#notsomeonesshadow

[stormingginger]

@not-someones-shadow

"Oh hi there, you must be..." as she checks her phone, "Pancakes right? Nice to meet you."

[whenmirrorimagestalk]

@not-someones-shadow

She smiled up at him. "I-I don't normally play naughts and c-crosses." She giggled slightly, smiling sheepishly.

[unholykeyblader]

"Damn, is my wife beefing with my alts again? Must be Monday already."

[agloryofuniicorns]

@not-someones-shadow would like a thread

As much as Riku didn't want to simply forgive and forget, he knew that there had been a time that he had been on the same side as Vanitas, and that he could have become someone similar to him. Lost, confused, in pain and just trying to find someone who cared even a little about him.

So he allowed himself a moment to let out a soft sigh before slowly approaching him. His guard wasn't fully down, but if Vanitas wasn't going to throw the first punch then Riku would do his best to hold back.

"Hey. How... how are you holding up?"

[agloryofuniicorns]

@not-someones-shadow from [x]

"Favorite pawn." Terra echoed Vanitas' words back to him as he fought against the urge to snort or, even worse, sneer in response. Even he didn't miss the way Vanitas was refusing to look at him, or seemed to be trying to squirm away from him. It didn't make his own feelings any less, but it did make him keenly aware that just snapping wouldn't result in anything... productive.

"Pawn." That was all he had been to Xehanort. Just a pawn to be used. To manipulative, to trick, and then take advantage of.

"Xehanort took my body. He enslaved my heart. I was bound to his side for decades, aware and unable to do anything but obey as he used me to attack and harm everyone I ever cared for." Aqua. Sora. Riku. The Heartless Guardian had been used to strike down each one of them - and he had been that Guardian each time.

But it wasn't a competition. Terra gave a slight shake of his head as he forced himself to remember that. "... what he did to you was awful too. Think what you want but... I never would have wanted that for you. You deserved better."

[agloryofuniicorns]

@not-someones-shadow asked: "Will you trust me?"

Will you?

It was such an ominous thing to suddenly be asked.

Riku wanted to say yes, and the words almost slipped from his lips before he paused to think. Really think.

Being asked that was never a good sign. It always came right before being asked something... insane. Being offered food that was going to leave you feel sick, or being dragged along to some festival being held on a new world. Sora had always wanted to dive headfirst into the customs of any world they found, much to Riku's on chagrin.

Sora was gone though.

Something told him that Vanitas wasn't saying that before giving him his most recent attempt at cooking to try. He also had a feeling that this question was being given to him as a test. Was his blind faith in someone who just looked like Sora that strong? But also-- was he going to keep holding the fact that he wasn't Sora against him?

"... That depends." It was the boring middle-ground response, but Riku settled on it as he crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Vanitas, mouth curved into a frown. "What do you have planned?"

[agloryofuniicorns]

@not-someones-shadow from [x]

A sigh escaped the silver-haired male as he looked down at Vanitas. He was defensive and Riku couldn't blame him, but it made it... difficult to try to connect with him.

Why would I even want to? A question that Riku found himself asking on a regular basis. It was like trying to pet a feral cat; all he really got in return was a face full of scratches. The smart thing to do would be to learn that this wasn't going to work and to back off.

But Riku... he was smart, but even more than that he was stubborn. And maybe there was also a piece of him that didn't want to walk away from the person who had Sora's face.

"When have I been mean to you? Outside of the times you were trying to kill us," Riku quickly amended as he frowned at Vanitas. "I'm just concerned, but you don't have to talk to me."

[agloryofuniicorns]

@not-someones-shadow asked: ☀ — Vanitas and Riku go ice skating (funny to think of Vanitas wearing "knife shoes" but also has never encountered snow or ice before because he lived in the Keyblade Graveyard)

Vanitas wasn't the only one who had little to no experience with snow. Riku was a boy born and raised on a tropical island, and while he had certainly explored quite a few Worlds over the past few years - gone to places he could have never imagined and maybe even experience some placed that were close to snow there - it wasn't quite the same. Those experiences were fleeting, and often paired with enough adrenaline for him to be able to push through the cold without feeling it.

He was dressed in what was appropriate clothing; a slightly puffed up jacket, hat, and gloves that kept his fingers from burning from the cold but also made him clumsy as he tried to lace up the skates. Why had he allowed himself to be talked into this?

The 'rink' was a lake near Arendale that the Queen had told them they were allowed to use for skating. A fallen log served as a convenient bench for him to make sure his skates were on right, or what felt mostly right. Riku ran his hand along them before sighing and straightening, looking around for Vanitas as he did.

"I'm not going to be held responsible when this goes horribly wrong." A warning, but also - he wasn't sure if this would go terrible for himself as well.