[video]

[onlytwilight]

[The picture is slow to focus, first on endless green grass and then on one big, black, glassy eye staring down into the communicator. Large jaws are cut off by the edges of the screen, but splatters of blood accompany the image, dripping from the yellowed bared teeth.

Suddenly, the screen shifts quickly, up to blue sky and then covered by black. Roxas sighs, heavy and irritated, before his voice is heard from just off camera.]

...You wanted meat? You've got it.

[A ragged, angered noise follows.]

I hate this place.

Comments

[onlytwilight.livejournal.com]

I'm not hurt. It's not the...whatever that thing was...that's the matter.

[action]

[myownmemory.livejournal.com]

Hang on.

[It's a few minutes before he comes trudging, boots heavily smeared with roach guts. He looks worn, worried, searching out his friend in the dark. Spiky blonde hair's not too hard to spot amid the hulking reptile corpse, under an almost-full moon.]

Roxas? You...here, I'll give you a hand with it...what I can, at least.

[He's brought along one of the small hand axes from the forge, instead of having Soul Eater out.]

[action]

[onlytwilight.livejournal.com]

[He's sitting on its back, the creature laying on its belly in the dirt, Organization hood half on his head and half falling off, his eyes focused only on the ground. When Riqis runs up, he looks over at him, then at the axe in his hand.]

...That's not going to work.

[action]

[myownmemory.livejournal.com]

We'd better be quick about it, 'cause I've seen another one of these things around.

[He mutters, trying his decide where he ought to start hacking at the tough hided beast. His chest still hurts, the rest of him's still healing...it's really cold out.

And Roxas looks down.]

Is...everything going okay, with you and Axel?

[action]

[onlytwilight.livejournal.com]

I'll ask someone to carry it back. Don't bother.

[He looks over, surprised.]

...Oh. Yeah, Axel and I are fine.

Re: [action]

[myownmemory.livejournal.com]

I said I'd come out here and help you, didn't I? I don't count as someone?

[He finally gives up, joins him atop the cooling reptile, a hand at his shoulder]

...It's been a hard week.

[action]

[onlytwilight.livejournal.com]

Of course you count. I meant...someone stronger than the two of us. Not even us together can pull this thing.

[He lets him sit there, looking at him, reaching over to touch his arm.]

Riku's darkness disappeared an hour ago. I went over there to check...and they're both gone.

[action]

[myownmemory.livejournal.com]

We can't...just take a leg off or something? I should have thought to bring the wheelbarrow....but I thought I should get out here fast.

[He shuts his eyes, turning his head.]

Gone?

[There's no surprise in it, so much a muted crestfallen sigh. There's so much to regret leaving behind messy and...there's those things he's never asked Riku about his heart, and an uncertain bitter feeling that they left together. And he's afraid, wherever she goes now, that she'll never remember.]

...gone, huh.

[He shoves himself upright off the deathclaw purposefully, if only to give himself a project so that he doesn't need to think about the weight of it yet. Gone. Both of them.]