[riku shakes his head. if nothing else, that theory doesn't hold up. none of the people he'd run into gave off a darkness vibe. ...well, almost none.]

No, whatever CERES did doesn't involve darkness. So far, the only ones giving off any real darkness here are you and me.

[a short pause comes before he looks terra in the eye. it's not a judgmental expression, but more of that usual curiosity. there hadn't been a chance to bring it up earlier so now seems as a good a time as any to tackle that topic.]

Unless that wasn't the case before?

[maybe ceres DID do something, maybe not. either way, riku definitely wants to know more about not only terra's darkness but terra himself. it still holds a surreal feel to it, seeing the same stranger from so long ago right in front of him. maybe chatting some more can help them both figure out why it ended up being so long.]