itsjustagamerp | DIARY OF DARKNESS [Open]

Roxas had been avoiding everyone since discovering they'd wound up in a mirror universe. Not everyone had become their mirror selves, though. He knew for sure that Sora, Riku and Harvey had, as had the Mads. Besides himself, he knew Pinkie Pie hadn't been mirrored (and Vanitas, but since he was stuck on the SoL with the mirrored Mads, it hardly mattered). There was a possibility that Minako and Liz hadn't been, but he wasn't sure.

Of course, a kid still needed to eat so he was going to get something from one of the vending machines. At least that was the plan until he spotted the satchel with the book sticking out of it. He wasn't quite sure whose it was, but the opportunity for a little information was a bit too much to pass up. Apparently, whoever it belonged to had left their take-out too. Interesting moral dilemma here, given that the food seemed to be untouched and was probably better than the stuff in the machines. But, there was a chance it belonged either to someone who hadn't been mirrored or to someone he really didn't need to pick a fight with at the moment.

Grumbling under his breath, Roxas pulled the book out of the satchel. It didn't take a whole lot to figure out that it was a diary and on top of that, it was unlocked. He hesitated only a moment before opening it.

Huh, it was Riku's.

And it read like some emo brat's mushy ramblings. Still, it was informative... in a mildly disturbing way. It seemed like Mirrored Riku was a mage of the type who would be at a severe disadvantage with powers taken away, which they were. Roxas wasn't so sure he wanted to go the route of bullying him, though. Maybe as a last resort. While Roxas had never used them himself, he had learned certain tricks about manipulating people from the Organization. Revenge was something that could be used and the diary made it clear that the desire was there.

'Getting him over his fears of Sora might be tricky, though...' Roxas debated a little on reading more. The extra information certainly wouldn't hurt, except possibly for being painful to read. But did he really want to do that on an empty stomach? ... And while feeling like that sweet and sour chicken was mocking him?

Well he did know, thanks to the diary itself, one of the places it would be hidden. He didn't want to risk getting caught here reading it when anyone could walk in at any time. Returning the diary to the bag, he gave the abandoned sweet and sour chicken one more look... and gave up on the moral high ground. It was highly probable that the abandoned take-out was Riku's and pissing him off might provide some hints on whether manipulating him or threatening him would work better. Roxas was still leaning toward the former given that the latter seemed to come from elsewhere in abundance. Still, Riku's response to having his sweet and sour chicken stolen would provide information Roxas might not have time to mine the diary for just yet.

Besides which, who in their right mind left anything out in the open with people they obviously didn't trust around? It did occur to Roxas that anyone else could probably pick up the diary and read it, but it seemed as though that had happened before and taking it with him seemed riskier than leaving it. The stolen food might be enough of a reason for Riku to look for him.

Under normal circumstances, Ienzo wouldn't have thought so much as even considered looking at something that was so obviously someone else's. However, things were about as far as you could get from normal circumstances. Ienzo might not have bothered, but well, he wasn't his normal self as things stood.

Besides, there was certainly no sense in letting something that could be so very useful pass him by, and so he carefully removed the diary from Riku's bag. Honestly, if something was so very important, one ought to at least have the sense to lock it tight. Of course, there was also the question of whether or not to return it to whence it came, once he'd finished with it, but that was another question entirely. For now, he simply tucked the diary under his coat and made his way back to the room he'd claimed as his own.

What did it matter to him if the person who'd left it unattended noticed the absence?

Pinkie kicked disconsolately at the ground as she walked away from the vending machines. "That was totally not the same thing as a kitchen...ooooooh, Chineighese!" The distinctive box attracted her attention immediately, and she hopped over to open the lid and peer inside. Instantly, the pony grimaced and slid it shut again. Meat. She knew humans liked eating meat and all, and she didn't even mind when they made some to go with her party foods, but she definitely never wanted to eat any herself!

Besides, it looked like it was probably someone else's, anyway. The mare turned a curious eye to the satchel, poking lightly at it. "Maybe I can find out who you belong to and give you back..." A book! Twilight always labeled all of her books, maybe this person did too! Pinkie slid it out of the bag and flipped it open, starting to read.

A sentence later, she gasped aloud and slammed it shut again, stuffing a hoof into her mouth in horror and glancing up and down the hallway. Oh, no! She'd almost read Riku's diary! Well, it was okay...she'd only seen a tiny little bit. Frowning at the tiny lock, she stuck her head back in the bag, rummaging about until she came out with a little key.

When Riku returned, he would find a small tupperware container sitting next to his chicken. His diary was locked and back in his bag, with a sticky note stuck to the front cover:

Hi Riku!

You left your diary open, so I locked it for you! You should really be more careful! Don't worry, I totally didn't read any of it - after all, losing a friend's trust is the fastest way to lose a friend! FOREVER!

Also, I left you a cupcake! It's strawberry!

<3 <3 <3 Pinkie Pie

When Riku returned, the first thing he noticed was a sticky note on the floor. He read it and noticed immediately the lack of his lunch. He snarled, but realized that Pinkie wouldn’t have taken it. It wasn’t exactly pony food. But who would...

Roxas. “That little turd...” He might’ve been scared of Sora, but Roxas was just an annoying twerp. He’d make sure Roxas received a nice bruise for stealing his lunch.

At least he’d taken the supposed cupcake. That was fine, Riku couldn’t eat that anyway. The LAST thing he needed was to put on weight.

Riku grumbled and grabbed his satchel, none-too-thrilled that the pony had messed with his stuff, only to realize the satchel was much lighter than it should have been. His heart fell, realizing what must be missing. In a flurry he whipped the bag open, pawing through the items to find no diary inside. He cursed. Several times. And loudly.

Pinkie might have left a false note, but considering Roxas, it was more likely the little punk decided to play some sort of game. This was bad.

“I’m going to make that turd pay.” Now it was a matter of finding him.

Roxas hadn't gone too far, though he would be finished with the food by the time Riku found him. He just hoped his hunch was right, though it was kind of a long shot. What if his mirror self was actually just as nasty to Riku as Sora was? He kind of doubted it, though. It would probably also have been mentioned in the diary if it was the case.

He had more or less decided that manipulation was a better idea than a threat, though he'd have to work around having pissed Riku off with the theft of the lunch. Of course, a stolen lunch might be easily forgotten with the offer of getting back at Sora. The question was how to convince him that fixing that device would somehow allow him a bit of vengeance.

At any rate, Riku would likely find him heading toward the library, intending to either poke around and see if his mirror self had hidden anything there or to just find a decent book to read.

If Roxas had read his diary, then he'd know that there were things stashed in the library. The nosy brat would either be on the way or would be soon. Now was the time to hide things elsewhere if he wasn't there first. The poetry, the poison, the Hannah Montana DVD...

But there Roxas was, making his way there. Bingo.

"HEY!" Riku snarled down the hall. "Hold it you little punk." He walked quickly. Skinny or not, Riku still had his stature, and his hair trailed behind him like a ghostly cape. "You think you're being cute?"

The only thing he'd gotten out of the diary was where the diary itself might be stashed. He didn't care about poetry, knowing about the poison would be unsettling and the Hanna Montana DVD would probably scare him away...

Really, all he was interested in right now in the library was good media. He doubted Riku would believe that, though. On the other hand, Roxas didn't know the diary was gone either. As far as he knew, any forthcoming confrontation was about the food.

So he wasn't particularly concerned when he heard Riku hollering after him. If anything, he was a bit relieved that his guess about what his mirror self would have done seemed to be correct. Now hopefully he could avoid rousing too much suspicion. "Hay is for horses and what are you talking about?"

"Oh, sure, act like you don't know." He rolled his eyes. "Okay, twerp, for starters, my lunch. That was a special order, you know. Healthy choice. Do you know how hard it is to find Chinese delivery that will cater to evil labs AND make orders according to dietary needs? If you don't lay off stealing people's lunches, one day you're going to steal the wrong lunch." Riku gave him a bit of a push. ...That really wasn't an impressive push.

The push... really didn't bother him. It might have been an issue if the only thing about Riku that was mirrored was his personality, but that wasn't the case. The comment about stealing the wrong lunch gave him pause. Did that mean Riku would poison it or something?

There was something else that concerned him more than that, though. "For starters? You act like there was anything of interest besides the lunch."

Roxas knew he hadn't put the diary back exactly as he'd found it, but he doubted that should have been a tip off about reading it.

Poisoning... Now there was an interesting idea.

"Don't play dumb with me, swirlie fodder, you went through my bag, too. And TOOK something." He leaned down, far enough in Roxas's face that he'd be able to tell that Riku had recently brushed his teeth. They were particularly white.

Ah, well that was an interesting dilemma. Roxas had guessed correctly that his mirror self stole lunches from time to time, but he hadn't given any thought to the possibility of stealing other things. Then again, someone else could even have taken something and been content to let Riku think it had been the same one that had taken the lunch. Either way, Roxas was not intimidated.

He couldn't remember how he'd learned what a swirlie was, but the particular insult Riku had tossed his way provided him with the mental image of Riku attempting to inflict one on him and failing miserably. He realized he could probably mop the floor with this particular version of Riku easily but there must have been some reason Riku didn't have any problems getting his face like this. Maybe his mirror self just didn't abuse Riku the way Sora did? Still, he had to find out just what he was being accused of taking. He had a guess, but saying so might make it harder to prove he hadn't taken it. "And what was taken, if I might ask? Far as I can tell, the only thing worth taking was the food."

Well, the diary could have been worth taking, but why do that when he knew where it was going to be hidden?

Who said it was Riku doing the swirlies in the past?

Roxas had never put up a fight when Riku had confronted him before, and Riku was always smart enough not to initiate one. As such, Riku always tested his grounds, acting like the tough guy he wasn't. He continued his act.

"How long do you plan to keep this little game going, Nobody? You want me to spell it out for you? Or are your memories too mixed up with Sora's to know any better? Fine. There was a book taken. A diary. Happy? Now cough it up."

No one, but the mental image of an attempt was mildly amusing.

It probably was a wise choice not to initiate a fight. Having peeked at the diary and gotten a look at how he responded to the way that Mirror Sora treated him, Roxas knew that the tough act was just that, an act.

He bit back a remark at Riku's use of 'Nobody' as a pejorative. This mirror universe was grating on his nerves big time. With his suspicion as to what had been taken confirmed, he was left with a small dilemma. He'd been planning to find the diary later and mine it for information, but if it was taken, Riku was likely to find somewhere else to hide it now since one entry spoke of where it was hidden. "... Red book with a lock? It was still there when I left. How sorry would my life really have to be to want to bother with that?"

He knew saying it like that might imply that he'd read it when he saw it and he had read one entry. He didn't care about that. Right now, he just needed for Riku to know that he hadn't taken it. Truly, the only reason he was considering reading it was because there might be information that could get them out of this universe. If getting out was just a case of waiting until next week, he wouldn't even bother, but since that dimensional drive had first been activated, nothing changed unless it was activated again.

The skinny youth looked unimpressed, leaning close and speaking low. "Well, you bothered enough to take note of what it looked like. And unless I get it back, your life is going to get a lot sorrier."

There was no reason to trust a little thief like Roxas. He, like most of the people around here, wasn't one to be taken at his word. Riku only had to fall for that once to know better.

Roxas didn't expect him to be impressed, though now he had the issue of having to prove he didn't take the diary. "Well, you left your bag where anyone could go through it. So what makes you so sure I have it?"

Besides the lunch and his having been correct that his mirror self would steal meals, Roxas wasn't sure why Riku would assume he'd taken the diary. Unless his mirror self did take other things as well. Crap.

And he still had to work out just how he was going to get Riku's help. He couldn't just come out and say that, yeah, some of the people he knew had been replaced with their opposites and they just wanted to get back to the universe they belonged in. Then again, the only point to this encounter right now was to determine whether threats or manipulation was the better way to get his help. Once he knew what he actually needed to done, then he could start working on winning him over. For that part, he needed to find out who else wasn't mirrored besides himself and Pinkie. On thing at a time.

"Your track record isn't the best there, sweetie." True, Roxas didn't normally take anything other than food or toiletries, but there were a few rare instances. Still, this was a lot worse than what he took even then. "You just happen to be the best candidate on the ship. Congratulations, --" His so-called congratulations was coupled with a verbal backhand in the form of a vulgarity. "I noticed you haven't said you DON'T have it. Not that I'd believe you."

Okay, that was the most unsettling use ever for a normally cheesy term of endearment. The vulgarity that followed didn't bother him, really, even if the use of a normally feminine term was a bit odd to him. But, there were much more important things going on than that and he focused on those, "Well, if you're not going to believe me, then I'd be wasting my time saying it even if it's true."

As much as Roxas would have loved to tell Riku off or even smack him, he knew he couldn't exactly afford either. And he still needed to prove he didn't have the diary. Well, it would probably seem a bit out of the blue, but it was worth a shot, "Look, I don't have the damn thing, but would it make you feel better if I help you find it?"

Riku gave him a petty golf clap. "Good job, glad you figured out that much."

Raising an eyebrow, Riku paused at the offer. That was unusual for Roxas. Or anyone around here, actually. There was probably a catch somewhere, and Riku knew he'd have to be careful. "Feel better, no. But I DO want you to get it back to me." "And if I DON'T get it back..." Riku slowly reached out, brushing his fingers through Roxas's hair before giving him another unimpressive shove. "Well, you'll know what there'll be to pay~"

What the hell kind of relationship did they have that Mirror Riku was comfortable treating Mirror Roxas like this? Or was he much more of a threat in their own mirrored world where he had his powers intact?

... Actually, that would stand to reason. He'd mentioned Ultima in the diary. That was a pretty high level spell and could be fairly dangerous in the wrong hands.

Not surprisingly, he seemed suspicious at the offer to find the diary. Probably also expected there to be a catch. For finding the diary, there wasn't. Other things... well, one thing at a time.

Riku running his fingers through Roxas's hair was enough to cause his train of thought to screech to a halt. Was he seriously doing that?! The shove kick started his brain again. Irritated, he shoved back, though he was uncertain if the shove itself was what had annoyed him or the creeping discomfort over previous gesture. It was probably both coupled with the earlier shove. Either way, it needed to stop, "Quit shoving me. I'll get the diary, wherever the hell it ended up."

In his own world, this Riku was a mage as powerful, perhaps more so, than Master Aqua... Albeit much squishier. Riku would make Donald feel better. Regrettably for him, here that power was gone, leaving him with nothing. In either case, Sora had always been known to best him, thereby establishing his dominance.

He gave a shrug. He'd stop. For the moment. If he continued to feel like it. "Good. I expect to see it the next time I see you." There was a little extra flex to his wrist when he pointed to Roxas. "And if you go vanishing on me, expect me to find you."

On the one hand, Roxas didn't really want to know about his mirror self. On the other hand, it might spare him some headaches, but he didn't really plan on staying in this universe long enough for it to matter.

This version of Riku was lucky that Roxas wanted to try to get some help from him, otherwise he might have had more than a shove coming. At the mention of vanishing, he had to wonder if it was really any more possible to leave here than it was to leave the satellite. A thought for another time, though. "Fine."

He really hoped none of those who had been mirrored would remember this when they got out of this universe...

Of course, vanishing could also mean hiding carefully around Deep 13...

Riku frowned. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get going and find it you little piece of--" He made a move like he was about to shove Roxas again, but he stopped short.

[OOC: wanna cut to Roxas getting the diary back and then maybe getting his help?]

Edited 2013-03-02 07:27 (UTC)

Roxas wasn't actually all that bad at hiding, but he knew Riku had a way of sensing people that somehow manifested as smell. He wasn't planning to hide any way.

He considered snarking back some more and he probably would have if Riku had shoved him again, "Right, I'm going."

As he walked away, he considered where to start looking. The possibility that whoever had taken the diary might put it back in one of its hiding places was certainly there, but it was probably too soon to even think about looking in that spot.

Later on, when he did find it, he was kind of surprised it didn't take longer. Now where was Riku...?

[OoC: Sure. Lemme know if this is okay?]

Riku was standing next to the front door, tapping his foot and looking at his Hello Kitty watch as he muttered something. "C'mon, it's not like I'm going to starve to death but they sure are taking their sweet time."

Well, given his physique, he possibly could, though this Riku would never believe it.

"Did those idiots get lost or what? No tip for them." Not that this Riku would anyway.

Roxas heard that last bit as he approached Riku and he felt pretty comfortable with making a small assumption while also using the snark to announce his presence, "Since when do you tip?"

He had himself tipped nicely when he ordered food, which had caused one delivery guy to give him an odd look, but a different one hadn't seemed to think it was odd. Then again, the one that had seemed surprised at getting a tip seemed like a royal grouch. Maybe Roxas's mirror self tipped the ones that didn't give him any crap?

At any rate, he had the diary and while it had been tempting to thumb through it a bit while he had it in hand, it might also have been counterproductive.

"Heh, good point. Though I don't plan on starting with these los--" Riku paused, looking back towards the newcomer. His brief expression of amusement soured. "Oh, it's you..."

Though his tone read, "...And you'd better have the diary," it was left unsaid when he saw Roxas holding it. In it's place was a slow look of surprise and puzzlement as he slowly held out a hand for it. "You... You have it." He'd honestly expected Roxas wouldn't deliver.

And another lucky guess. That was actually kind of starting to make Roxas uncomfortable. "Yeah, it's me. Who were you expecting?" Not that he wasn't aware of his similarities to Ven, but as far as Roxas could tell, this universe's Ven was a little bit unhinged and he sounded like it.

He handed the diary over without any arguments. It had been obvious that Riku hadn't expected him to get it. He realized that getting it as promised might give a hint that something was off, but it was just possible that he could use that. "I said I'd get it, didn't I?"

Honestly it hadn't registered with Riku just who it was beyond that it wasn't Sora's spine-tingling taunts. Roxas's initial question was met with no reply.

To the second question, his response was slow. Riku took the diary and held it close, looking down to it and gently rubbing his fingers over its cover. For all intensive purposes, it looked like he was comforting it, or at least holding something very precious. He then quickly paged through it to make sure there was no funny business before coddling it again. Riku looked up slowly and suspiciously.

"...You did. ...Now where's the catch? What do you want?"

That behavior was mildly disturbing to say the least and Roxas found himself hoping, yet again, that none of those who were mirrored would remember this crap. It probably would have helped him a little to read the diary a bit while he'd had it in his possession, but the one entry he had read provided something to work with. Now if he could figure out a way to broach the topic without blowing right here and now, things might work out.

"Does there have to be a catch?"

Riku crossed his arms over his diary, looking a little suspicious. "You tell me. Because there always is."

Roxas suppressed a sigh. He should have expected that and he knew it. Ah well.

"For the diary, no, there isn't. But I do have a preposition for you if you're interested in putting a certain someone in his place." That was probably a tip off that he'd read at least one entry in the diary, but given the likelihood that his own mirror self might have issues with Sora it could also been seen as finally hitting a breaking point. Or it could point to both things. In any case, he knew he was taking a risk.

With an eyebrow raised, Riku put a hand on his hip. While it was quite possibly Roxas had read some of his diary, it could be conjecture. It was obvious that Riku didn't like Sora. Still, that was an appealing offer. He glanced around for any Cambots.

"I'm listening."

Edited 2013-03-14 03:51 (UTC)

This was encouraging, so far.

"It involves getting to an alternate universe. One where you're the stronger one. Always the winner." It probably made things a little easier on Roxas that some of the things he had to tell this Riku about his other self were true. For instance that he was stronger than Sora and, without outside tampering at least, he was usually the winner in just about everything. Of course, this was also getting to the point where Roxas would have to admit he was from the universe in question.

Even so, it really felt like this was coming too easily to him. He could accept necessity as a justification for this kind of manipulation, but that didn't make it any easier to stomach it.

Riku's eyes widened at some of the implications of this, though he didn't fully understand. That being said, it did lead to a number of questions, and this sudden bit of information was interesting to say the least given how people were acting.

"So you're saying if I get to the alternate universe, I'll become that other me? Where I've got the power to be in charge? ...And you know this because you have looots of experience with that place, don't you~"

While very much interested, there was some poorly hidden suspicion in his voice.

The interest was a good thing. Roxas knew he would certainly have found information about alternate universes tantalizing if it were mentioned to him before he'd learned of their existence. He also knew that it would explain some things if Riku had noticed that a few people were behaving strangely.

"You will, both physically and magically. Hmm, yeah, I do have experience there. Would I be able to tell you any of this otherwise?"

The suspicion was not unexpected. Hopefully, the desires for power and revenge would override his common sense.

Unfortunately, common sense was a trait both Rikus shared, or else this Riku might've been named "Frank."

"There's always second-hand information, dear, but I'm talking about you being a resident." He walked to Roxas's side, leaning over his shoulder. "There are a few stowaways here on Deep 13, am I right? All you goody-two-shoes?" No, that wasn't a loaded question at all.

Roxas didn't doubt that there was some common sense. He just hoped the information he offered might override it. Or maybe, that it would like accepting his offer was common sense.

He'd never really expected to keep it a secret that he was from another universe. Not for long anyway and especially not given his knowledge of the other universe. "Hmm, hit the nail on the head. Mostly. I dunno that 'goody-two-shoes' is the best way to describe everyone. I do know that a certain relationship is already well-defined in that universe and I think you'll like the dynamic."

He honestly wouldn't blame normal Riku for punching him over some of this. Manipulation like this was the Organization's... was Xehanort's... hat.

Relationship? Dynamic? Riku couldn't help but be both suspicious and intrigued, like a cat with a new toy. "Oh really? Do tell. I'm alllll ears~" Riku cocked his shoulders and cupped a hand behind one ear.

Honestly normal Riku would be more likely to punch his non-normal self for some of this than to punch Roxas for manipulating his distorted self.

DIARY OF DARKNESS [Open]

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Sorry these are so short, this is the best the muse has to offer in this state.

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A-okay!

\o/

Sorry about the slow reply, muse wouldn't work with me.

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Sorry so short! That's all there is to say!

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