estoria | [open]

Who: Terra, and anyone who wants to check up on this dumb loser
When: Backdated to 3/04?? A few days after the ill-fated raid
Where: CERES hospital
What: Terra's recovering from being shot. Good times.
Rating/Warning: Mentions of violence/injury, character death

[Terra didn't have much memory of how he'd reached the hospital. The doctors had described how they'd found him unconscious on the roof drenched in blood, Keyblade lying beside him and Baymax with him. The last thing he remembered was Soramaru and Masamune's deaths, something that had stood out starkly in his memories for more. After that, there was little but the feeling of warm light and his Keyblade in hand.

Thanks to Korra's quick action the bullet wound in his chest had more or less been taken care of, and the rest was just a patch job, along with treatment for the blood loss. His arm was another matter, and since he refused to have its coding fixed instantly by one of the medical robots, he settled for having it in a sling.

He didn't trust medical robots here for a second, when it was CERES' security robots that had shot him in the first place. If anything, they'd make it worse, wouldn't they?

After a few days of bed rest and some minor surgery on his wounded arm, he was finally feeling well enough to get up and move around. The first day or so of recovery was hazy, but now he's beginning to feel restless -- sitting around in a bed is giving too much time to dwell on his failures in the raid. Were Hiro and Korra even alive? And what about the other groups they were separated from? He sends them -- everyone who participated in the raid -- the following message:]

are you okay?

[And then to Roxas, who is probably wondering where Terra disappeared to, the following message:]

I ran into some trouble a few days ago
at the hospital now
don't worry abou t me. i'll see you soon

[Good job on the least reassuring message ever, Terra.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Terra's flicking through his Cerevice for any news when Riku arrives, and that familiar voice makes him snap to attention. Had he realised his successor was going to drop in, he would have made himself a little more presentable and less... pathetic-looking. Then again, could he really disappoint Riku's opinion of him more than he already had?

Well, maybe he could. He'd drawn on the darkness inside him once again, back when he thought he was going to die from his wounds. Even under the circumstances, he wasn't sure it was the right thing to do, when it had accomplished nothing but fanning the dark fire inside him even further. He should have trusted the others would get him out of there safely... But once again, fear took control, that dangerous thing that keeps pushing him closer and closer to the darkness.

He sets his Cerevice aside wearily and looks back at Riku.]

...Yeah. I misjudged an enemy, and paid the price.

[Story of his life.]

[that gets his eyebrow to arch the smallest bit. how badly did he have to misjudge for this to be the result? and what sort of enemy could have done that to a keyblade wielder?

granted, riku lacks any idea about how skilled terra is. even so, if sora could somehow hold his own after getting the keyblade then surely terra had to be better than that. he steps further on inside the room and sits down in a nearby chair. no point in standing around when you can sit. without asking if it's okay to do so.]

What happened?

[as in details please. there's no judgmental tone; only concern mixed with curiosity.]

It's a long story... But it goes back to a while befofe you showed up, when the city was flooded. The culprits were some elemental spirits, who were angry with CERES for stealing away someone very important to them.

I promised I would help them. So I joined a raid on CERES' headquarters, but while we were fighting our way through... [He touches the bullet wound only narrowly above his heart.] The security robots shot me.

[And not even with the kind of energy bullets Braig had used. These were impossible to deflect or dodge, and he doubted even his armour would have been of much protection.]

I'm lucky, though. Two of our group didn't make it, and I still haven't heard from the two who were left.

[the already serious expression on riku's face becomes even more grave as the story goes on. so ceres isn't as benevolent as they claim. good to know he was right on the money with that one. not that spirits who flood cities sound any better, however.

when terra places that hand over his heart, riku's gaze follows it. that is so close to the heart. a centimeter, no, maybe a few millimeters closer and terra might not be in this bed to tell this tale right now.]

You're lucky you managed to get out alive if they were that set on stopping you. [in hospital with some wounds beats dead.] Who did they kidnap that's worth that sort of security?

Well... [Terra lapses into thoughtful silence; he has to think back for a few moments. The past few days have made his memory a little hazy, and pain isn't helping much, but he'll try and explain this in a way that makes as much sense as possible.]

The spirits called her the Bridge. She's the oldest of them all, and unlike CERES, she's filled with kind and good magic. That's why I wanted to help them.

[And maybe a little of the reason was the guilt that still haunted him about what he did to Princess Aurora. Saving someone else in a similar situation could be a way of making amends, even if he couldn't help the Princesses from here, but...]

I'm still waiting to hear back from the others who went in there. For all I know, she's still being held captive, and the entire raid was for nothing.

[good and pure magic being held captive. riku frowns thoughtfully, bringing a hand to his chin. that sounds similar to the princesses of heart, but also couldn't be. hmm if xehanort really IS involved then maybe this is another way to get around needing 7 guardians of light in case they fail in getting them?]

No, it wasn't for nothing. You know what to expect now and that's something.

[he's not trying to be nice; it really is important info. sometimes failing once is what leads to winning the next time.]

Do you know why CERES captured her in the first place?

The spirits didn't say. I don't think they trust us... They think we're corrupted.

[Terra can't really argue with that on a personal level, but everyone in the colony...?]

I don't know what kind of corruption it could be, or what CERES could have done to us to make us that way. But I'm guessing it's different from the kind of darkness you and I are used to dealing with.

[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.]

[That old feeling of shame, one he's becoming far too familiar with, comes creepimg back. He looks down at his hands.]

All of my darkness is mine. CERES has nothing to do with it. [Except push him to use it when he was shot, and had to turn to the darkness to keep himself going. At least he didn't hurt anyone, small comfort though it is.]

But darkness or not... I've seen CERES do some evil things. So, whatever they meant, there's truth in what the spirits said.

[that's... sort of a familiar response when asked about the darkness. the shame, well, riku notices it. he won't try to bother terra too much on the matter, not when in this state, but a note gets made to bring it up as soon as possible.]

Yeah, I've heard stories. Not nearly as nice a bunch as they claim.

[few shady organizations are. the last one he dealt with was even worse. hmm... riku purses his lips momentarily. terra might not know anything about this, but it's a question needing to be asked.]

Has CERES, or the spirits, ever mentioned anything about gathering lights or something involving hearts?

No. Nothing that specific.

[Terra stares at Riku shrewdly. That sounded familiar for different reasons, something he doesn't like the sound of at all.]

Where did you hear a plan like that?

[There's only two people he knows of that have talked about such a plan, of all the worlds he's visited. And it gives him that sinking feeling again -- the feeling that in the future, something has gone unbearably wrong.]

[riku purses his lips at the question. to tell terra or not? honestly, getting his opinion on things might not be a bad idea. the only real issue is terra's present condition. an explanation will take a while and discussion even more so. after a moment of mulling it over, a decision gets made: tell him. later.]

It's... a long story. [SO long.] As soon as you look less ready to keel over, I'll fill you in.

[his tone of voice implies meaning this promise. the whole story, well, it really is a hell of a lot to take in. no reason exists to put the guy through dealing with something that heavy on top of the injuries and what happened. riku's not going anywhere and hopefully terra will stick around this time, too, so chatting later shouldn't be an issue.]

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