Taciturn Stalwart

Lexaeus, V of Organization XIII Affiliated with Citta Alveare

[maidenofabyss-archived]

The woman didn’t bat an eyelash at his response. She was by no means surprised at such an attitude, having long gotten used to such things.

"Neither. First, your weapon is wooden. While it would surely hurt being swung by such as yourself I am willing to take the risk in approaching you." For now she was rewarded with not having been swung at. But that was only for now.

"As I am willing to take that risk I am prepared for if you do attack me. Lastly, I despise such common sense. I will do as I wish." Her arms folded so that she could hold either elbow in each hand with a tired looking expression. "You apparently were not bred for social contact. Your body appears as much. You act as if you look for a fight."

[skysplittingstalwart]

Already he tired of her presence. A nonsensical child at best is what he could describe her as, and quite frankly, he had little tolerance for such. Those who ignored logic and thought for the sake of their fleeting dreams and fancies were not welcome to speak to him. He ignored her words, deeming them pointless, and only offered a short declaration as his response.

"Those who do not use sense are fools."

"Death is not kind to fools."

Not a hint of anger or spite was in his voice, all of it said with a matter-of-fact tone. Whatever her opinion upon him was, it was all but dust. Considering what he said as the end of the conversation, the large nobody turned away, returning to his practices. 

[puellalux-deactivated20151109]

His reaction to what she’d become met her expectations aptly— she knew too well how the founding members would feel about her presence, now. It was both familiar and alien at the same time, her entire being reeking of darkness. Xion met his  hardened gaze with an impish smile of her own, 

"I could say yes, I could say no… both would be right," came her reply, as if she were shocked that he was unaware. 

Canting her head just so, a maddened spurt of laughter fell from her lips. The whole thing was just too funny— coming face-to-face with another of the legion of down-trodden fools after so much time had passed was certainly a source of amusement for her. One by one, no matter their convictions, they’d been picked off by keyslingers and sometimes their own ‘friends.’ 

"Not himself, no… The man he was a long time ago, before he took that body for his own!"

"But he’s looooong gone now! Good riddance."

[skysplittingstalwart]

"Enough."

The force of his words seemed to shake the Earth itself, the girl's delusional ranting touching upon his nerves. It was made worse so by that reek, that disgusting darkness that filled her, reminding him far too much of his own fall at the hands of Riku - or rather the darkness that was harnessing Riku's body at the time, that matched the Superior's scent all to easily.

Things had grown fairly complicated.

With a shake of his head and a furrowed brow, he thought over his options. A part of him wanted to crush this girl, and her darkness with it, but he immediately discarded that idea - far too many factors he was unaware of. Instead, he decided to try and quell what ignorane he could for the moment. By the act she was putting on, it seemed as though many things had transpired before he had arrived. With a tone returning to his normal state of calm, he spoke again.

"The Superior's true self granted you that darkness, then? Through the chaos that this world is made of?"

[prism-rain]

She halted at his words, full of animosity and apprehension, although she knew she couldn’t blame the man. She had been told about how Organization XIII had ruined lives for the sake of gaining hearts and how they did so within and outside their Organization. Roxas had been lied to, manipulated— Lea’s grievances were enough that she noticed some around the house were uneasy when he first moved in, and Xion… What Xehanort had done to her was almost a mercy compared to…

Aqua shook her head. “I’m not here to fight.” It was the truth. She had questions, and not just about her friends, but of a friend that had long gone nameless, the man she had talked to on the Dark Meridian before being brought here. He wore the same cloak as the rest of them, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he had been part of their Organization, cast away when he was no longer of use.

"I just have some questions. That’s all."

[skysplittingstalwart]

"As do all who walk in the path of the light."

A cryptic answer granted as a reminder of what was at stake. The Organization was founded on those seeking answers, who eventually went too far and paid the price. The same could be said of the Superior, and his original host. It was a dangerous line she tread upon; a step too far could cost her greatly, even in this world, for nothing could kill like the truth. Though her fate would ultimately be pointless to him in the end, losing a light as potent as hers would mean something, even to a nobody like him.

With his words of caution, arms shifted to cross over his chest, a cold gaze focusing upon her intently. She had his attention, though his cooperation was questionable. He offered no loyalties to the shadow of what the Organization had become when he departed for Castle Oblivion, but that did not mean he would betray those who had earned his trust and respect, few as they may be.

"Speak, and perhaps I will answer."

[saltatusflamma-blog]

skysplittingstalwart started following you

Oh. Oh no. Of all the people to run into in this place, it had to be Lexaeus. Chuckling nervously, Axel raised a hand to wave to the towering Nobody in front of him. Did he know about everything that had happened in the Castle? Did he know that he’d triple-crossed them all? If he did…well there wasn’t going to be much of a conversation going on.

"Heeeey…Lexaeus…fancy meeting you here!"

[skysplittingstalwart]

The gods smiled upon Axel that day, for Lexaeus remained unaware of what had occurred after his death at the hands of Riku within the lower levels of Castle Oblivion. The boy's betrayal remained unknown to him, but the aura of distrust the considerably larger nobody exuded made it very clear that he had suspicions concerning the events in the higher levels of the castle. However, suspicions without evidence were not enough for him to act on, and thus Axel was safe. For now.

"Number Eight. Curious to see you here, considering the presence of your former self."

[skysplittingstalwart]

The light within this woman was astonishing, suffocating almost. It seemed familiar to him, in a distant sense, perhaps a distant memory of his true self. Here and now, however, the idea was worthless to him. However, it did serve as the foundation toward recognizing whom this woman was, one of similar ilk to Sora, and later, one of the most recent additions to the Organization. What that meant for this exchange, on the other hand, was nothing good...

"That is close enough, Keyblade Wielder."

prism-rain

[skysplittingstalwart]

There was something peculiar about this man. Lexaeus was certain they had never crossed paths before, but at the same time, he seemed familiar to him. No, it wasn't so much that he was familiar, but rather that he reminded him of another, a resident of the world formerly known as Radiant Garden. Curious. 

The giant said not a word to him, but his gaze was fixated upon him with a quiet intensity. To many it would be uncomfortable, to say the least, but it did not abate, regardless.

sacrificialhero

[skysplittingstalwart]

There had always been something infuriating about this man. Not necessarily a newcomer into the fold, but hardly one that was worthy of trust. His comrade, No.7 was reliable, but that was the extent of the good feeling he had toward him. It seemed even more prevalent now, as he recognized - or rather did not recognize - the stench about him. He was no longer one of the Organization's kin. He had managed to become somebody yet again.

"Seems that you are no longer of our ranks, Number Eight."

flurryofdancingflames

[maidenofabyss-archived]

That fellow she had met at the dance a month ago, she had sworn he was the tallest person she had ever seen. Lacie had not imagined that she could find anyone else taller than that. Perhaps she needed to feel bad for the mothers that birthed them…they must have been large babies.

"None at all. Please understand the staring; you stick out like a sore thumb. Especially if you’re swinging around a—what is that?" Some sort of sword or cleaver she assumed but it looked wooden or fake, nothing sharp about it at all. Well, they did take away most weapons when people arrived.

[skysplittingstalwart]

An ignorant fool of a woman she was then. For all she knew, he could have been hostile, and she would have thrown herself in harms way. Already his first impression of her was rather poor. Without a sound, he shifted his weapon to rest upon his shoulder, facing her directly with a truly unamused expression to offer.

"Wisdom dictates that one would avoid a large, armed individual."'

His words, though spoken in a stoic tone, were scathing, judging. There wasn't an ounce of empathy to offer this woman, or whether or not she lived or died. It was more the fact that she intruded upon him more than anything that garnered his spite. There was no respect in this one. 

"Are you a fool or content in being oblivious?"

[skysplittingstalwart]

"...It seems the people are in a state of panic."

"This is abnormal then?"

[skysplittingstalwart]

Frustration. It was what he felt above all, as he tried to call upon the strength that seemed to be out of his reach. His physical prowess remained untouched, and that could go a fair way, but it wasn't enough. As he tried to call upon the nature he commanded, the control of the earth that he normally held with such esteem, it was simply not there. Swinging his massive false weapon through the air, aiming to summon the stone formations that used to be so easy, he found nothing but frustration, or some facsimile of it, considering what he was. The scientists limits could not have been so easily thwarted it seemed.

But it became clear that, yet again, he had garnered some attention. He turned to face the interloper, a stern gaze fixed upon a woman in a large dress, reminiscent of something from worlds of an older age, such as Beasts Castle. Without a pleasantry to spare, he spoke.

"Is there a reason for you to be here?"

maidenofabyss

[skysplittingstalwart]

Alright, lets get an RP Ad up for this senior Organization XIII member. Like this post for a mini. Gonna cap it at 3, but castmates need not worry about the limit.

[skysplittingstalwart]

Broken Stone || Intro/Open

[silcntking-deactivated20171110]

For the moment he had thought, that maybe a fellow bount was held within the city as well. The giant build, the deep voice. But no, it was someone else entirely. The bount merely passes by curious onlookers, his face set into a relax smile as he politely pushes people away one by one, without actually letting them he was pushing them away. To be honest, hiding in the shadows for centuries does seem to make one invisible, despite his eccentric appearance. 

"Well. Your new as well I take it."

 He suddenly appears right beside the giant of a man, surprising a few people who did not sense his approach at all. His foot steps were like a shadow, he didn’t expect people to expect him in return. It was in the bount nature to remain invisible to the public eye after all. This city was no exception. 

"What is it you need help with? Perhaps I can  help along as well. After all, I’ve been exploring for a good few hours and have a great memory.”

[skysplittingstalwart]

He was not human, whatever he was. No, he was something new entirely, something that the Nobody had never crossed paths with before. Curious, but not curious enough that he would care to find out just yet. He was not Vexen nor Zexion, with their unhealthy needs to uncovers truths hidden in lies. This wasn't the time, nor the place for such things...

"I have a need of information. Our hosts were not too forthcoming about their explanations."

The giant spoke in a calm, stoic tone, despite the obvious edge of tension that filled the air concerning this oddity of a 'man'. Whatever he was, the citizens around him could not sense his approach. Neither had Lexaeus, until he was close enough to be noticed, which he could blamed on a lack of focus, but that excuse only went so far...

"If you are a newcomer as well, then there is very little you can offer."

[skysplittingstalwart]

Broken Stone || Intro/Open

How long had it been since he had faced a worthy adversary? Someone that could actually bring his power to a knee? He should have expected from that one, the boy with such a thick aura of darkness to him, the one who could oppose the other, the child of light who wielded the keyblade...

"You're finished!"

A proclamation of victory over him that he would not accept.

"Don't mock me!"

His last act of defiance in that world before he faced down the darkness that held the same origin as the Superior.

"Forgive me, Zexion. This was a fight I should not have started..."

And then the end awaited him.

But this was clearly not that end. A city he had never beheld before, clearly from a world apart of those he had seen, robbed of his prized weapon, and the majority of his powers, and then tossed in here to fend for himself. Yet, that wasn't as pressing as the fact that he clearly remained a Nobody. One would think that after perishing as one before, he would return to life as something but no. His days as Aeleus were still nothing but dust in the wind. All that remained here, in this world, this Hive City, was Lexaeus. The question was now, where would he begin again...?

"Hm?"

His massive stature, dwarfing all around him by at least a solid foot in most cases, along with his dark clothing was beginning to draw attention. With the wooden axesword in his hand, and his titanic strength was still intact, he felt he could handle some opposition, but he would rather avoid conflict for the time being. He made a motion to one of the onlookers.

"May I ask of your assistance?" 

[puellalux-deactivated20151109]

And so, the Taciturn Stalwart had joined the small handful of Nobodies situated within the city. How very interesting.

Lexaeus’ massive form was easily recognizable, regardless of how little time had passed between Xion’s initiation into the Organization and the departure of all of those who met their end at Castle Oblivion. The coat, too, was a dead giveaway, a sign of their (albeit small) shared past.

"Lexaeus," she murmured in greeting, her gaze probing the back of his head until he turned around. 

[skysplittingstalwart]

The Organization was not a group of significant numbers, even after the efforts that the founders put into it to see it born. That said, Lexaeus could not pretend he knew all of the newer members all that well, and openly distrusted several as well. In the case of Xion, he knew very little beyond what he cared to learn from Vexen concerning her creation. She was a fake among fakes, even less than the nothings that made up the Organization.

"Number XIV, Xion."

But now, as he turned to face her, he could plainly see that she was now something more. Not enough to be considered something but thick with a stench that clearly was not her own. His eyes scrutinized her, trying to understand what madness she had become, but it was beyond his sight to discover. Yet, that darkness about her was so very familiar. It distinctly reminded him...

"That darkness...The Superior?"