fuck things up, so she really shouldn't, which means instead she's just going to verbally bait Lea and laugh a little at the outcome. out of love, of course.]

Uh huh...

[ Her eyes are fixed on Isa's face, trying to find anything that isn't totally shut off. It's impossible though, even as well as she knows her. She's too damn good at this.

Some of them? So more than one. It's gotta be the island trio. Oh well. She expected that. Moving on— ]

Right. So, back to the impactful stuff.

[she folds her arms again, and shifts her gaze off to the side, the most nonchalant person who has ever existed.]

It wasn't that impactful, jeez.

[yes it was. but that involves Xion as well, dammit.]

It definitely was, or you wouldn't be so vague about it. Come on, are you really going to wait for me to go back and live it all?

[ h-huff why are you so mean to me even with a heart.

Deadpan: ]

Unless it was a confession.

[ughhhhhhhhhh. she doesn't respond for several seconds, and then heaves a big disgruntled sigh and continues not looking at Lea.]

It was. I told you you wouldn't hear it a second time, but... I admitted that I was jealous. Of what you had with Roxas and-- and that you seemed to just give up on me, and him, when that was the whole reason we were there at all.

[she hates this, but part of her is curious if Lea will react the same way.]

[ Well— she was kidding, and insinuating that it was a romantic confession. That she said, or is saying this now, has Lea stunned. She's quiet for a while. (At least, for her.) ]

You admit it.

[ Enjoy how she says that in the same exact way. Lea kind of looks like she could cry, picturing all of this, but even though her emotions are already strung tight from Isa's appearance and everything, she doesn't. ]

I didn't give up. I don't know why you thought I would.

[the identical phrasing and tone make her flinch slightly, and she tries to disguise it by shifting on the couch. hearing it again just drives home how unfair it was to everyone involved but especially Lea that she (Isa) was such a horrendous bitch about it all. her hair's screening her expression now, not that there's much of anything readable in it.]

I know you didn't. I was the idiot for diving right back into things when chances were even slimmer than before that I'd find out what happened to him. At least I-- dammit.

[it's so hard to explain things or drop hints when Lea doesn't know about Xion.]

[ God dammit her cool badass image in the DR is going to get shattered. That's probably why she's so wibbly right now. Her lost reputation. (Spoilers: that's not it, and it's actually seeing Saix-now-Isa being... who she remembers her to be.) ]

Hey. Relax. You know better now. It's not your fault you've always been this stubborn.

[ She hesitates, then bumps her shoulder against Isa, and stays there. ]

Doesn't help that it felt like I gave up on you. And I guess part of me did, for a little while.

[who's being wibbly here, certainly not either of these two. she's grateful for the shoulderbump, honestly; it makes her feel like things are normal, even though they definitely aren't.]

Who's stubborn? And yeah, you did, but I was also being an ultra bitch to you about it. You were the sensible one, for once, to find nicer people to spend your time with.

[ There's another huff as she regains composure. ]

Whatever. I think you're missing the real point here, you know. Even before you showed up here, you came back. We were together.

[ God. It feels weird to comfort her after so long. It's hard, but it's also familiar. It brings back memories of when they were teenagers, right before and right after lost their Hearts and were still attached at the hip. And how it went from there. ]

We might be from different times, but in the end we're together here, too. That puts you at the top of the list for people to spend my time with.

Lucky me, I guess.

[Lea's getting a shoulder bump now, as thanks. this can't be any easier for her than it is for Isa, and Isa's grateful, honestly. there'll probably be some emotional fallout later on, like, way later, because she's good at locking it away until it can't be contained anymore, but that's a problem for future Isa.]

...thanks.

[ It's not really easy, but it's not that hard. It's just emotionally exhausting. It kind of feels like they had a good cry, even though neither of them actually did. As far as she knows?? She's going back to leaning on Isa comfortably now. Possibly she could fall asleep like this. ]

You're the luckiest. You're my best friend.

[nerd. what if she just. jostles Lea a little with her elbow. P: ]

Good to hear it. So is it just the older version of Riku with the kid around here, in terms of people I might know?

[ Yes, good, don't point out my sappiness. Also ugh, she's going to get more comfortable. Maybe she'll actually fall asleep. What you gonna do about it. ]

Oh jeez. No. Riku's here, and Kai. Larxene's... somewhere. Never seen him, just heard stories. A lot of them have been here in the past.

[ Like Roxas, or Sora. ]

No signs of them now.

[she'll pick Lea up with one hand and slam dunk her into the nearest bathtub, that's what.]

Larxene was here, really? Glad I missed that. But Kai's here, that's good. You and he spent a lot of time training together, from what you've told me.

[you being general, in this case. and she can read those missing names in what Lea said, don't think you can fool her.]

Oh yeah? I guess so.

[ That's good to hear, that they spend more time together. Also shhh, stop pointing out how transparent I am. ]

So.. what have we been doing, now that you're back? Now that everything's over?

Hanging out, mostly. All of us, but smaller groups too. Some nice meals out with just us grownups, none of the teens along. Ugh. There's so much I can't tell you because it might change things when you go back.

[it's so frustrating. why did this stupid place just bring her and not them, it can't be based on proximity or anything, so what is it? sadism?]

[ It's sadism, yes. Also what. What's a grownup. Who are the other grownups?? ]

Riku doesn't count as a grownup. That's all I have to say.

[ She sighs and stretches her entire body, like a cat, then twists a bit so her back is more into the cushions. This is prime lead up for laying all over Isa, but she's waiting to see if she notices. It has definitely happened in the past. ]

Don't tell me anything. It's not worth the risk.

[she either hasn't noticed or is willing to let it happen. also god, did Lea get here from before all the discussion about finding Aqua? Aqua's an adult.]

Riku's still a teenager, so you're correct. And I guess you forgot about the other people you woke up with, since I can see you have no idea who the other adults might include.

[ Dude she remembers nothing about it, and has no idea if it actually happens. Anyway she's gonna... put a leg across Isa, then, as she stretches out on the couch. Like a smug cat. That's all she is. ]

You're telling me that we, we, are hanging out with them.

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