Darien didn’t reply as the two newcomers said their piece and led them away from their original campsite. It was probably for the best, although having to trust these two to get him anywhere was certainly less than desirable. Still, he had a part to play, an image to project; ordinarily, he would have told both of them to get lost. Instead he glanced at his companion behind the others’ backs, shrugged, and followed the path they made through the undergrowth.
They hadn’t walked long before he could hear the sound of a waterfall. Another moment later they stepped out to see an oasis, large and spacious without leaving them too vulnerable to prying eyes.
"This spot should work for the night, wouldn't you agree? My name is Ivy, and my friend is Varen. What brings you two to the Pride Lands?"
Darien nodded amiably, taking in their surroundings for a moment before answering. “It should do very well, and it’s a pleasure to meet you, Ivy. I’m Darien, and this is Ximálech. I was just here hunting down a few friends.” He didn’t mention what he had told the boy; fooling one would be enough, but he got a distinctly different sense of the other two. Something was off about them, and he could tell they wouldn’t be so easy to fool.
“And yourselves?” he continued, picking up a few sticks and tossing them into the center of the clearing. A fire would be welcome in the chill night air, although he couldn’t say he would welcome the light. Not only would it indicate their position, but he simply felt more comfortable in the dark. Some things never change.
. . .
Before Jayden could move back in the direction of the fighting, his way was blocked by yet another stranger. Llyndellia stopped just behind him, sizing the new man up for a moment before leaving Jayden to deal with whatever it was he wanted. Yeah, guess I deserve that.
"You look as if you could use a potion or two, let me see what I have..."
“Look ou—“
Jayden’s warning was cut off as the gauntlet bounced harmlessly away from him, frowning. The stranger answered his unasked question immediately, holding out a potion as if he had nothing to be concerned about.
"Doppelganger. Pretty useful, I must admit it took me years to get that defensive technique down in areas of...oh here we are. One hi-potion."
“Yeah,” he replied, taking the proffered potion with a nod of gratitude. “Useful.”
He downed the potion in one swallow, and the strength returned to his leg; it was a quick fix and he would need medical attention later, but it would do for now. In any case, at least there was no more fighting to be done as the Heartless finally came to ground with a resounding clang, bearing forth the heart it had been carrying and vanishing into darkness. Shouting by the fountain caught his attention, and he followed the sound back to find a small crowd gathered with a mouse in the middle. It—she—was rebuking the boy in the fountain, and Leon was right on her heels to do the same.
While the stranger made his way to the boy in the water, Jayden stepped up alongside Llyndellia, watching. “He did this?”
She nodded, rolling her eyes impatiently and banishing her Keyblade. “Idiot thinks he can transform a Keyblade by opening a keyhole.”
“Good thing you were here before he could get far, then.”
They listened in silence as Chi said his piece, his self-righteousness grating on Llyndellia’s nerves and doing little better for Jayden’s. It didn’t concern Jayden as much as he knew it should have, but it was hardly a sight to take seriously: a boy shouting about banding together for some reason that was barely distinguishable in his diatribe wasn’t all that threatening. It wasn’t like he could start turning people into mutant skeletons at will. This crisis was averted, and it looked like it wasn’t about to happen again in the near future, so he couldn’t bring himself to care just yet. Llyndellia, however, didn’t give a damn what he needed with his Keyblade or what he wanted to do; he was just another loser out to ruin everyone else’s day, just like all the other dark wielders and light wielders out there. Their reasons were nothing to her. Let him have his cause, she thought as he made his less than impressive exit. I’ve got better things to do.
“First we get Nihilus, now this guy. This day just keeps getting better and better.”
Llyndellia’s eyes narrowed as she turned them on Jayden. He was having a bad day?
“You poor thing,” she replied, her voice dripping in biting sarcasm. He looked ready to make an angry retort of his own for a moment before he bit his tongue and looked away. He understood her anger, even if he didn’t like it. Now wasn’t a time for his pride.
“Thank you.”
“…Excuse me?”
Jayden cleared his throat, looking awkward. “Thank you for your help. This isn’t your world and I know you didn’t have to get involved, so…thank you.”
That took her aback. Was it just his feeling bad about what happened before, or did he really mean it? Not that it mattered all that much; her thoughts had been for herself and her own safety, not that of the world. Of course it was… Wasn’t it…?
"Okay seriously, maybe you guys shouldn't stick around each other if this is what you're gonna end up doing,” a familiar voice said. Llyndellia turned to find Neku approaching them, his usual smile in place despite what had just happened. Typical. “But uh... seriously... what happened here? And why did you knock down the tower...?"
Jayden chuckled, “To improve the scenery,” at the same time Llyndellia muttered, “For Commander Crackpot over here.” They glanced at each other, but the humor Jayden seemed to find in the situation didn’t present itself to Llyndellia. She thought she would feel better when she talked to Neku, but rather than assuaging her concerns about the visions she’d seen before, they simply grew more disturbing by contrast. And thinking about the visions, the test, only seemed to put things in perspective…
“I’ll race you.”
“Anyway, I think you can handle things from here,” she began brusquely, not so much as nodding to Jayden. “I have places to be.”
He raised an eyebrow. “…Places.”
“Yes, places.” Llyndellia shot him a dirty took that told him he would get no more than that out of her, although he already knew exactly where she would go. He had no idea how she planned to find Kingdom Hearts; she had little notion herself. Still, she had to try, and there was no way he could stop her. He remembered the images he’d seen, the monster she was trying to save her friend from. Would he really have done any differently in her position?
Jayden cleared his throat, glanced between Neku and Llyndellia for a moment, and finally answered, “Good luck, then.”
“Thanks,” she replied stiffly. Her voice softened slightly as she nodded toward Neku. “Don’t let him get into too much trouble.”
Jayden laughed softly, but Llyndellia’s face was serious as she turned to Neku. What was she supposed to say, though? Nice to have met you, but I’ve got things to do, so have a good life?
“You know, you’re kinda pathetic.”
“See ya, then.”
Mind set and heart hard, Llyndellia raised a hand to summon a portal. The light was blinding in the darkness of the Second District, and she stepped inside without another word or glance. Jayden watched her go with a distant look on his face, his mind torn as the portal shut behind her. Odai wasn’t going to be happy, he might as well prepare for it now. Llyndellia was their only way to track the dark wielders; she could lead them right to one of the most powerful groups that threatened the worlds. And he had let her go, just like Nihilus. He hadn’t tried to ask her to stay; he hadn’t tried any spells to track her. She had walked into the portal and vanished, and for some reason he didn’t think it was entirely a bad thing.
I’m just batting a thousand today.
