paixaorpg | Even the Darkness Has a Shadow

Entry tags:

ansem,
emizel

Even the Darkness Has a Shadow

Character(s): Ansem and Emizel
Content: Ansem doing what Ansem does best
Setting: Out in the streets of the city
Time: At some point after Marluxia's latest MB post
Warnings: Ansem

Ansem had to admit that he hadn't had much experience with demons. He certainly had ample experience with all the many flavors of darkness, however, as well as the many and various things that could cause someone to doubt. Besides, it would prove to be intriguing to see what a true creature of the darkness - a creature with such a dark heart - could hope to offer by way of proof. More so if such a creature had come to doubt. Perhaps this one could even be used as template for what to expect of any future encounters with demons.

Still, it would hardly have been of any interest to direct the boy to him. He was hardly interested in that level of simplicity. If the boy couldn't find him, the boy wasn't going to be worth his effort. There were other wavering hearts in the city, other hearts of much more value than this single heart. That he had deigned to allow himself to be found was thus nothing more than a great favor. A favor to someone who's need made them of potential use, but that was neither here nor there. For the moment, he simply drifted through the streets, quiet as the shadows he had been born from.

Sooner or later his stroll would be interrupted.

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Emizel still didn't have much of an idea what to expect, or honestly what he was going to have to do to prove himself. But maybe this sort of challenge was exactly what he needed. It'd be the best way to test how far he's truly gone from a coward and if he does pass it then there's really not much he should fear. But there was still the problem that he never told where he was supposed to go. And looking for one person all throughout a huge city was also way harder than it sounds ~~he already had nearly two weeks of experience on that~~. Honestly if Emizel did find this guy, so be it, but he wasn't gonna try to go completely out of his way just to do so.

At least that would be the case, if it weren't for that unsettling presence nearby. Some kind of dark aura, clearly, most strong demons also got those too depending how high up the ladder they were. But this felt... a little different than those. More concentrated perhaps.

Part of him wanted to see just what might be creating that, the other half kind of just wanted to get the hell away from it.

As things currently stood, Ansem had no more idea than Emizel did about how he was to prove himself. He'd asked more to see how things might play out, to draw the boy out into the light so that he might better see what could be made of him. If he had courage enough to prove, then he would have something to show for it. If not, then Ansem would know something that could be used for his advantage, even if he still had no idea of quite what his misgivings had been about. Simply that there had been something of a time sensitive nature to them and that was all that mattered for the moment.

As for the dark aura that was lurking in the streets? That was nothing other than Ansem himself, and while Emizel might have had his doubts about whether or not to flee from it very shortly the question was out of his hands - the dark aura was coming closer even while he deliberated. Fortunately, there was no real malice in it just at the moment but either way, it wasn't likely to bode particularly well.

A moment later, Ansem himself came around the corner, bringing that same aura of darkness with him, although he seemed to simply be going where his feet would take him for the moment.

The fact there was no malice made it worse. Much less predictable. And it out ruled the slight possibility of something else, though why that would happen so quickly didn't make much sense either.

However once Emizel caught a glimpse of what was... generating that, he may have froze for a moment. "...!"

"It's you.."

Ansem drew slowly to a stop at Emizel's words, as if he'd meant to meet the other here in the middle of nowhere of real importance. There were certain advantages not caring quite so much as others might, and he offered a slow nod at the comment.

"Indeed. I recall saying we'd meet, after all. Or had you thought instead to doubt my words?"

"R, right. Of course," complaining on how this was little too abrupt would only make him look bad anyway. Though if he trying to cover the fact it was a tad nervous, well, he probably wasn't doing that good of a job on it.

It's uncertain if knowing what that presence was now made him any less tense about it either. He was keeping his guard up for now.

He most certainly wasn't doing a good job of it, no. True, Ansem wouldn't be mentioning the fact that he could tell how very nervous Emizel was just at the moment, but it could hardly have been clearer if it had been written in letters of the purest light.

After a moment of careful judged silence, he finally spoke again. "I believe you intended to prove something?"

"I-I was," Emizel stammered again from hesitation. He still didn't have a clue what he was going to do. How do you prove something that rarely could even be seen?

"But how should I...?"

Oh, this was simply getting better and better, and Ansem grinned in the face of that stammer. Things could hardly have gone better if he'd planned them. Still, apart from that simple smile he offered nothing. No hint of violence, no mention that it was clear that he was less certain in person, nothing save for the faint suggestion of amusement.

"I can't tell you how to prove yourself."

There must be something. Anything.

... Then again, maybe there was something after all. He did create that burst of energy on the moon base. If he could find a way to make it again but for a different reason, maybe it will be enough? It not like there was any other ideas.

"If that's so, then..." Emizel shut his eyes so he could concentrate, the blue flame behind him even began to dim a little as well. He tried to reduce every inch of power he thought he had into just one tight spot and then ignite it with determination.

The flame was the first to suddenly change as it was now burning quite violently. The rest came later in the form of a much larger burst of fire that was now surrounding him. Though in much warmer colors instead.

It was a strength of will, hopefully what Ansem was looking for.

Ansem waited patiently as Emizel deliberated. The advantage of something of this nature was that it did require people to think. It teased out something more than the simple light or darkness that lay at the heart of all things, and while that heart was much more important to him than anything else that didn't mean he couldn't at least see what the rest of person had to offer.

How long it took to get there wasn't so important, although it was certainly an interesting sight to watch, as Emizel gathered his will to him. Very interesting, especially with the way that the flame behind him rippled and changed in reaction to the gathering will. Had it not been for that, he might easily have assumed it was nothing more than an oddity of Emizel's clothes. He would have to remember that it was otherwise for later.

"Impressive," he murmured, once Emizel had finished. "But tell me, how does this answer your earlier questions?"

Indeed the flame was quite unique. It could apparently respond to everything, even the things inside his heart. But those were secrets he won't share so willingly. Especially with someone he wasn't fully sure to trust.

"... It's a little simple, actually," perhaps Emizel did realize something after all, as the will was slowly starting to die down a bit now. It kind of left him slightly light headed once it did completely disappear but he seemed to have recovered quickly. "If I wasn't sure of myself there's no way I could have done it. And as long as I have that, I can do anything I want."

A slow smile spread across Ansem's face at Emizel's words. The light had finally dawned in the darkness. He'd simply need to know how to push the other into seeing it.

Others might have found it odd, to find him of all people encouraging hope. But hope had never been a problem. Hope could lead to darkness just as well as light could, and though his methods might have been considered crude by some, he'd learned a little more by his attempts. It would do. Better yet, if he let the boy go, perhaps he would lead Ansem to whatever it had been that had concerned him so very much in the first place.

"Good," he answered. "Very good. Not many come to see what you have."

"Really?" he was intrigued what that meant, but still a little dubious at whatever the other could be up to.

"... Why's that?"

Why was a question Ansem was very rarely asked. Most people were content with the more vague of his answers, or the promise that he could offer the power that could serve to smooth over something that would otherwise prove difficult. To here it now was thus both surprise and pleasure. The boy's heart was a good heart. A curious heart, that might well serve his uses.

"Because they rarely stop to truly think. They believe in their actions and think it enough."

"Is that so?" Emizel may have actually smirked a tiny bit at that. He was starting to feel a lot more confident now, flattered maybe. Seriously how couldn't so many not know something as simple as that? ~~Never mind the fact it's only a revelation he was aware of not too long ago.~~

"Well thankfully I'm not like many others."

Ah. So he responded well to flattery. Another very good thing to learn, although he would need to remember to not overdo it. There was such a thing as being too obvious, even for him. What he'd managed with Riku was born of rather unique circumstances and a deep darkness and hunger for power. It would have been foolish to assume the same would hold true for everyone.

"It is," he answered with a nod. "But if you have something more pressing to tend to, don't let me keep you from it."

"Well of course I do," Emizel was definitely better about himself. Apparently all he really needed after all was to feel sure again. With that, he was now prepared for anything. Like possibly go look for NiGHTS again in places he hadn't tried yet.

"I already told you I don't need your help, didn't I?"

There was a brief moment of silence before Ansem nodded. How nice it must be, to be young and so easily pushed in the proper direction. He had barely even tried, and here he had managed to convince the other to move in exactly the sort of direction that would be most beneficial to him. Honestly, the only way the outcome could have been better was if the boy's darkness had been the sort that would make for a good potential host, but he already had at least one of those in the city. There was no sense yet in getting greedy in that regard just yet.

"You did," he answered, "although I'd hardly meant to follow you. If our paths cross again, we may speak once more then."

He was most likely completely oblivious that he was doing exactly what Ansem was hoping. If anything Emizel assumed that the main purpose of the encounter was just to sign him up for something he had no interest in anyway. And if that was the case, he's fairly certain that his choice should have been obvious.

"If we do, maybe," although he won't mind it at all if he never saw this guy again. Might prefer that more actually. Which now Emizel was already beginning to walk away, "but right now I have bigger things to take care of."

Ansem's only answer was a nod, as Emizel turned to walk away. Anything further would only have been a delay and there was so very little left to say that he hadn't already brought up. So he simply watched as Emizel turned and walked away, before he too turned away and headed back into the city.

There were, after all, other things yet to see in the city.

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Even the Darkness Has a Shadow

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