genessia | Action in Holodeck'd, Genessia City

[Karla feels awful, to put it mildly. Throughout the past week, she had craved nothing but battle, a ravenous hunger that could not be sated. She cared not if she got hurt, or if others got hurt. She just followed the sword, as if it had a mind of its own.]

[Now, she's finishing yet another Holodeck's simulation, by striking down a generic sword-wielding opponent, and the room changes back to its plain, empty form. Karla stands still, gripping the hilt of her sword in a calm rage directed only at herself.]

[This cursed blade, only good for cutting people down, cleaving flesh, and spilling blood, nothing more. Karla asks herself again and again, why does she wield it? She ought to break the thing before it completely takes over her mind. She raises the blade above her head, preparing to strike the ground and hopefully shatter the blade against it...]

[But then she freezes. Even now, her brother is somewhere in Elibe, seeking opponents to cut down, trying to sate the hunger of the blade that will never be truly satisfied. Karla has to see him again, and hopefully bring him back home. And for that to happen, she needs her sword.]

[She brings the blade in front of her, gazing at the shining blade, an expression of longing on her face. She then collapses to her knees, propping herself up with her arms. Everything hurts, from her heart to her muscles. She's aware that she hasn't done much to fulfill her basic needs, like sleep. And with the blistering cold weather, can only lead to one thing. Tears begin to trickle down her cheeks. ]

What...what have I become...?

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Okay...

[It's not like she has the energy to go anywhere. When Lea enters the chamber, he'll find her still on the floor on her hands and knees. However, she forces herself to stand as he approaches and carefully takes the soup from him. She'll then take a few small sips to get used to its temperature before taking a rather large sip. It was clear that she really needed it.]

Thanks, Lea...

So...what was it you wanted to talk about?

[Lea sat down next to her while she drank her soup so he wouldn't be towering over her.]

Well... remember when I said back at the Halloween party that it had been a long time since I was able to get excited about Christmas? Well, the reason for that was that I'd had my heart stolen by the people responsible for the Heartless. My friend Isa and I had stumbled onto their plans, and since they didn't want us telling anybody, well...

[He shrugged slightly, leaving the details up to the imagination.]

I guess they thought it would kill us; when most people have their hearts taken, the rest of them just vanishes. But if your heart is strong enough, the empty shell that's left behind can get up and start acting on its own, becoming something called a Nobody. And if your heart is really strong, your Nobody can even retain their human form and memories.

And as it turned out, Isa and I had really strong hearts. When our hearts were taken, we became Siax and Axel. Nobodies. We remembered being human, and what it was like to have a heart, but... we couldn't feel anything. And because I couldn't feel anything as Axel, I ended up doing some terrible things. Things I really regret now.

So I guess what I wanted to say is... I get it. I know it's not the exact same thing, but I know what it's like to lose yourself and to regret the things you did because of it. And if you ever want to talk or anything, I'm here. OK?

W...well...

[Karla stops, taking in the story, her expression unreadable. It was certain that this wasn't quite like what she's experiencing.]

So you...got your heart back?

[Somehow it seemed impossible...but being in Genessia for so long, she's seen a lot of things by now that seemed impossible. This was also the major difference between Lea's situation and hers. If Karla did lose herself, would she ever be able to recover? No...she can't lose herself...not before she finds Karel.]

[Karla's reaction wasn't quite what Lea had expected. Of course, he wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but still it was clear he'd miscalculated. Hopefully he could still work with it though.]

Yeah... That's why I'm Lea again.

[He paused.]

And I'm sorry. For laying all that on you at a time like this. I just... I wanted you to know that you're not a bad person because this happened, OK? And I didn't know how else to explain how I knew that.

Something happened to you that messed with the way you perceived things, messed with your head and heart. And... that's gonna take time to recover from. But you can. You're strong, brave, capable, and you've got a good heart.

And I don't know how much good I'll be, but like I said, I'm your friend, and I'm here for you if you need me. OK?

It's...fine.

[Somehow, Lea's words of comfort caused even more tears to roll down her cheeks. Not to imply that he was wrong, or that his words had hurt her further, but to release all of her emotions that had been dormant in the very bottom of her heart. She hasn't really cried like this since she was tortured.]

Thanks, Lea...it means a lot...

[Oh no, she was crying. Girl tears were Lea's weakness. Even more so when he wasn't entirely sure what to do about them. With Xion it was easy, but Karla was different.

After a long moment of mental deliberation, Lea carefully slipped an arm around her shoulders giving her a one-armed hug, not so tight that she couldn't pull away if it wasn't wanted, but firm enough to hopefully convey the message of support.]

What are friends for?

Action in Holodeck'd, Genessia City

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