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[He laughs softly.]
Not all forms of brotherly protection are the same as how I look after Ace and you.
Ace needs more attention, and after he left to avenge Blackbeard, I have all the more reason to want to give him that. And you still have a lot to learn about the universe for a phoenix.
[Pokes Ikki's cheeks playfully with his wingtips.]
So young, yoi.
And since this forest has me unnervingly honest, I am soaking in every chance I can get to figure out what it means to be a phoenix and not just Marco too while I'm at it, eh?
So maybe they'd get more free reign. Or maybe they wouldn't. Maybe they'd be like Namur. That's the nice thing about having so many brothers. They all look after each other too.
Not all forms of brotherly protection are the same as how I look after Ace and you.
Ace needs more attention, and after he left to avenge Blackbeard, I have all the more reason to want to give him that. And you still have a lot to learn about the universe for a phoenix.
[Pokes Ikki's cheeks playfully with his wingtips.]
So young, yoi.
And since this forest has me unnervingly honest, I am soaking in every chance I can get to figure out what it means to be a phoenix and not just Marco too while I'm at it, eh?
So maybe they'd get more free reign. Or maybe they wouldn't. Maybe they'd be like Namur. That's the nice thing about having so many brothers. They all look after each other too.
Yeah, yeah, sorry for having taken thousands of years to have been born, it's not my fault the procedures were so slow and no one got the memo that I had to be there earlier.
[Deadpan. And who said he wanted to learn about the universe anyway?]
Figure out what it means to be a phoenix? What, does that mean the old man Marco, the crown weaver, doesn't know?
[Deadpan. And who said he wanted to learn about the universe anyway?]
Figure out what it means to be a phoenix? What, does that mean the old man Marco, the crown weaver, doesn't know?
Maybe.
[He's quiet for a moment, tilting his head to think about how to put it all to words. Even phoenix words.]
There are a lot of instincts I don't always understand. A lot of things I know aren't the same as my brothers, but I never even had any other bird-people in my world to compare with.
It's easy to say my desire to be alone is a phoenix thing, but without any other phoenixes, what does that really mean? It could just be a Marco thing.
Even now, I'm glad that Thatch ate his darkness fruit because it means I can see what is us, the fruits, or other.
[Another head tilt and Marco thinks it all through even more.]
Can I ask you something?
[He's quiet for a moment, tilting his head to think about how to put it all to words. Even phoenix words.]
There are a lot of instincts I don't always understand. A lot of things I know aren't the same as my brothers, but I never even had any other bird-people in my world to compare with.
It's easy to say my desire to be alone is a phoenix thing, but without any other phoenixes, what does that really mean? It could just be a Marco thing.
Even now, I'm glad that Thatch ate his darkness fruit because it means I can see what is us, the fruits, or other.
[Another head tilt and Marco thinks it all through even more.]
Can I ask you something?
[Marco goes careening up once more, but this time when goes spiralling almost straight down headfirst towards the trees, he switches into a full out loop de loop, spinning upside down around in a circle and quickly glances back to make sure his rider is still there.]
[It isn't a problem, Roxas is still firmly holding onto him, a wide grin showing off his pure happiness.]
You know lots of tricks! It's pretty amazing. You're really smart, aren't you Xifer?
You know lots of tricks! It's pretty amazing. You're really smart, aren't you Xifer?
Hn, I get what you mean. I always thought most of those things were just me, and that there wasn't any relation with being a phoenix.
[He looks up, arching an eyebrow.]
I don't think there's anything that you can't ask me.
[With others he has several things he doesn't want to talk about or share or just be asked about. Marco, however, pretty much has a free pass, because as he has said, talking with him helps him figure things of himself as well.]
[He looks up, arching an eyebrow.]
I don't think there's anything that you can't ask me.
[With others he has several things he doesn't want to talk about or share or just be asked about. Marco, however, pretty much has a free pass, because as he has said, talking with him helps him figure things of himself as well.]
[There's a small shrug, as his arms are still loose around her, but his head remains firmly resting on top of hers.]
This. Us.
[In his thoughts, he doesn't even realize that Leanne's the only person he'd allow to see himself so lacking in confidence.]
This. Us.
[In his thoughts, he doesn't even realize that Leanne's the only person he'd allow to see himself so lacking in confidence.]
[Marco chuckles softly again and gently nudges his head to Roxas' face.]
[No more tricks for now though, he really has to check out the last of the island and catch his breath again, but maybe one last one before they land.]
[No more tricks for now though, he really has to check out the last of the island and catch his breath again, but maybe one last one before they land.]
[Stop with the bad thoughts, Marco.
He comes to a stationary hover, still on the beach but close enough to the ships if Marco wanted to get off and go.]
I see. He hasn't been touched in the head either, has he? Are you two going to be alright?
He comes to a stationary hover, still on the beach but close enough to the ships if Marco wanted to get off and go.]
I see. He hasn't been touched in the head either, has he? Are you two going to be alright?
[She reaches up at the shrug with a hand to give his cheek a small caress.]
All that I am sure of is the amount of love of have towards you. It makes me so happy.... That not only did you acknowledge my feelings for you but you are willing to give me a chance. You know, for the longest time I was worried that you have taken on another to be your mate.
All that I am sure of is the amount of love of have towards you. It makes me so happy.... That not only did you acknowledge my feelings for you but you are willing to give me a chance. You know, for the longest time I was worried that you have taken on another to be your mate.
[Happily, Roxas cuddles against Marco's neck. He feels soft and comfortable. He could fly for a long time if Marco would let him.
Hopefully there will be another trick, because they were the best.]
Hopefully there will be another trick, because they were the best.]
It was never about doubting you. [Said in a soft, reassuring tone because really, it wasn't. In his mind, it's more like she's giving him a chance.]
[chuckle] And I didn't really have the interest nor the time to think seriously about things like that, Leanne. [there have been SITUATIONS]
[chuckle] And I didn't really have the interest nor the time to think seriously about things like that, Leanne. [there have been SITUATIONS]
[He closes his eyes for a bit, letting it all filter and try to process.]
[Selphie, emotions, talking, words, people, humans, nakama, protection, Robin, romance, spring, renewal, life, history, missions, goals, objectives, work, duty, family, phoenix, flames, Ikki.]
[He shifts and moves his feet so that one is on either side of Ikki's shoulders, ready to grab him as needed, even though it means letting his tail feathers down carefully.]
[Where does he begin?]
[All the pain.]
[He had told Ikki that sometimes you can't always protect someone from being hurt... and lord is that ever true.]
[But did it get both Ikki and Selphie more hurt than necessary? More hurt than it would have otherwise?]
[He's still dizzy in the forest. The constant force of life's will exerting its dominance throws his sense of balance out the window, and it creates a push right back of the other side, the undercurrent of it all.]
[His Pops would want him to be happy, but until now that always just meant fighting for his Pops and the family.]
[In his own world, the endless war will rage on, and even though he doesn't see a way out, the one thing he does know is--]
[Nico Robin lies at the heart of so much of it. Ace's little brother's assassin. Former ally and enemy of a mutual enemy: Crocodile. Someone the whole world would see as a threat, much like his Pops was seen.]
[Wasn't that something he shouldn't touch?]
[He should stay professional.]
[But he doesn't know how.]
[Is it a phoenix thing, an Ikki thing, a Marco thing, a pirate thing, a politics thing?]
[But in this place, didn't he have freedom?]
There's a woman I've vowed to never hurt.
Or at least, as minimally as possible.
[Somethings will always hurt, he told Selphie. It's just a matter of what hurts least.]
But it seems I can't even speak to her right anymore. Everything I mean gets muddied and misunderstood, and then we don't talk about what I meant to or I--
[Tragic heroine was the way Natsuno described Shimizu. He really seemed to hate her. And Selphie said the difference was that Marco would never let a woman see the full rage in him, and light, if he could avoid it, that was true. He hopes he always can.]
Thatch hates it. He knows I'll always make sure that the pain falls on me, and he hates that.
[Another reason Marco couldn't bring it up with him.]
I wanted her to promise me something before I could engage her in a romantic relationship.
[This fucking forest. Sorrow careens through Marco all at once. Like he's lost, but luckily, he's not alone, and he mentally throws up a wing to block it all out. Ikki's there. He's not alone. Ikki understands. He's not alone.]
So that I never reached a point where she got so hurt I could never forgive myself, I wanted to know if she was strong enough to stop me. I wonder if I phrased it wrong. She and Ace thought I was just too chicken to ask her out on a single date, but that's not the case at all.
[Selphie's weak-hearted plea explaining she wasn't strong enough racks through his brain again, but strangely, it bolsters Marco's courage. This is important.]
Is it asking too much?
I told you how the stakes are so high. My brothers are involved in the stakes. Her crew, mine, the world's politics itself are part of it all. And I... just want to walk away. Fold out. The stakes are too high, I don't play like that.
[So then why bother? High rewards or not, it was too dangerous. And Marco was cautious.]
But I can't pretend to stay in the game with a hand this good if I don't at least try.
[Because his inaction could hurt her just as much as trying.]
I told Selphie too late to at least hold her own. I won't let any of my nakama crumple like paper without at least trying, eh?
[He looks up at the stars thinking hard. Robin is sharp, but there's so much they don't know or understand. About each other, people in general, it's complicated.]
It's not enough, but maybe if I could get that through to her...
[If he tried again, sat her down over coffee and after flying to explain in under no uncertain terms not to treat him like a mind reader. Like someone who knew what to do every time and therefore obviously purposely did things wrong and --]
[Maybe it's wishful thinking.]
[Maybe it's a lost cause.]
[He has a straight, he could try for a flush, but the other players are unknown and he usually always plays it safe.]
[But safe isn't good enough.]
[She and Ace kept saying to go all the way, but they didn't know. They didn't understand the stakes.]
[How Marco would always make sure that when they fall, he lands on the bottom to cushion it for her.]
[How sometimes just getting that close to someone, no matter how strong they are will hurt.]
[It always hurts.]
[And the stakes are so high.]
[Marco lightly bites a strand of Ikki's hair in his beak. Careful not to tug it, just quietly holding it, like he did to Thatch's sometimes when he started to braid it.]
I'm sorry.
[He wishes Ikki wasn't hurt. Inevitable or not, risks were awful. They never worked out well. He told Ace how risks always failed him. Garp punched him. And then Ace thought he was just more scared of asking Robin on a date than even of his Grandfather. It wasn't that at all. Asking her out on a date was easy. But it wasn't enough. He'd told Robin that too, but he still suspected she didn't understand.]
[No one ever understood.]
[Did Selphie? She said she wasn't strong enough to understand, so maybe not, but it wasn't a matter of strength. It just was.]
[Maybe some things couldn't be understood.]
[Marco quietly starts braiding a strand of Ikki's hair.]
[It's so foolish anyway. Why is he always so determined to keep playing this game? Hand after hand. It was well out of his comfort zone, but he couldn't check out either. His brothers were counting on him and he was the best at bluffing.]
[Maybe that's why it's so out of his comfort zone. Robin is someone who finds the truth. Lying isn't a defense against her. So how can he protect her? He doesn't even know how to protect her from himself -- and with his luck, the minute he tried to tell her, she'd probably think he meant physically not emotionally or mentally.]
[People are confusing.]
[You don't show them your bad sides, or they get burned. But how could he trust her not to get burned then?]
[Why bother why bother...]
[Sometimes he wished he was as reckless as Ace. Able to run off to hunt Blackbeard because someone had to. Able to risk everything for the sake of emotions.]
I want to try.
To show my brothers it's okay.
[That they can all be free here. That nothing can hold them back, hold them down. That even though things were bad for Ikki with Selphie, no one has to give up.]
But there's another piece I can't see. It's not that I want a guarantee that everything will work out. [He's already sure it won't, but he'll make it fun for her as long as he can.] But how do I tell her how and when to put me in my place? Should I? Is there something else I should say instead?
[Selphie, emotions, talking, words, people, humans, nakama, protection, Robin, romance, spring, renewal, life, history, missions, goals, objectives, work, duty, family, phoenix, flames, Ikki.]
[He shifts and moves his feet so that one is on either side of Ikki's shoulders, ready to grab him as needed, even though it means letting his tail feathers down carefully.]
[Where does he begin?]
[All the pain.]
[He had told Ikki that sometimes you can't always protect someone from being hurt... and lord is that ever true.]
[But did it get both Ikki and Selphie more hurt than necessary? More hurt than it would have otherwise?]
[He's still dizzy in the forest. The constant force of life's will exerting its dominance throws his sense of balance out the window, and it creates a push right back of the other side, the undercurrent of it all.]
[His Pops would want him to be happy, but until now that always just meant fighting for his Pops and the family.]
[In his own world, the endless war will rage on, and even though he doesn't see a way out, the one thing he does know is--]
[Nico Robin lies at the heart of so much of it. Ace's little brother's assassin. Former ally and enemy of a mutual enemy: Crocodile. Someone the whole world would see as a threat, much like his Pops was seen.]
[Wasn't that something he shouldn't touch?]
[He should stay professional.]
[But he doesn't know how.]
[Is it a phoenix thing, an Ikki thing, a Marco thing, a pirate thing, a politics thing?]
[But in this place, didn't he have freedom?]
There's a woman I've vowed to never hurt.
Or at least, as minimally as possible.
[Somethings will always hurt, he told Selphie. It's just a matter of what hurts least.]
But it seems I can't even speak to her right anymore. Everything I mean gets muddied and misunderstood, and then we don't talk about what I meant to or I--
[Tragic heroine was the way Natsuno described Shimizu. He really seemed to hate her. And Selphie said the difference was that Marco would never let a woman see the full rage in him, and light, if he could avoid it, that was true. He hopes he always can.]
Thatch hates it. He knows I'll always make sure that the pain falls on me, and he hates that.
[Another reason Marco couldn't bring it up with him.]
I wanted her to promise me something before I could engage her in a romantic relationship.
[This fucking forest. Sorrow careens through Marco all at once. Like he's lost, but luckily, he's not alone, and he mentally throws up a wing to block it all out. Ikki's there. He's not alone. Ikki understands. He's not alone.]
So that I never reached a point where she got so hurt I could never forgive myself, I wanted to know if she was strong enough to stop me. I wonder if I phrased it wrong. She and Ace thought I was just too chicken to ask her out on a single date, but that's not the case at all.
[Selphie's weak-hearted plea explaining she wasn't strong enough racks through his brain again, but strangely, it bolsters Marco's courage. This is important.]
Is it asking too much?
I told you how the stakes are so high. My brothers are involved in the stakes. Her crew, mine, the world's politics itself are part of it all. And I... just want to walk away. Fold out. The stakes are too high, I don't play like that.
[So then why bother? High rewards or not, it was too dangerous. And Marco was cautious.]
But I can't pretend to stay in the game with a hand this good if I don't at least try.
[Because his inaction could hurt her just as much as trying.]
I told Selphie too late to at least hold her own. I won't let any of my nakama crumple like paper without at least trying, eh?
[He looks up at the stars thinking hard. Robin is sharp, but there's so much they don't know or understand. About each other, people in general, it's complicated.]
It's not enough, but maybe if I could get that through to her...
[If he tried again, sat her down over coffee and after flying to explain in under no uncertain terms not to treat him like a mind reader. Like someone who knew what to do every time and therefore obviously purposely did things wrong and --]
[Maybe it's wishful thinking.]
[Maybe it's a lost cause.]
[He has a straight, he could try for a flush, but the other players are unknown and he usually always plays it safe.]
[But safe isn't good enough.]
[She and Ace kept saying to go all the way, but they didn't know. They didn't understand the stakes.]
[How Marco would always make sure that when they fall, he lands on the bottom to cushion it for her.]
[How sometimes just getting that close to someone, no matter how strong they are will hurt.]
[It always hurts.]
[And the stakes are so high.]
[Marco lightly bites a strand of Ikki's hair in his beak. Careful not to tug it, just quietly holding it, like he did to Thatch's sometimes when he started to braid it.]
I'm sorry.
[He wishes Ikki wasn't hurt. Inevitable or not, risks were awful. They never worked out well. He told Ace how risks always failed him. Garp punched him. And then Ace thought he was just more scared of asking Robin on a date than even of his Grandfather. It wasn't that at all. Asking her out on a date was easy. But it wasn't enough. He'd told Robin that too, but he still suspected she didn't understand.]
[No one ever understood.]
[Did Selphie? She said she wasn't strong enough to understand, so maybe not, but it wasn't a matter of strength. It just was.]
[Maybe some things couldn't be understood.]
[Marco quietly starts braiding a strand of Ikki's hair.]
[It's so foolish anyway. Why is he always so determined to keep playing this game? Hand after hand. It was well out of his comfort zone, but he couldn't check out either. His brothers were counting on him and he was the best at bluffing.]
[Maybe that's why it's so out of his comfort zone. Robin is someone who finds the truth. Lying isn't a defense against her. So how can he protect her? He doesn't even know how to protect her from himself -- and with his luck, the minute he tried to tell her, she'd probably think he meant physically not emotionally or mentally.]
[People are confusing.]
[You don't show them your bad sides, or they get burned. But how could he trust her not to get burned then?]
[Why bother why bother...]
[Sometimes he wished he was as reckless as Ace. Able to run off to hunt Blackbeard because someone had to. Able to risk everything for the sake of emotions.]
I want to try.
To show my brothers it's okay.
[That they can all be free here. That nothing can hold them back, hold them down. That even though things were bad for Ikki with Selphie, no one has to give up.]
But there's another piece I can't see. It's not that I want a guarantee that everything will work out. [He's already sure it won't, but he'll make it fun for her as long as he can.] But how do I tell her how and when to put me in my place? Should I? Is there something else I should say instead?
[She wiggles a little to get more comfortable against him, closing her eyes completely.]
Oh? I am glad then. [Another contented sigh before blinking and glancing up.]
Really?I am shocked that Nealuchi didn't have to hold back all of the female Ravens from you. [Still in the dark of the old crow's shipper ways.] Nonetheless I am glad that you weren't interested.
Oh? I am glad then. [Another contented sigh before blinking and glancing up.]
Really?I am shocked that Nealuchi didn't have to hold back all of the female Ravens from you. [Still in the dark of the old crow's shipper ways.] Nonetheless I am glad that you weren't interested.
[He takes Roxas around the island, memorizing the coastline and high spots, then circles back around to the shore where he'd first seen Roxas playing in the first place.]
[Ready?]
[You awake back there?]
[Well either way, Marco abruptly curls his tail and feet up, falling into a freefall as if he and Roxas were going going to cannonball into the water.]
[Ready?]
[You awake back there?]
[Well either way, Marco abruptly curls his tail and feet up, falling into a freefall as if he and Roxas were going going to cannonball into the water.]
[Marco laughs.]
He's always touched in the head.
I don't know how much the island affected him or not, but it's okay, I know how to handle him.
He's always touched in the head.
I don't know how much the island affected him or not, but it's okay, I know how to handle him.
I did mean more than usual, but if you're certain. [looks back at the woods] As long as he doesn't risk burning the forest, I think it's safe to trust everyone coming away from this alright.
He won't. The peace will make him want to more than usual, but he's a good kid at heart. And he has a lot more control than anyone knows. Our Pops was always careful with his earthquakes, and Ace takes after Pops in more ways than anyone else I know.
Are you going to go look for any other stragglers?
Are you going to go look for any other stragglers?
Well, I didn't say that. It's one thing to be actively looking, but it's another if I'm naturally irresistible. [scoffs!! come on, Leanne, keep up] Besides, Nealuchi has better things to do than fuss over my life.
[er. should have better things to do.]
[er. should have better things to do.]
[She giggles and puts on a fake pout.] Then what, o irresistible king, did you do with all those ravens? [She pouts on a mock mad tone, trying her best not to giggle.] I don't know, Nealuchi always seem to be by our sides since I was a hatchling.
Edited 2014-04-16 01:17 (UTC)
Why, I kept them at bay, of course! Tried to let them down gently. As you said, a king must have his priorities in order.
[He sounds pretty smug about the whole thing, but she can probably tell he's teasing. ...Not that he's beyond one-night-stands or anything, but she doesn't need to know that.]
And once you were found at home, I made sure to put the old coot on your security detail so you'd always have a raven with you. [Your babysitter problem now.]
[He sounds pretty smug about the whole thing, but she can probably tell he's teasing. ...Not that he's beyond one-night-stands or anything, but she doesn't need to know that.]
And once you were found at home, I made sure to put the old coot on your security detail so you'd always have a raven with you. [Your babysitter problem now.]
Aww, come on. What do I do if we run into another evil mastermind out in the middle of nowhere? Learn to bend sand out of their underwear? [ He bets Unalaq didn't even have sand in his underwear. He was from the North Pole. It just doesn't hold up.
But he's not kicking up rocks to pile into the bag, either. For now. Important nutritious roots. Right. Finding food is always a top priority, no matter where you live. Or don't live. Or... sail. ]
But he's not kicking up rocks to pile into the bag, either. For now. Important nutritious roots. Right. Finding food is always a top priority, no matter where you live. Or don't live. Or... sail. ]
And you did it all by yourself?
[She giggles now outright at the teasing. Oh Naesala, you player! Yes, it would be best if she never found out about those. She goes to giggle again.]
I am sure that I never gave him any problems as I know that you only picked the finest for my detail.
[She giggles now outright at the teasing. Oh Naesala, you player! Yes, it would be best if she never found out about those. She goes to giggle again.]
I am sure that I never gave him any problems as I know that you only picked the finest for my detail.
[Yep, he's definitely pure of heart!
He blinks, but doesn't hesitate to approach her.]
Hm? What's up?
He blinks, but doesn't hesitate to approach her.]
Hm? What's up?
[He slowly looks up at Vyse, then blinks a couple of times.] O-oh! Hey, Vyse.
[He gives a sheepish grin.] Sorry... [Reaching up to scratch at the back of his head, he glances to the side.] Did you need help with something?
[He gives a sheepish grin.] Sorry... [Reaching up to scratch at the back of his head, he glances to the side.] Did you need help with something?
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