itsjustagamerp | Someone really wishes this was all a dream...

Entry tags:

Someone really wishes this was all a dream...

Who: Roxas and anyone who encounters him
What: He needs to figure out who's evil and who's not. He's wandering around while he works out how best to figure this out.
Where: Anywhere, though starting by the vending machines
When: Noonish
Warnings: Depends on who tags him, so, possibly violence and/or language

This was a fine mess they were all in. Shunted into a mirror universe with some people taking on their mirrored personalities and some not, it was difficult to tell who could be trusted and who couldn't. Roxas knew for sure that Pinkie Pie hadn't been mirrored... mostly because she wasn't bothering to pretend and had gone and pretty much broadcast it over the Cambot network. Vanitas and Selphie hadn't been either, but they'd arrived after the jump and were stuck up on the satellite with the mirrored Mads where they really couldn't help. He suspected it was possible that Minako hadn't been mirrored, but it was hard to say. Other than that, he knew for sure that Sora, Riku and Ven had been mirrored from observing their interactions with Vanitas and Sora's recent message over Cambot bitching about all the talking and how it had better be picking out an experiment. After that, he was clueless, though he could think of a few people he hoped weren't mirrored. He'd told Vanitas flat out that it could be problematic if Aqua had been mirrored. He didn't even want to consider Xion or Namine mirrored...

'This couldn't suck any worse,' he thought as he poked about the vending machines. He'd been looking around to see if his mirror self kept a journal of any kind, but so far had turned up squat. After a while, he'd given up. He didn't keep one himself (time in the Organization didn't count) and it had only really been wishful thinking to hope that his mirror self did. It would have been helpful, but there wasn't one so he was going to have to wing it. Sighing, he got a bag of pretzels and a soda out of the machine and headed off to look for someplace to hang out that was hopefully out of the way. He was pretty sure an encounter with Sora right now would blow his cover, assuming no one suspected already that he was behaving strangely.

Maybe the library would be worth poking around it, since this place seemed to actually have some good literature on hand. Not to mention he already knew someone else's diary might be stashed there and a little research might be needed to get that person's help with getting out of this universe.

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Unfortunately for Roxas, Sora had wandered into the vending machine hall as well in search of a couple of snacks. Riku was being a slow slob again, which meant it'd probably be a little bit before they actually sent an experiment up there. He'd have to demonstrate his displeasure about his tardiness later.

He spotted Roxas by one of the machines, and smirked. While he didn't have any respect for the Nobody, he didn't exactly dis-respect him the way Riku deserved it. But with how many had now been acting so goody-goody lately...well, that did raise some questions.

Sora walked over to the soda machine and put some money in...acting nonchalant, but actually keeping a close eye on Roxas's words and actions. "Keeping busy, Nobody?"

So much for avoiding Sora until he had a better idea of his own mirror self's behavior. Then again, Roxas knew better than to expect things to work out as planned all the time. Sora could be a little difficult normally. This mirror 'verse crap was something else entirely.

However, there was an assumption Roxas felt comfortable making. The way he and Sora argued about things normally, which wasn't so much arguing as talking in circles because of Roxas hoping in vain that something would get through that thick skull, probably had an equivalent of some kind in the mirror universe. The interaction was probably a lot less healthy here, but that was probably to be expected.

With that in mind, snarking at him didn't seem like a bad idea, "I do have a name, you know. Or are you too busy bossing people around to bother remembering?"

A soda fell to the bottom of the vending machine, and Sora grabbed it up and opened it with a carbonated pop. He and Roxas did banter a lot, although it was almost never good-natured. He couldn't help wondering if this was their usual banter, or something else...Roxas usually shot a nasty name back at him when Sora used one for him.

"I don't see why I should bother. And at least I've been busy doing something."

Lacking knowledge of how exactly his mirror self normally handled Sora's behavior, Roxas couldn't be sure if he'd done anything that tipped Sora off about him not being evil here. It hadn't really occurred to him that his mirror self might reciprocate the name calling. Even if it had occurred to him, he wasn't so sure he could be quite that mean.

Or maybe he could. His frustration with the situation certainly made being civil difficult. Maybe that would help, "It might reduce the urges to smash that fat head of yours against the wall. And really? Bullying the pretty boy and bitching about what everyone else should be doing? Real productive, that."

At least sarcasm was easy for Roxas even when he wasn't in a bad mood. If he was lucky, that might help him here.

Sarcasm at least was something that both the normal and the mirror Roxas shared. Although now it seemed a little more out of frustration than out of their usual mutual contempt.

"Why don't you go ahead and try? Maybe this time would be even funnier," he replied with a sneer. Even as he casually drank the soda with one hand, his other curled into a fist. Getting into fistfights was not unusual for them...in many ways, Sora even looked forward to them.

"And what do you care what I do with that overpreened wuss?"

So apparently mirror Sora was always looking for a scrap. Roxas wondered if maybe it was for the better that he couldn't find a journal for his mirror self. It might just be a more sordid read than Riku's.

The implication that his mirror self may have tried to bash Sora's head into the wall before didn't sit well. Maybe it made sense, though. He chose not to dignify that remark, though. There was something else a little more deserving of comment.

"I don't care, really. I just think it makes you look kind of pathetic. I mean, really? How tough do you think that makes you look?"

Rock and a hard place, this. Roxas didn't want this to escalate to fisticuffs, but it was starting to look like it would raise more suspicions if it didn't go that way.

Roxas certainly wasn’t giving his usual level of confrontation...true, he did insult his strength and motivations, but Roxas usually threw it back with a bit of boasting on his part, too. And he apparently didn’t have anything to say to his challenge. That just made Sora want to throw out challenges even more.

“I don’t care how tough you think I look. Riku needs the discipline.” As he said it, though, the manic grin seemed to more indicate that mirrored Sora just found bullying mirrored Riku to be fun. “Anyone else, I can show them how tough I am!”

The soda can in Sora’s hand began to crack and crinkle as he squeezed his fingers tighter around it.

Well that was interesting. Roxas halfway suspected that Sora knew already that something was off. His response to the lack of response to the challenge made Roxas uneasy, but letting on to that would probably cause more harm than good.

Even though it was already apparent that his reason for the bullying was amusement, it did seem like Sora hadn't liked the implication that he picked on Riku to make himself feel or seem tougher. Roxas could probably work with that, even if it probably called for working towards something he really would have preferred to avoid. Oh well. It wasn't like he was a sniveling weakling who couldn't handle getting his ass kicked or kicking ass if he needed to once in a while. "Whatever you need to tell yourself to feel better."

Maybe a good scrap would let off some pent up frustration and make planning a little easier.

By now, Sora was definitely suspecting that something was amiss with Roxas. He wasn't throwing back his usual insults, and seemed to be putting on a show more than really being himself. This seemed like as good an excuse as any to...persuade some more truths out of him.

"If you say so..." With that, Sora reached back and punched Roxas across the face.

"Hey, I feel better already!"

Well that was... not entirely unexpected given the indications in conversation. Roxas just hadn't expected it to come with so little provoking. Caught off guard, he staggered with the blow.

It might have taken him a little longer to decide on striking back if not for the remark about feeling better already after the punch. Really, this wasn't Sora, in some ways. Therefore, retaliating in kind didn't feel quite as bad. If Sora remembered this exchange, he would probably feel like shit, but Roxas couldn't afford to raise any more suspicions. If fisticuffs and nastiness between their mirror selves was common, he'd have to go with it.

"Oh yeah? How does this feel?" 'Feel' was emphasized with a boot to the groin.

That punch had felt good, and Sora was ready for a fight...but he wasn't ready for Roxas to immediately go for the low blow and kick him below the belt. Mirrored or no, blunt trauma to the groin was terribly painful no matter what, and Sora nearly collapsed onto his knees with a sharp grunt of pain.

It took him more time to recover from that retaliation, and when he did, he didn't have any response for Roxas. He just gritted his teeth in rage, and while he was down low, drove his fist hard into Roxas's stomach with the intent to knock the wind out of him.

While Roxas was better prepared for the incoming hit this time, it still knocked the wind out him. Not fun, but it wasn't going to put him down either. It did give Sora a little more time to recover, though.

At least Roxas was ready for wherever this was going to go, hopefully. He had noticed that here in the mirror verse, Sora seemed to be a bit stronger and it was possible this could end badly. Just how badly was the question...

Sora took advantage of the time given him by Roxas recovering from his last punch. Unfortunately, the kick to the groin had turned this little fight from something more common to something more rage-inducing, at least on Sora's side. He growled, managed to get to his feet again, reached up and gripped hard around Roxas's jaw, while raising his other fist. He looked prepared to deal Roxas another blow...something that would hurt a lot.

"You're going to regret that, Copy."

Oh this was going to hurt more than Roxas had been expecting. He'd expected retaliation to come quick. He hadn't been expecting Sora to more or less grab him by the neck to hold him for the next blow. He also hadn't expected the words that had accompanied it.

He would worry about responding to that after breaking out of Sora's grip... if he could. Here was where the difference in strength presented a problem. The best he could hope for was to try to block the incoming punch with one hand while trying to pry his way out of Sora's hold with the other.

Could this get any worse?

If he had his Keyblade, Roxas would have been in an even greater world of hurt. But even without it, he could still inflict a lot of pain.

And he did, starting with a hard punch in the jaw made worse by the fact that he still had him by the neck. He followed it up by bringing his knee up into Roxas's ribcage.

If they had their Keyblades, this fight might be going a little differently, though probably not by much.

By what what miracle that punch neither broke his jaw nor knocked any teeth, Roxas didn't know. What he did know was that it hurt like hell and the follow up knee to the ribs cracked something at least. Two could play that game though, Roxas kicked out, aiming for Sora's gut. He was pretty sure another nut shot was a bad idea, given the response to the first... even he had felt somewhat justified in the first one since Sora had gone off and punched him with almost no provocation.

So it had gotten worse and Roxas couldn't help feeling that there was still more that could go wrong...

That kick in the gut definitely hit home, and Sora grunted in pain. This was definitely more than their usual brawling, but considering the fact that he seemed to be winning, Sora almost didn't mind.

Hyped up on adrenaline from the fight, Sora ignored the pain in his stomach and grabbed up Roxas again, this time by the collar. He then turned, and moved to smash him into the wall. Even shielding himself from the impact, Roxas would likely feel a lot of that.

Son of a bitch! How much stronger was Mirror Sora exactly? Roxas was finding out the hard way. On top of that, Sora was clearly enjoying this.

Getting smashed into the wall certainly did nothing for his situation, unless making it worse counted. Any effort to shield himself from impact was still going to see him getting hurt. In this case, throwing out hand to try to catch himself and soften the blow only resulted in jamming his wrist in a way that may or may not have broken it.

It didn't stop him from retaliating, though. If Sora didn't start covering for it, he was going to keep getting kicked.

Unfortunately, Sora had been paying attention enough to notice that Roxas was trying to kick him again. He got the first kick a little bit in the side and stumbled backwards from it, wheezing. The next time, however, he dodged it and answered with another hard punch in the stomach. He followed it up with his own kick, aimed at Roxas's knees with the intent to bring knock him off his feet completely. He grinned like a maniac the entire time, barely suppressing a laugh.

Xion herself had been laying low this week, and having a bit more success at it than some others. If Riku's reaction to her were any indication, that could be because the version of her here that she'd replaced didn't resemble her that much. At some point maybe she could figure out a way to use that to her advantage, but she'd have to be sure of who else hadn't been replaced by this world's version of themselves.

At least she'd managed to confirm that Namine was still herself. Since the incident with Riku, they'd been sticking together, so they both heard the sounds of what seemed to be Roxas, Sora, and Ven fighting. They'd approached cautiously, but that faded into worry when they found Roxas lying on the floor, obviously badly hurt. "Roxas?!"

Namine's hand on her arm kept her at a safe distance, but the concern would be fairly obvious on her face.

Roxas was left wondering if such fights as the one he'd just been through were common in this universe... or at least, he would have been left wondering about that if he'd been left fully conscious. Sinking fully into painless unconsciousness seemed like a good idea and he might have let himself do just that if he hadn't heard a worried voice call his name.

It took him a moment to process that the worried voice he'd heard was Xion and another moment to consider the implications. It either meant that Xion wasn't mirrored or that Mirror Xion cared for Mirror Roxas. He really hoped it was the former, but the latter at least meant there wouldn't be more pain coming.

"X...Xion?"

Edited (Pressed 'sumbit' too soon...) 2013-02-19 05:31 (UTC)

Maybe they were, but that didn't make the end result any less worrying, even if this was a mirrored version of Roxas used to fighting with Sora and Ven like this. Namine wouldn't have blamed him for just wanting to sleep. At least neither she or Xion had any interest in inflicting any further pain. They were just concerned.

The relief on Namine's face when Roxas recognized Xion was probably visible. Given Riku's confusion, the fact that Roxas wasn't confused by her appearance was a good indicator that this wasn't a mirrored version of him. With that reassurance, she let go of Xion's arm and stepped forward.

"It's both of us."

She managed a slight smile as Xion hurried forward to kneel beside Roxas and check for injuries.

He really didn't have any guesses on how Mirror Xion or Mirror Namine would behave. It didn't occur to him that Mirror Xion might look different. Right now, it really didn't matter. What did matter is that he wasn't in any immediate danger. But now that his curiosity was piqued, he needed to at least get some confirmation that they weren't mirrored. He could allow himself to pass out after that.

The look on Namine's face was a good clue. She'd been tense, apparently, possibly fearing he was mirrored. He didn't know yet what had given her reason to relax, but whatever it was he couldn't say he had any problems with it. If she was relieved that he wasn't mirrored, well, the feeling was mutual.

Anything he might have wanted to say at this point came out as a brainless mumble.

As far as injuries went, bruises and scrapes were dominant. His left wrist hurt like hell and was bruised to crap on top of that. He really hoped it wasn't broken. Other than that, he knew for a fact he had a few cracked ribs. He wasn't sure if his difficulty maintaining consciousness was exhaustion from the fight or a head injury or both. Other than that, a split lip and his nose was bleeding, but he was pretty sure that wasn't broken. The most he could do now was lie still and let Xion and Namine check him over.

Neither Xion nor Namine had any idea of how the mirror version of Roxas behaved. All they had to go on was that somehow the mirrored Xion looked different, so anyone who recognized the real one for who she was probably was their original self. A small clue, yes, but enough to reassure them enough for Namine to relax and Xion the freedom to get to work patching Roxas up.

She hissed in sympathy when she saw how bad a state he was in up close. If they'd been on a mission, she'd have used a Cure or Potion before he'd gotten this badly hurt. The cuts and scrapes could be tended to easily enough with a first-aid kit, or even soap and water if that was all that was available. Cracked ribs could be dealt with using some makeshift bandaging and lots of rest. With how badly bruised the wrist was, a break wasn't impossible, so she gently started moving it to confirm. It would probably hurt, but if it was broken, it should be set soon, so they needed to know.

What really worried her was the lack of responsiveness. It could indicate a head injury, which meant they needed him to stay awake and trying to communicate. "Okay, Roxas, you're not going to like this, but I need you to stay awake. Can you focus your eyes on me or Namine?"

Xion mentioned Namine because the she'd come to sit beside them and offer what help she could.

The only thing Roxas had figured out for sure about his mirror self was that he tended to steal stuff and he picked fights with Sora and Ven, apparently on a regular basis. How he felt about Namine and Xion was a mystery yet, but he wasn't really sure he wanted to know that.

Xion had his attention before asking him to try to focus on her or Namine, though. The small movement of his wrist confirmed his concern about it being broken and drew sharp hiss of pain from him. The sharp intake of breath caused him further pain due to his cracked ribs, which in turn lead to a miserable grumble and some mild, mumbled swearing.

Well now he was a little more awake than he had been, though he still really wanted to just sleep, even if he knew better. He looked to Namine since he really hadn't realized she was there until Xion mentioned her. He didn't seem to be having too much difficulty focusing, but maybe enough to suggest that there was still reason for concern. "Sort of."

He knew that wasn't a good answer. It was just an honest answer. He knew that trying to pretend he wasn't hurt as bad as he actually was would only cause problems.

Fortunately there was no need to worry about how his mirror self acted around the mirror versions of either girl. Though caution on his part could be understood since he hadn't quite confirmed which version they were, even if they were confident in their knowledge of who they were dealing with.

Not as experienced as Xion or Roxas in gauging severity of injuries, Namine was content to offer moral support and help where she could. Still, even she knew that Roxas's reaction to Xion moving his wrist and his subsequent grumbling indicated nothing good. At least he was awake and talking to them, though, even if he was miserable. Even if it wasn't the best answer, it gave them something to go on.

There was something she could do fairly easily while she had his attention, though. Raising one hand and leaving only her index finger raised, she slowly began moving it. "Can you follow this with just your eyes?"

That should help confirm whether or not they should be worried about any head injury. Xion, meanwhile, quickly but gently set Roxas's hand back down and began muttering about the supplies they'd need. Not that there were many real first-aid supplies here, but substitutes could be found if they knew what they needed.

Roxas was inclined to assume that just the fact that they were helping him meant they weren't the mirror versions, but for all he knew, the mirror versions cared about mirror him. Right now, he didn't feel like puzzling that out, though it probably would be useful information.

Experience gauging the severity of injuries usually came from dealing with them. Not exactly experience one wanted unless they lacked a choice about dealing with injuries or wanted to pursue healing as a profession. While he wasn't particularly pleased to know his wrist was broken, he preferred knowing over not knowing. That way it could be tended properly.

Head injuries were indeed worrisome. On the other hand, so far his only symptoms were minor difficulties remaining conscious (he was still assuming exhaustion as at least a partial answer) and slightly blurry vision. Mostly. He was a little sluggish on the follow the finger test (did it even have a proper or technical name?). So, concussion, at least. He was pretty sure a fracture would mean a lot more pain in his head than he had, assuming he was even conscious. Given that he was conscious (when he'd rather not be) and had considerably worse pain elsewhere, he was pretty sure he wasn't dealing with a severe head injury. Still, he grumbled at the results. It would complicate things, among them his attempts to garner Mirror Riku's help in getting out of this universe...

Then Xion started muttering about what she'd need to patch him up. He thought about that a moment. He had seen some first-aid stuff somewhere in the course of wandering around and avoiding people as much as possible. Where had that been? Well, where was someone most likely to need at least minor first-aid? Right... "I think there might be some first-aid stuff in the lab."

Whatever the case, at least he wasn't fighting them and making the situation worse. Then again, Xion had never known him to turn down help unless he really felt it unnecessary, and both of them knew injuries like this were nothing to brush off.

When it came to experience with injuries, Xion and Roxas had been part of the former group. Missions had never been what anyone would call safe, and getting hurt was a daily occurrence. That said, with Hughes and MakubeX not her, Xion was becoming the default medic simply by being interested enough in learning what was needed to patch her friends up.

She wished they were here right now--the real them--because she would have liked some confirmation on the best course of action. As it was, she'd have to do what she could. Roxas definitely seemed to have a concussion, but thankfully not a severe one if he were able to communicate with them. They'd still have to keep him awake for a while, though, and keep an eye on him for the next few days.

At least he could think of an answer to some of her concerns. She hadn't meant to think out loud, but in this case, that had led to something good. "Okay. Can you walk if we help you? I don't think it's a good idea for any of us to be on our own now. Not with the others acting the way they are."

If he'd been looking for confirmation that they weren't mirrored, that would be a big hint. Probably a better one than outright saying they weren't, since he might be suspicions of such an obvious ploy to gain his trust.

Somehow, Roxas doubted his mirror self was stupid enough to make it harder for someone to help him. Man, he really needed to learn more about his mirror self, but it didn't seem like he kept any kind of journal and figuring out how he dealt with the others was proving to be kind of tricky. Well, at least he knew now what kind of relationship his mirror self had with Sora and Ven. For their sakes, he kind of hoped they wouldn't remember any of this when they finally got out of this universe.

Roxas knew Maes had some first aid experience, having been patched up before. He didn't know that about MakubeX. Still, they weren't here anymore, so that left others needing to fill in. At least this time wasn't severe. It was, however, painful and he was going to be out of action for a while.

Thinking out loud was kind of hit or miss with being helpful, though it had been this time. Roxas wasn't complaining... yet. He didn't really want to move and he might have argued the point if Xion didn't remind him that at least some of the others were... not themselves. That was a good enough reason not to stay put. "Yeah, I think so."

That was a pretty strong hint. It also seemed like everyone who was mirrored was blatantly petty, cruel and selfish and traits they still had from the normal universe, if any, were the ones mostly likely to complicate things. Sora's stubbornness and competitive streak came to mind in this case.

Namine had only the vaguest hint about her mirror self, but that had been enough. Thinking about a version of herself that was comfortable with erasing peoples' memories wasn't something she wanted to do too much if she could help it. Seeing how the mirrored versions of her friends acted was bad enough. She'd agree with Roxas that, for their sakes, she hoped they didn't remember anything that happened when they got back, and go so far as to hope that if they didn't remember, they wouldn't ask.

What Roxas called "not severe" she would call "very bad," but to each their own. If he tried anything else like this again soon, though, he was going to get a very disapproving look. That aside, all they could do was do the best they could to help him heal. At least they'd found him, and not some of the others.

With Roxas's assent, she followed Xion's instructions to help him stand, and support him on one side, trying to do as gently as possible. "Let us know if you need to rest on the way."

No need to overdo it while he was already injured. Namine just hoped that luck held, and they made it to the lab without running into any trouble.

Roxas didn't trust their luck, though. There was a chance their friends would remember this whole sordid affair and that wouldn't be good for anyone's mental health...

He hadn't been looking for a fight with Sora. He'd simply realized when it came up that not fighting him would raises suspicions. He didn't want to know what would have happened if someone else had found him...

Moving wasn't the most pleasant thing ever. It hurt but it actually was a bit better than staying on the cold floor. He didn't think he would need to rest on the way, but he agreed to let them know if he did.

They would be pretty well screwed if they did encounter someone who was mirrored...

Remembering the whole turn of events wouldn't be good for anyone's mental health, no. Which meant they probably would, since the satellite seemed to like to test that a lot. That was something they'd have to deal with when it happened. At the moment they had more than enough on their hands.

Attempting to act like her mirrored self wasn't something Xion had even considered. Then again, she wouldn't be able to fool anyone given what she'd learned from her fight with Riku. Not that she'd wanted to raise suspicions any more than she had to. It simply looked like that couldn't be avoided.

Thankfully, they did manage to avoid any other mirrored versions of the others. Safely in the lab, she and Namine helped Roxas sit on one of the tables. That done, she began looking for something to stabilize his wrist while it healed, along with a lot of water, bandages, and disinfectant.

Those things gathered, it was time to get to work. Xion let Namine take care of cleaning up the scrapes while she started trying to set Roxas's broken wrist. "This might hurt a little, sorry."

It did seem likely they would have some fallout to deal with. It almost seemed like the satellite itself enjoyed their suffering sometimes.

Roxas might already have raised suspicions by attempting to garner Riku's help in getting out of this 'verse. He wasn't sure.

Now that he thought of it, yeah, they had somewhere to patch him up, but he was going to need to rest too. They didn't even have bedrooms here and like hell was he sleeping in a storage closet. As such, he'd been camping out in the library, but he wasn't sure that was the best idea when he wasn't in any shape to fight if a situation arose.

One thing at a time. With Namine cleaning any open wounds and Xion working on his wrist, it was a little hard to really think of other things. He gave Xion a skeptical look at that remark, though. He was pretty she was understating, but he was really only being a smart ass with his reply. "... Only a little?"

Sometimes it did seem like the satellite had a mind of its own and was laughing at their problems. Odd to think, but true nonetheless.

Between the two of them and the suspicions they'd raised, it was probably a miracle Riku hadn't told Sora something that had Sora out to hurt them more than usual. Well, more than usual for this Sora.

Sleeping in a closet definitely wasn't any fun, nor any good for healing. There were a few overstuffed, too-squishy-to-really-be-comfortable couches in the library. Maybe they could all hide in those. Though that really was a thought for later.

"Oh, you know what I mean." Xion rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same. It was actually kind of a relief that Roxas was feeling enough like himself to make comments like that. Her smile soon gave way to her brow furrowing in concentrations as she set the wrist, splinting it and then wrapping it in bandages. Hopefully that would do the trick.

It was too bad there weren't really any painkillers in the lab. Muttering something about people who really needed to take a walk barefoot down a lego-covered hallway, she went to check his ribs.

Only sometimes?

Roxas may or may not have raised some suspicions himself, what with stealing Riku's lunch one day just to figure out what tactics might work best for getting his help with leaving this universe... Even though it seemed like stealing food here and there was actually something his mirror self did.

There might be a way to make those couches more comfortable, but Roxas would think of that when thinking was a little easier.

"Well, yeah, but sometimes understating it i--" The rest of the comment was lost in some unflattering spluttering noises that were probably slightly better than unflattering whimpers when his wrist was set. He might not have made any noises if he hadn't been in the middle of snarking back at that moment. Once it was splinted and wrapped up good, there was really nothing else to do for it but be careful with it and let it heal.

Painkillers would have been nice, but Roxas was pretty sure he could do without them if he had to. He raised an eyebrow to the muttering about bare feet and legos, but didn't comment. Whatever a lego, apparently stepping on one was bad thing, though he couldn't even begin to guess where Xion would have picked up such an expression. In any case, he sat still as she checked his ribs. He was pretty sure there wasn't much that could be done for that save making sure he didn't lie on that side or do anything else that would aggravate them or make things worse.

Not all the events were bad, even if they took some getting used to.

Considering that they probably couldn't act exactly like their mirrored counterparts, they were going to raise some suspicions anyway. Trying to get help from someone who was mirrored hadn't occurred to Namine, It wasn't necessarily a bad idea, but potentially a risky one. It would help if they could find a way to learn more about this universe and why everyone here seemed so different from their usual selves.

She'd help him think of something once they were done here.

Wincing in sympathy at his reaction to getting his wrist set, she paused in cleaning up his scrapes to put a hand on his shoulder. Once he'd settled and Xion was checking to see what they should do about the ribs, she started patching up the last few little cuts. Noticing his raised eyebrow, she offered an explanation. "We heard about these little building blocks called Legos. They're really small and have sharp edges, so if you step on it really hurts. Especially if you don't have shoes on."

There, all done. Now to see what Xion said about how to treat the injuries to his ribs.

Well, the animal things hadn't been bad, he supposed.

Roxas felt like he might be able to act a but like his mirror self if he knew more about him. The hard part would be getting that information...

On the plus side, it was probably perfectly doable to fix the squishiness of those couches. So it wasn't a hopeless thing.

He had expected it to hurt. That didn't make it any easier to keep quiet about it. At least from this point, it wouldn't be getting worse. At explanation of legos, he shook his head, "Sounds fun."

Yes, Roxas was kind of curious about that too, especially since he was wondering when she'd learned this stuff.

They hadn't been bad at all, until Pearl had sent the cages. Or Discord or the Missing No. showed up. New forms took some getting used to, but they'd been fun after that.

Getting information was the tricky part. Asking questions would lead to more suspicions, which could lead to worse trouble if the mirrored folks found out the truth of what was going on.

Xion would leave couch improvement to the others; it wasn't really her thing. Right now she was a little more concerned with patching up Roxas. Most of what she knew she'd learned from talking with Hughes and MakubeX, or reading the few informative books on the media deck. It wasn't always detailed information, but usually enough that she could avoid doing more harm than good when she tried to help her friends.

On second thought, they might not want to bandage the ribs. Fortunately, there were supplies to make an ice pack in the lab. Wrapping one in a towel she handed it to Roxas. "Here. Let's try this for now. If it gets really bad, we can try some bandages, but I don't want to do something that might mess with your breathing..."

No, the forms hadn't been that bad. The circumstances around them, on the other hand...

Getting information certainly could be tricky. Getting help with getting out of the mirror verse might turn out to be easier, if things worked out with Riku. They could hope, anyway.

The only thing Roxas could regarding the couch depended on what exactly made them too squishy. He might have a better idea once he saw it. As it was, getting patched up had to come first. He had noticed the informative books on the media deck, but they really were very few and far between.

He hadn't really thought about that. It has actually a little hard to breathe as it was, largely because it hurt to. And a bandage probably wouldn't do much of anything for cracked bones anyway. He took the ice pack and carefully held it to his side. "I think this might be enough."

The circumstances surrounding the changes hadn't been good, no. It was too bad, especially since the unpleasant part usually started just as soon as they were getting used to the new forms.

Namine herself was going to avoid this Riku, for various reasons. If Roxas could convince him to help, though, that could be useful. If nothing else, they could at least get some more information about this place.

Finding out what made the couches squishy could probably happen soon. It looked like they were finished patching Roxas up if both he and Xion were okay with just using the ice pack on his ribs. He still needed to rest, though, and that might be the most likely place.

"Okay. Do you want to sleep? I don't think staying where someone could find us easily is a good idea..."

That wasn't likely to change any time soon.

This version of Riku being the creeper that he was, Roxas would honestly prefer to avoid him as well. Problem was, he was probably the best choice to coax into helping them, if at least because Roxas had been able to get a small bit of information on him.

The ice pack certainly helped, but he definitely needed to rest. And yes he did want to sleep. He just wasn't sure whether or not it was a good idea at the moment.

He thought about that for a moment. He had been hiding out in the library, for the most part and he was aware of the squishiness of the couches. They were okay for sleeping on when one was in good shape. He was not in good shape at the moment. It still sounded like a better idea than the closet and maybe, if he took a better look, he could figure out how to make the couches better suited to his current situation. "We could try the library."

No, no it wasn't. They'd just have to keep making the best of things.

Xion wasn't going to avoid Riku, but she might have made him want to avoid her. That having been the goal, so much the better. Really, considering her mood at the moment, none of the mirrored people would want to cross her path.

She'd save any scowling for them, though. Now she was mostly concerned about her friends and getting Roxas to a safe place to get some rest. Injuries tended to, that was what he needed the most right now.

A short stay in the library was all that was required to become acquainted with the uncomfortably squishy couches. Unfortunately, those looked like their best bet. Xion was not agreeing to the closet, so it was probably a good thing Roxas suggested the library himself. "That might be best. Do you need us to help?"

It did allow time to work some things out, even if it might not be remember when/if they returned to their own worlds.

There were so many things wrong with this universe. Roxas was especially disgusted with it since it had sort of put him into a position of having to manipulate someone to get help with getting out of it. That he was able to bring himself to do it bothers him more than a little, though he's willing to chalk it up to necessity.

Rest sounded so good at the moment.

Roxas wasn't sure he wanted to know why there was no place to sleep besides a closet. Nor did he want to know how exactly it had enough room for everyone. The library had come to mind expressly because there were couches there and sleeping on a couch was better than sleeping on the floor or a table or some such. Especially now. "At least there's something there to lay on. Uh, yeah, a little might be good."

Even if they didn't actively remember anything, the links in their chains of memory would still be there, waiting to be reconnected. Maybe they'd eventually remember some of their time here.

Desperate times often called for desperate measures, and sometimes made people realize unpleasant truths about themselves. Namine had certainly had to face up to some of that in Castle Oblivion, and, to a lesser extent, with putting Roxas in the digital Twilight Town. If he waned to talk about it later, she'd be willing to listen.

Rest was the best thing when you were hurt or not feeling well. It also required something better than a table or a floor, yes. Even if the couches weren't very comfortable, they were better than what was offered in the closet. Fewer people tended to go there, too, and the fewer people who know Roxas was hurt, the better.

Along with Xion, she helped Roxas down off the table and out of the lab. Hopefully their luck would hold again and they wouldn't run into anyone on the way to the library.

That certainly was possible.

If he wanted to talk about it at all, it probably wouldn't be until they were out of this universe. He understood being the victim of manipulation all too well. Being the one to do the manipulating was strange and while he saw how it could be useful, it wasn't fun and he would never understand the kind of mind that would find it fun.

Amusingly, Roxas was pretty sure he could take this 'verse's Riku even in his current condition. That was neither here nor there, really. Just a random thought. Yeah, he needed rest.

Roxas had probably used up a good chunk of bad luck just running into Sora in this place. As such, they didn't encounter anyone.

They'd have to see what happened. Despite some of the bad things that had happened, Xion couldn't say she wanted to forget.

Xion would offer a listening ear if he wanted, too. She'd had to do her own share of manipulating, after a fashion, to get the Riku here to back off. It was strange, using something from what had been a game in such a bad way. While she'd been happy at the time that she'd achieved her goal, really the whole experience was leaving her with a bad feeling now.

If Roxas was thinking silly things like that, he really did to rest. Fortunately, that was soon to happen, since they made it to the library without any trouble. Glad for that, she helped Roxas sit down on one of the couches.

There certainly were some things that Roxas was fine with remembering. Other things... well, sometimes some bad stuff had to come along with the good stuff.

It would happen eventually, but for now, it could wait. He didn't really want to think of it at the moment.

He already knew the couches were too squishy. He hadn't properly thought of why, but now that he was thinking of it while actually sitting in one, he realized that part of the problem was a lack of proper support underneath the cushions. He pressed on the cushions a little with his good hand, thinking. Was it bad enough to fix it immediately or could it wait until after he'd gotten a little rest and was thinking a little more clearly? "Hmm..."

Truth be told, if it was suggested that he wait, he would. The couches were the best thing available at the moment and while they weren't all that great, it was probably good enough for now.

There were many things Namine would want to remember. It was true, though, that one couldn't always control which links in their chain of memories remained the strongest and brightest.

Whenever he was ready, she would listen. That's what friends did, right? Not wanting to talk about it right away was understandable, though.

Seeing him test the couch cushions, she held back a sigh. After all that, he still wanted to try to fix the couches for sleeping? They could do that after he'd rested. It was a good thing she and Xion were there. "Why don't you get some rest now? We can be quiet so we don't bother you."

As long as it wasn't all bad memories, he found he couldn't complain too much.

He probably needed to talk about it, but there were more pressing matters at the moment.

He was indecisive at best about whether or not he wanted to try to fix them now. Left to his own devices, he might have debated it a little longer before coming to whatever decision. However, he did have someone looking after him in this case and the reminder that he wasn't the only one aware he needed to rest in the first place helped in deciding. The couch would be fine for a little while at least. He muttered an affirmative and made himself as comfortable as possible. Whether they were quiet or not wasn't going to matter much. He was soon dozing and would likely need some prodding if anyone wanted to get his attention.

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Someone really wishes this was all a dream...

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