sirenspull | Moonrise 006

You usually enter without knocking. I had to be prepared to intimidate just in case.

[The door will close and he'll slip entirely back into his calmer expression before moving toward the kitchen. He'll wait until Axel presses before explaining, because he doesn't want to exactly talk about what happened per se.]

I hadn't been to your new place yet; I had'a make sure it wasn't booby-trapped. Can't be too careful, when you're involved. [Axel assumes his usual posture against the nearest wall: arms folded, head bowed a bit, and his eyes follow Saïx as he heads to the kitchen. After a beat of silence he sighs gustily and pushes away from the wall to follow.] So what gives? You've never really been the type to hide when trouble comes knocking--is it that bad?

[He doesn't bother to specify what 'it' is in reference to. He knows Saïx was bound to reap some unpleasant repercussions from his little incident with Xemnas, but he hadn't really expected Saïx to go undercover because of it.]

You don't waste any time.

[He'll leave the pizza be for now, but he doesn't turn to face Axel. That alone should say how bad things were. Unpleasant is putting it mildly, after all.]

...Let's just say the dog and the moving are both an attempt to keep Xigbar uninterested in me. I feel he doesn't think he's done enough to me yet.

Hey, time is naps.

[And he just stares at Saïx's back a moment. It's funny; not that long ago Axel supposes Saïx might not have even exposed his back to him, and given what had happened between them, the sentiment would have been mutual. But now... everything was different now. Now that Axel knows what happened to Isa, what drove him to lose his heart... it doesn't change what Saïx did, but Axel can't quite damn him the way he used to anymore. And somehow seeing his old friend's spine bent in just that way, like something too heavy to bear was resting just so upon his shoulders, Axel feels a strange squirming discomfort in his gut.

[And he doesn't like it. Feelings are stupid and far too troublesome. Clearing his throat, he folds his arms again. He could ask any number of biting questions here: Did you really think that you could just kill Xemnas and get away with it? Did you really expect there wouldn't be any backlash? Do you truly believe you can hide from the Organization?

['You can't turn your back on the Organization!'

[But he'll settle for something a bit less incendiary for now.]

Do you honestly think a dog is going to stop Xigbar?

A warning is all I need.

[And a barking dog is plenty warning to get the hell out of there while he can. He knew he'd face some kind of punishment. He just didn't expect Xigbar to be capable of what he had been--of hitting all of Saix's weak points just so--and still want more. He knows enough to be able to outrun them for a time, and he also knows Xemnas is very aware that his move in this game they play was on him. Which is, in the end, quite fortunate. Xemnas could always do even worse damage psychologically to him than even Xigbar had, which is saying something.]

[Axel stares for a moment, taking in the tone of Saïx's voice, the tilt of his head, the slight bow of his shoulders, and then Axel's lips part in shock. Saïx... is afraid? In all the years he has known him, Axel has never really known Saïx to be afraid of anything! Not really, anyway. It was a completely different sort of fearlessness than he himself had always been prone to--Axel wasn't afraid because admitting fear was lame and it was easier to just pretend not to be. Saïx wasn't afraid because admitting fear was the first step toward failure, and failure was something he'd never been able to abide.

[There had been fear in the dream, when he'd heard Xemnas' voice looming above, when he'd felt the blade cut into his skin. Isa had been afraid then, but that was different. This is different. This isn't reactive fear, this is proactive fear, the likes of which Axel has never once felt come from his old friend.

[Impulsively, Axel steps forward and takes Saïx by the elbow, tugging his arm to force him to face him. His bright eyes are narrow and suspicious. He wonders absently if this is how Roxas felt, knowing that his friend knew so much more than he did, but choosing instead to keep it to himself. There's so many more layers to this than Saïx is letting on, and Axel's sick of being kept in the dark.]

What the hell happened? You show up on my doorstep covered in Xemnas' blood, and then you fall off the face of the earth--I get a Light-damned text message with a new address, and you won't even explain why. [He releases Saïx's arm and shakes his head fiercely.] Remember when we used to actually tell each other when something was up? Remember when we used to be a team? When we never had to look over our shoulders 'cuz we just knew the other was there? Isa? How the hell can you expect me to have your back if you won't even tell me what I'm up against?

[when Saix is turned, he doesn't look afraid, per se, but... Weary. Tired. Like he's not been sleeping a lot. He just remains quiet for a moment, not saying a word, allowing the weariness to sink in before he finally speaks.]

There is a reason Xigbar is Xemnas' right-hand man.

[Axel knows that look well; he's worn it himself on more than one occasion. But he doesn't meet Saïx's fatigued expression with sympathy, no, he meets it with indignation.]

So Xigbar's riding your ass, and it didn't occur to you to, gosh, I dunno, talk to me about it? [He audibly plants a hand over his face.] Light, for a strategic genius you're really freaking stupid sometimes.

[Saix does not like being pushed into any sort of corner. and that's precisely what Axel is doing, even if he doesn't realize it.]

At the moment, Axel, the less you know, the safer you are.

[Axel needs to know as little about the events after Xemnas' death until now as possible. There were too many vulnerable spots exposed, and the less involved Axel is at the moment, the better. They have to both lie low for a little while.]

Oh for crying out loud, Saïx, since when have you ever given a damn about my safety? [Hi, remember sending me off to C.O. with the expectation of being annihilated like the rest of them? He does.] Stop trying to play the martyr, it really doesn't suit you.

[Saix's reaction is quick. He'd already been in a bad mood--lacking sleep, lacking stability, lacking control and Axel's continued pushing has gone just a tad too far. Hands grip material as Saix goes to lift his childhood friend off the ground to demonstrate just how serious this is.]

Do you want to know what happened, Axel? After I left you and returned home, I got ready for work. And as soon as I arrived, I was greeted by Xigbar. I was then held for ten days at least from what I can estimate, chained to a chair. And he reminded me of where I began--as the little boy cut open and then marked as subhuman, unable to even struggle for my own life. That is why you cannot be involved at the moment.

[That's more like the Saïx he knows. Axel figured it would take getting under his skin to get him to spill--Saïx has always preferred to suffer alone and in silence, the fool. He doesn't flinch as he is lifted from the floor, and merely waits quietly for Saïx to finish. When he's through snarling, Axel doesn't bother trying to break the hold--he knows just how firm his grip can be. So he just lifts his chin a bit and gives him a harsh look. His voice is low and level, smooth, without any hint of the agitation in his eyes.]

I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to know, you jackass. If you think you're gonna hide everything from me again this time around, you've got another thing coming, old friend. If you really believe I'm just going to sit around with my thumbs up my ass then you really don't know me as well as you'd like to think you do.

Now put me down and let's talk about this like adults, idiot.

[When Axel has to tell you to act like a grownup, you know it's pretty bad.]

The fact you won't sit back is precisely why I didn't want you to know about it yet.

[He knows Axel. And he knows how reckless Axel can be when things get too personal. But he'll lower Axel and release him, quietly going to sit down on his couch and remain there.]

Oh, so you were actually worried about me? I'm so flattered. [Just an eyeroll, though; no smoke or fire or chakrams this time.

[He pointedly dusts off the front of his coat and then folds his arms over his chest as Saïx moves to the couch. Watching him for a minute, Axel just shakes his head, his expression caught somewhere between insult and injury.]

I really don't know what goes on in that head of yours sometimes. [It's a completely genuine admission.] Half the time I think I know you better than you do, and then the rest of the time I wonder who the hell you are and what the hell you did with the kid I used to be friends with. [His eyes narrow, but in scrutiny more than anger or suspicion.] I know Isa's still in there somewhere--even you can't throw everything away. My being here is proof enough of that.

[He lists backward a bit and sidles up to the wall, adopting that usual posture again and giving Saïx a neutral look.] Lemme ask you this, then: did you escape, or did Xigbar let you go?

[He closes his eyes. Axel is not aware of just how right he is--Isa is still here and painfully so. And that's precisely what Xigbar "reminded" him of. He remains silent a good, long moment.]

...He released me. But that in itself only makes me all the more wary.

[Axel watches him a moment, then shakes his head and moves toward the couch, sitting on the opposite arm.] Mm... I think if he still had it out for you he wouldn't have let you go. [A brief pause as he tucks one leg up and plants his hands on his ankle, and then he gives Saïx a sidelong look.] Really, he's not the catch-and-release type, in my experience; he'd be as lazy as I am if he could get away with it. Why go through the trouble of catching you again? Especially when he knows you're not stupid, no matter how much I might tell him otherwise.

I'm fairly sure he wouldn't have released me, given the choice. Xemnas probably ordered my release. It was his mistake that cost him his life, after all.

[A single mistake in the game they play is deadly, after all, and Xemnas made the wrong move. It's like losing the Queen in a game of chess. It can happen if one judges their opponent's next move wrong.]

[It's funny to think how things have changed... not just from their heyday back in Radiant Garden, but from how things were not even a year ago, from where Axel's standing. Once, Saïx had been Xemnas' golden boy, and here he is tucked away in hiding, legitimately concerned for his life. Once, Axel had been the traitor, the fugitive, and here he is the poster boy for Xino Mao Employee of the Month (really, he's been on his best behavior! His worst infraction of late was finishing the French Vanilla coffee creamer in the break room without replacing it, and no one can even pin that one on him, he's quite sure).

[But then... the more things change, the more they stay the same, right?]

Still making me do the icky jobs... [A gusty sigh and Axel shakes his head.] I'll talk to Xigbar. Ah--! [He holds up one finger to preemptively hold off any protests.] They still think I hate your guts, remember? Yeah, you tried to kill me, you bastard--I haven't forgotten that, either. [His arm drops to his side again and he gives Saïx a frown.] They don't know I connected the dots when those nightmares were broadcast publicly. And even if they did, it doesn't change what happened between us. So far as they know, I only put up with you at Xino Mao because I had no choice.

But hey, I'm a nosy bastard, right? It shouldn't be too hard for me to just bring up the subject with no context or lead-in whatsoever. I don't trust Xigbar so far as I can throw him, but if he thinks he can use me to get to you, then maybe I can run remote damage control. [A derisive snort.] Just like old times.

Edited 2012-03-09 10:36 (UTC)

Moonrise 006 - Voice

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