III.

[Cap'n Ryu!]

Username: Ryu!
Canons you own: -----
Link to RP thread: Canon Drive, oh yeah!

Audition

[ I’m not entirely pleased with this, but it’s done, so yay! As a note, I wrote this with the intention of having Xaldin remain separated from the Organization, at least for a little while. I just believe that there is more for him to gain through working individually for now, and as such, that’s the whole main idea of the audition. Oh, and no need to sugarcoat things. If it’s bad, just let me know. XD. ]

He had thought that death would be a freeing experience – one that would allow him to escape the restraints of being a Nobody, and perhaps be reincarnated as a human; given a second chance, or something along those lines.

He had been sorely mistaken.

No, the kid had beaten him – not because he was any stronger than the Lancer, of course, but because the Lancer had let him win. And that idiot girl socking him in the stomach hadn’t turned the tides at all either, as a matter of fact. And though he had been granted some time in the peacefulness of the void, far away from those that would seek to irritate him and test his rather immense amount of patience, he had been dragged back.

Back to the ‘life’ that wasn’t really a life – back to being a Nobody.

But then again, perhaps this was the way that things were destined to be – whether or not it was what he wanted them to be that way didn’t really matter at all. He had been given a hand unto him by the Fates, and he would have to play that hand, whether he liked it or not.

Which, of course, he didn’t.

He was feeling feelings that not only were entirely uncharacteristic of him, but that he weren’t even real – rather than the clear rationality that he was so used to having, he was... confused. Incapable of comprehending what was going on – incapable of knowing, and, by association, controlling the situation he had been so unceremoniously thrust into. If anything, he had to blame it on the void – the silence and the peace had caused him to go soft; and without any warning that he was going to be granted life; the ability to once more manipulate and use those around him to achieve his own goals, there had been no time to compose himself.

"Mutton Chops! Wake up!"

And so, he was lost. His mind was whirling about uncontrollably, attempting to get a grasp on the situation – not unlike the hurricanes he had so often summoned to obliterate his opponents, ironically enough. The cool darkness of the void was gone, he realized, replaced by cold, unforgiving stone, the sound of machinery, and the burning smell of coal. He supposed that the disorientation he was experiencing was probably in the intruding party’s benefit – otherwise, he very well might have skewered the man that had addressed him, if not for so rudely attempting to gain his attention, then for incorrectly calling his sideburns... mutton chops.

He pushed himself upright then, vaguely noting that he wasn’t the type to just kill people for no real reason – he wasn’t Larxene, for Fates’ sake – before allowing his eyes to snap open, finding that he was no longer in that Castle that had caused so many of his problems. Rather, he was in a totally unfamiliar locale – a small provincial town, perhaps, years behind the technology that so many other worlds had developed. And in the distance, he observed was that Castle in question.

So this must be where Belle is from. Curious.

But now that he thought about it, the similarities were there – the garments these peasants wore were actually rather similar to what the Princess in question did, their attitudes and mannerisms somewhat similar to hers. And finally, he met glances with the man that had woken him from his half-slumber, eyes narrowing with curiosity as he did so. Getting to his feet at last, and sliding from the rooftop on which he had awoken to land with an inhuman grace before the man, he simply turned and walked away, ignoring the shocked, yet intrigued expression upon his visage.

Perhaps, if he was himself – completely himself, and not the unsure mess that he happened to be at that present moment in time – he would have realized that it would have been in his best interest to question the man. Find out what the situation at the Beast’s residence was, and to figure out how best to resume his task of stealing the monster’s heart – gaining a powerful minion for the Organization to control. But that posed another question – what of the Organization? He knew they had been defeated – he had felt it, even in the all-encompassing void. And even though he was sure they too had returned – it was the only logical conclusion – he had to wonder whether it would be worth it to return to them. He had worked alongside the group because they were powerful – because they increased his chances of survival, and had assisted in his coming to terms with his transformation.

But now, he was noticing very obvious flaws in the group’s abilities. The fact that they had been so easily defeated by a ragtag group of travelers, for one. The fact that many of them had turned on each other, showing their true colors when the situation had deemed in necessary, for another. And really, he didn’t need them. Each and every one of them seemed so desperate to gain hearts once more – to be human beings. To be able to feel emotions, and live the lives that they had lost. Kingdom Hearts, they sought, as he had heard time and time again over the years – but really, it didn’t matter to the Lancer one bit if he ever regained his heart. So what if he could never be Dilan again – he had been a cold, calculating, borderline emotionless individual to begin with, and being a Nobody certainly had its perks. In a way, it would be entirely counter-productive to go crawling back to the Organization, begging for forgiveness.

No, he saw no reason to return. And he wouldn’t.

Almost as if on cue, portals of darkness – the Organization’s ‘signature’, some would say – opened all around him, formless white beings spewing forth. Some were large, others small; some had vaguely human-like shapes, others were clearly modeled after beasts. But each had that symbol that labeled them as what they were: Nobodies. He knew what this meant – someone in the Organization had predicted his thoughts. Known that he had no intention of returning. And as such, they had sent these beings not as assassins – as clearly, he was far too powerful for any typical Nobody to do him in – but as a warning. To remind him that no one abandoned the Organization, and that his time would come soon enough.

"Come." He stated with a wave of his hands, six lances manifesting themselves in a semi-circle around him, held aloft by the winds that he had so easily learned to control. This he was sure of, thankfully enough – battle was so ingrained into his mind, so natural that he hadn’t forgotten it’s finer workings, even in ‘death.’ He rose into the air with but a thought, two lances darting forth and eliminating two of the beasts a moment later. Xaldin. That was who he was; who he would be, until the end. Not Dilan – as a human, he had been weak – incapable of utilizing the winds so masterfully, trapped on the Earth in much the same way that a sailor would feel trapped when away from his ship. He was at home in the sky – the closest thing to the air’s child – it was how he could so gracefully manipulate the winds to send the remaining four lances into a fatal dance around him, obliterating several more beasts without even upsetting a single leaf on a nearby tree.

And then it was over. Silence once more filled the alleyway in which he sought to retreat to, in order to gather his wits and make sense of it all. Lindworm faded into the darkness once more, the Lancer himself lowering his arms before turning his gaze to the sky. He knew that somewhere out there, the Organization once again lived – that they would once again return to the tasks they had left unaccomplished in death. Whether or not he would directly oppose them remained unclear, even to him – but he knew that they were now two seperate entities. There were the Thirteen – Twelve now, if not ten., he corrected himself – and then there was the Lancer himself.

And in a way, he felt... relieved, oddly enough. So much time had been spent doing all he could to please the Superior, doing the mindless tasks that had been given to him in silent obedience – and now... he was free. To do what he pleased, without a thought in regards to the wishes and ambitions that others might possess.

A devilish look crossed his visage for but a moment before the darkness swallowed him, carrying him away.

To where his goals could be accomplished.

To where there were new people, fresh souls for him to manipulate and corrupt.

To where the Lancer could truly rise again.

[Fate]

I'm actually pretty impressed. There were a couple of odd moments, but once I started reading further, I felt it did capture Xaldin's character pretty well. It's interesting to see him not go back to the Organization, though his reasons were justified with his way of thinking. I liked this audition-- nice job Ryu.

1/2 Accepted!

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[Nothingness]

Hm, rather interesting take on Xaldin. I usually can tell which way a character will go, but you definitely took a different route than any I'd have thought of. That said, it's certainly quite good, so...

2/2 Accepted