revenance_rpg | Seventh Link

Entry tags:

Seventh Link

Characters: Namine and Wash
Content: Namine draws while Wash looks on and asks questions
Location: Traverse Town, Tea Shop
Time: Morning
Warnings: Hints at some KH background
Notes: Mais non

It had only taken a few weeks for Namine to get used to how busy times at the tea shop came and went. That accomplished, she'd taken to bring a sketchbook down to keep her entertained during the times where not many people were there, but someone had to be watching the store just in case. Cluttering up the area behind the counter with too many art supplies was a bad idea, but a simple sketchbook and pencil didn't take up too much space and she could put them away easily when a customer came.

Most of her sketches had been of Traverse Town and the people there, along with the Spirits. With Twilight Town open now, she'd taken to drawing scenes from there. The current page had a sketch of the clock tower she was pleased with, and she was just finishing an outline of the mansion when the door opened.

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It had been a little while since Wash had spent any good amount of time in the tea shop. Sure, he swung by regularly for his morning coffee, but lately he'd been preoccupied with exploring Twilight Town, trying to figure out both the place and the evasive answers from the people who seemed to have been there before. Part of him wanted to keep going, keep searching and investigating until this place finally spit out some answers. Another part of him - in a voice that sounded uncannily like a certain annoying medic - reminded him that this wasn't an actual military mission and it wasn't time-sensitive as far as anybody knew and he could take a break if he wanted to. Plus, he hadn't really seen Namine in a while.

Okay, there was no way Doc could have known about Namine. That didn't mean that little voice didn't have a point.

He pushed open the door to the tea shop, wearing civilian clothes for once. He felt safer in his armor, but he'd taken the route with fewer Nightmares and he had additional backup now: a Necho Cat pranced in the shop ahead of him, stopping and looking intently in all directions, including at the ceiling, before meowing her approval and continuing on in. Wash rolled his eyes and waited for Fang to swoop in as well before closing the door behind him. "I already told you it was safe," he muttered to the cat before looking up. "Hey, Namine."

Twilight Town's appearance seemed to have lured most people over there for some exploration, including Namine herself. She still tended to keep to Traverse Town for purposes of keeping both shops running, but it was nice to see sunlight sometimes. At least now, she had enough Spirits to make going out on her own a bit less dangerous. Well, enough Spirits who were strong enough to deal with the usual Nightmares easily, and enough magic to defend herself and back them up. Excursion still had to be short, but they were at least more possible and frequent than they had been.

At least people still seemed to like stopping by the tea shop. She was finding that she'd miss them if their visits became less frequent. Maybe it was some of Kairi's natural friendliness taking effect, or just becoming used to being around people more. There were some social situations that were still confusing, but the daily tea shop interactions were mostly easy by now.

She smiled at the new cats antics, then at Wash and Fang. "Hello, Agent Washington. Did you get a new Spirit?"

"Just Wash," he reminded her, watching as the cat bounded onto the table and scrutinized Namine, making absolutely certain Namine wasn't a threat to her person. Wash just sighed, lifting the cat off the table. Hopefully she'd calm down soon - he didn't want to have to keep doing this forever. "No, I think I got a new bodyguard. She's a little uptight."

"Okay, Wash." Getting used to nicknames and who didn't mind them would take time. If he'd rather be called Wash, though, that was something she could do. It wouldn't be good to keep calling him something he didn't like. She blinked in surprise when suddenly faced with the cat's scrutinizing glance, then offered a small smile and a hand to sniff. That had helped with Spot, when she'd first gotten him and he was still getting to know her. "Being cautious isn't always bad."

The cat ignored the proffered hand in favor of keeping her eyes on Namine - until Wash picked the cat up, at least. It yowled in protest and batted ineffectively at his hands. It needed to make sure the new person was safe!

Wash took a seat and deposited the cat in his lap, keeping a hand on her to keep her off the table and try to calm her down. "Yeah, but there's caution and there's paranoia. I'm pretty sure Melody's paranoid." In his lap, Melody huffed and flicked her tail. She was only doing it to keep him safe!

Wash simply ignored her. The cat would calm down soon enough, he hoped. "It's been a while. How've you been?" He wasn't all that great at small talk, but now seemed to be a good time for it.

When the cat began protesting, Namine took a step back. Not that she was afraid the cat would leap at her, but mostly to avoid accidental injury. Not the most outwardly friendly cat. Too bad, since Spot had come bounding out from the back room in case the new Spirit wanted to play. For his part, Batty swooped in to land on Namine's shoulder and chitter a greeting. Introductions to Teddy would have to wait until later, but maybe that was for the best.

"She's like this around everyone?" Considering that Wash didn't seem likely to need much protection, it was almost amusing to think one of his Spirits felt the need to look out for him like this. Namine managed not to laugh, though.

"I've been okay. Not very busy here--I think everyone's been exploring Twilight Town. I went a couple of times." They hadn't been long visits, but a nice break from the usual sights. "I've had lots of time to draw." Here she gestured to her sketchbook. "You?"

"Yeah, she is." Wash scratched behind Melody's ears, trying to calm her down. She was still very much on edge, despite his prior assurances that the tea shop was safe and that Namine was a friend, not a threat. "She's suspicious until she's satisfied that everything's safe. So far nothing I've said has made a difference." Which was kind of a pain, given he'd had to convince Melody every time she met one of his friends that they were indeed a friend.

Fang landed on Wash's shoulder and squeaked at Batty and Spot. Melody might not want to play, but he sure does! Hearing that, Melody meowed a rebuttal. It's not that she doesn't want to play - she just has priorities. She has to make sure her person is safe.

"Yeah, probably. It's nice to get some sun after a few months of night. Just- don't tell Luna that." She seemed a little touchy about that sort of thing sometimes. "And I wouldn't go back without taking someone with you - the Nightmares out there are tougher than the ones here." Lizards that could ambush you from underneath the floor, cats that caused explosions, sheep that could knock you out...it was not a good place for a noncombatant.

He glanced at her sketchbook when she indicated it, brow furrowed slightly when he saw the outline on the top page. Riku had mentioned a mansion in Twilight Town that he couldn't get to in the dream world and had been cagey when Wash had wanted more information. Namine and Riku were friends. And there was an outline of a mansion on her sketchpad...and the last time he'd written something off as a coincidence, he'd literally walked into a minefield. He was not about to do that again. "I haven't seen that house before. Where is it?"

"So she's a little more protective than a lot of the others." Most Spirits seemed content to be friendly unless provoked, or there were Nightmares nearby. Namine had never seen one that was so alert to potential danger outside of those times. Well, there was a first time for everything. She just made sure to not move too quickly and always be where Melody could easily watch her.

Batty was always up for some bat-tag; how about a game of that? The room was pretty big, so they could fly around without getting into too much trouble. For his part, Spot cautiously approached and sniffed at Wash and Melody. Really, there was no need for Melody to be so worried. His person wouldn't do anything mean; she was probably the biggest softie here.

Namine nodded. She knew how Luna was sensitive to people disapproving of nighttime. "It's nice to see a little sunlight. I'm getting better with magic, too, and I always have Batty, Spot, or Teddy to help." Long excursions alone probably weren't advisable yet, but some simple exploration should be okay. The cats were actually kind of cute; she was thinking of getting one of those, or maybe a rabbit.

When he asked about the mansion, she frowned thoughtfully. How much should she tell? Part of it was Riku's story, and she couldn't give that away without his permission. Just saying where it was, though, should be okay. "It's in the real Twilight Town. We can't get there here."

In some ways, that was a good thing. It wasn't really a good place, though it had been home for a while.

"If by 'a little' you mean 'a lot,' then sure," Wash replied with a shrug.

Fang squeaked enthusiastically and took off, winging by Batty while making sure not to get too close to Namine - didn't want to risk accidentally hitting her. Tag, Batty's it! Melody, meanwhile, sniffs at Spot as well. Is he sure? She wants to make absolute certain that nobody hurts her person, and that includes Dream Eaters and other people alike.

On one hand, it was reassuring to know that Namine always had her Spirits with her; on the other hand, Wash had seen just how much damage the Nightmares in Twilight Town could do, and as great as Spirits were, sometimes they just weren't enough. "Still, you should have someone watching your back. Let me know next time you want to go and I'll go with you."

"It's not here?" As though he hadn't already gotten the information from Riku. "That doesn't make sense. Any idea why?"

That habit of understatement was something Namine was going to have to work on. She nodded in understanding, but moved on to the next subject.

"Okay, I'll let you know." Having some company would be nice, and maybe she could show Wash the magic she'd been learning. True, it wasn't as much as some of the others knew, but Ienzo trusted her to be out by herself now. "I don't know why it isn't here...There should be an opening to the woods that lead to it, but that wall is whole now."

In contrast to the more serious conversation between their people, the game appeared to be on for Batty and Fang. Batty took off after being tagged. For his part, Spot rolled over to loll around on his back. He was sure Namine was safe. The only time she got mean was when she thought Spot was asking for too many treats or getting into something he should be leaving alone. Besides, she and Melody's person had been friends for a while.

Looked like Namine didn't know why it was gone either. Still, she might know more about what happened there. On one hand, Wash did want that information, because filling in any of the pieces of the puzzle would help; on the other hand, he sure as hell didn't want to interrogate Namine. The solution, for now, was to keep it light. "Riku said something about the dream version of Twilight Town not being as old as the waking version," he said conversationally. "He also told me he'd stayed at that mansion for a while." He was testing the waters; hopefully it'd pan out.

Fang squeaked, wheeling through the air gleefully and doing his best to stay ahead of Batty. C'mon, keep up! Meanwhile, Melody regarded Spot thoughtfully. If Spot was certain that his person was nice, she supposed she could allow it. That didn't mean she wouldn't be keeping an eye on things, however.

Keeping it light was the right decision. While Namine would happily do what she could to answer the questions of a curious friend, any hint of interrogation would be met with resistance. In the case that didn't work, she'd find a way to tell the others about it later ("the others" being everyone from her set of worlds").

Confirming what Wash had already heard, though, shouldn't be a problem. "If he said that, he's probably right--he knows more about the realm of sleep than me." Memories were her area of specialty. "He did stay at the mansion for a while--both of us did." Her tone probably hinted that it hadn't been the best of times, but that couldn't be helped.

Oh, Batty was keeping up. Just a little more and he should be able to tag Fang. One little stretch of the wing, and there! Tag, Fang was it. Batty pulled a major U-Turn to get away quickly. As far as Spot was concerned, Melody could keep an eye on things all she wanted, but it would probably be wasted effort. She should also know that he wouldn't tolerate any meanness towards his person, either. No dramatics in that assertion, either.

"Has he explained anything about this place to you?" Wash asked. "I mean, I don't know about you, but I don't usually wind up staying in a completely different world for months when I dream." Though he wasn't about to go into what did happen when he dreamed. That trauma didn't need to be shared.

"Doesn't sound like it was too much fun." He'd gotten used to reading in tone and body language what wasn't said in words, and between Namine's tone and what Riku had told him he was starting to figure that the stay in said mansion had been out of necessity...to save Sora, for some reason. What he'd needed saving from was still something Wash hadn't quite grasped. "Why would you stick around if it was that bad?"

Fang squeaked, backwinging madly to try to slow down enough to turn. It took him a few seconds of midair flailing, but he finally managed to swing around and start pursuing Batty again. Melody, on the other hand, didn't spare the bats a glance, still looking at Spot. She wasn't mean; she was vigilant. There was a difference. Nonchalantly, she rolled over on her back and batted at Wash's hand, indicating that belly rubs were in order. She could be vigilant and still get belly rubs at the same time.

"We haven't had a lot of time to talk just between the two of us. I think he's told me about as much as he's told anybody else." With Riku out and about most of the day, and Namine generally sticking close to home, they didn't have a lot of opportunities to talk and catch up. As far as individual dreams went, Wash was safe from any questions from her on that front. Her own being something she liked to keep private, she didn't ask others about theirs unless they seemed to want to talk about it.

Apparently inspired by Melody's bid for belly rubs, Spot made his way over to Namine to ask for some himself. She reached down to pat him, grateful for the distraction that gave her a moment to consider her response. Telling everything wasn't an option, not yet, but it might be a good idea to see how much Wash knew. "We were staying there while we helped someone."

To help repair damage they'd done would have been a better way of putting it, but that was too much information. It was the truth, though; one she couldn't escape the way Batty was frantically fleeing Bruce's attempt to tag him. Watching the bats play, she smiled.

"Yeah, Riku mentioned that." It was strictly the truth - Riku had only mentioned that he'd spent time in the mansion. He hadn't exactly elaborated beyond one other detail. "To help Sora. He seems like a pretty self-sufficient guy, though - what'd he need help with?" It was a leading question, but it was better than most of the alternatives Wash could think of.

He reached down, rubbing Melody's belly at her insistent pawing. She meowed happily. Success! Up above them, Fang barely managed to catch up to Batty and skimmed by him, tagging him with a wing. Gotcha!

It was like Riku to be cautious when it came to giving out information as a general rule. When it came to information about his and Sora's adventures, he was even more cautious than usual. "Even Sora needs help sometimes."

Now came the difficult part. Namine didn't want to lie, but the full truth included parts of others' stories that they might not want discussed. Best to keep it as general as possible. "It was about a year ago for me. There were some people who wanted to use Sora, so they tried to set up a trap as a way to get control over him. The plan didn't work in the end, but he needed time to recover. So the man who owns the mansion in the real Twilight Town let us stay there while he healed."

There was so much left unsaid that it was almost a lie, but enough of the truth that it wasn't. Spot nudged at her hand, trying to distract her by begging for more pats. Batty chittered an apology for having to put the game on hold to Fang, then swooped down to her shoulder to nuzzle at her cheek.

That was the tip of the iceberg and Wash knew it. Namine's story was probably the truth, but only just enough of it to keep it from being a lie - all the important information was still well beneath the surface. It wasn't too tough to figure out - Wash had enough experience crafting those types of stories to be able to tell what it was.

He didn't want to tear her story down; on the other hand, if he stopped now, he wouldn't have another good place to start. The trick was to balance, to ask questions without getting too rough or too deep. It was a trick Wash was absolutely terrible at, but he could at least go slowly. He waited until Batty and Spot had offered their assurances before continuing, asking his question as gently as he could. "What were you hiding from?"

Having hurt so many people by using false memories, Namine preferred to stick to the truth as much as possible these days. Wash was right in guessing that what she'd giving him was only a small hint at what had really happened. That wasn't anything against him, though; just caution born from some experience. Not to mention that she wasn't very practiced at telling a story she didn't want to tell unless she had to.

Petting Spot, who had wormed his way into her lap, she considered his question. He seemed genuinely concerned, at least, and she didn't think he'd use the information for anything malicious. There wasn't any harm in warning him about certain dangers, at least. The Organization could still possibly be a threat. "Organization XIII. They were the ones who had tried to trap Sora to begin with. If they'd found us..."

Her silence probably said more than any words could.

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Seventh Link

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