paixaorpg | That Which Is and That Which Is Yet To Be [active]

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That Which Is and That Which Is Yet To Be [active]

Character(s): Lexaeus and Zexion
Content: Discussion of the future in the aftermath of the experiments
Setting: The Lounge of Dreamless Sleep
Time: Fushigi mystery~
Warnings: Plotting, scientist style

It was a strange thing, to have looked on your future and seen it as the past. Much more so, looking into the future and seeing the death of all that you had cared for. But odd though it had been, there was still good to come of it. He had seen the fall of the Castle, yes. But he had seen something more. Marluxia was a traitor; Axel possibly likewise.

Axel was not the bulk of what Zexion was concerned with. There were any number of possibilities inherent in what he now knew. In order to make the most of them, he needed to act swiftly. Of course, first things first. They had all died, and Lexaeus would certainly want to hear of it. And for that, there was only one place to check, a portal of darkness announcing his arrival in the lounge.

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Lexaeus was sitting in his favorite chair, a massive worn in affair that still somehow seemed to barely contain his mass. In his hand was a thick tome with the title, "Väinämöinen's 3rd Dissertation on the Imposition of Magical Order."

Looking up when his comrade portaled into the room, Lexaeus set the book aside and removed his small reading glasses as he rose to his feet. "Zexion," he nodded in greeting, before waiting silently to hear what his partner had to say.

"Lexaeus," Zexion answered with a polite nod, the gesture intended mostly as acknowledgment, or perhaps some small gesture towards common courtesy. They may not have had hearts, but it was Zexion's belief that that was little excuse to act with total disregard to politeness.

Of course, with that safely out of the way he wasted little time in getting to the heart of the matter.

"I have learned some rather interesting things from one of the recent experimental subjects. Things about our future; his past. They were not entirely pleasant."

Lexaeus raised an eyebrow, which Zexion would recognize as a clear sign of interest.

"Oh? And exactly did you learn Zexion?"

And therein lay the question. What had he learned? He had learned the future, he had learned his death and Lexaeus'. Many things, none of which were pleasant.

"Should things continue as they are," he began, picking his words carefully, "the Organization will be betrayed and the Castle will fall. As will we."

It wasn't a pleasant thought, and Lexaeus would more than likely notice the signs of Zexion's distaste for the situation, but Zexion continued on all the same.

"There is a traitor amongst us."

Edited 2009-03-12 00:10 (UTC)

That earned Zexion another eyebrow raise. "That is disturbing news indeed. It also begs the question what we can do to prevent such an outcome?" Lexaeus was the type to focus on the practical side of things, though Zexion could probably detect his similar distaste for the situation.

Lexaeus's eyes narrowed slightly at Zexion's claim of a traitor in the Organization. He already had his suspicions who, but he would need all the facts before making his final judgment. "Who is the traitor?"

'...and how to we destroy him,' was the unspoken end of that question.

"Marluxia," Zexion answered simply. "I have it by his own words as witnessed by Riku's replica."

The first of many strands to make up the noose Zexion was already working on building and the one around which all the others would twine. As for the question of how to prevent the outcome that the unaltered future would bring, that took more thought.

"We will need to inform those who should know of this. You and I, Vexen, possibly the Superior himself should we deem matters to be dire enough to warrant his interference. The greatest advantage we have is that Marluxia is not yet aware that I know what he intends. The longer we can hold on to that, the better. Let his own hands build the trap that snares him."

Lexaeus wasn't surprised in the slightest by the revelation that the Organization's number 11 was a traitor. His desire for power and control was obvious to any who looked, and Lexaeus always looked carefully. "I had hoped his ambitions were tempered by wisdom, but it seems I was mistaken," he rumbled with a nod.

"Pride cometh before the fall," Lexaeus agreed. "We should be careful what we tell Vexen. He is brilliant, but his temper is his weakness. We should make sure events are in motion before we give him something to lord over the Neophytes."

Suddenly his mouth twitched in a flicker of an expression that would be unrecognizable to anyone other than Zexion, but was Lexaeus's version of a smile. "So, what do you have planned?"

"True," Zexion answered with a nod at Lexaeus' assessment of Vexen. "Nonetheless he will eventually need to be informed of his eventual death, should the timeline remain unaltered."

At Lexaeus' smile, Zexion couldn't help but answer with one of his own, a smile that bordered dangerously close to being a smirk. "I wouldn't be surprised to see Marluxia keep the potential danger quiet for a while. It would risk tipping our hand to him, but if we can reach Larxene before he tells her of her own death it may just be possible to drive them apart at least somewhat."

And a Nobody without allies was a vulnerable thing indeed, if you knew just how to strike.

"Of course, he is a valued comrade after all."

Lexaeus nodded, seeing the wisdom of Zexion's plan. "Indeed, depriving him of resources is the first step to destroying him. He is powerful, but far from the strongest of us."

Mulling over things for a moment, he nodded and continued, "I will remain silent for now. It is best if you are the one to approach Larxene. You are closest to the Neophytes in terms of order, and thus less likely to provoke an irrational response. Your interpersonal skills are also a bit more, refined than mine."

Again, Zexion simply nodded. "So he is. Still, it would be safest to wait, as you said. At the very least until we see how far we can estrange Larxene from Marluxia."

He wasn't hoping for miracles of course, much less anything major, but every piece counted.

"She should be in her library, at the moment." Despite how it sounded it wasn't intended as a dismissal of anything Lexaeus had said. It was simply that he had agreed with all of Lexaeus' comments and hadn't deemed it necessary to quantify that agreement in words.

Lexaeus understood completely. He and Zexion had been partners as long as they had existed, and their Somebodies had shared a similar connection. If anyone could ever hope to understand Zexion, it was Lexaeus.

"Very well. While you are here, I have my own discovery I feel I should share with you."

Likewise, the same was true in reverse, not that that was particularly surprising.

"What is it?" he asked simply. True, it was perhaps a bit on the blunt side but there was honest curiosity there all the same, or at least the closest he could still manage to curiosity.

Lexaeus formulated his words for a moment, before stating, "Initial studies suggest that an excess of light in an individual who's Heart is inclined toward light can induce them to be more receptive to outside suggestion. It is imperfect, but worthy of pursuit."

"I see." Worthy of pursuit, indeed. Unfortunately he couldn't claimed to have done much research of his own in that direction, but that was perhaps forgivable, given that he'd been devoting himself to thwarting as much as he could of what Marluxia had been planning.

"I would assume the same would hold true for an excess of darkness in a Heart naturally inclined to dark?"

"I have no evidence of that at this time. It will require further experimentation to determine." Already Lexaeus's mind was full of possible experiments to test and verify his hypothesis, and the potential ramifications of this discovery.

"If the results are due to the surfeit of the heart's natural element then it stands to reason the opposite would also be true."

Of course, whether or not it was would require no small amount of testing, but that could be dealt with in time.

"However, we are both aware of the unpredictable nature of Light and Darkness. Perhaps Darkness on a Dark Heart could have a very different reaction. Furthermore, we should also test the effects of Light and Darkness on the Hearts of someone inclined to the opposite spectrum."

These findings were intriguing indeed, although Lexaeus had to admit that Zexion's findings were of more immediate importance. Discoveries meant nothing if you were not alive to take advantage of them.

"More than aware, in some cases," Zexion added with a nod. After all, they'd been studying the darkness for years even before losing their hearts and it had hardly grown tamer in all that time, save perhaps for coming slightly easier at their call. "I expect we'll be busy for quite some time."

Not that he minded. They'd likely have to be more careful in their choice of subjects, but that was easily doable.

Lexaeus's lips quirked just slightly. "Would you have it any other way?"

"Of course not," Zexion answered with a slight smile of his own. It was far better to have busy days than otherwise. The prospect of them being filled with science only made the deal sweeter.

"But I suppose I should be off. Time and tide waits for no man, after all." Larxene was hardly known for her patience and Marluxia was an unknown variable in this particular equation. "Should I let you know how things turn out?"

"Of course," Lexaeus answered, picking up his book. "Just be sure to be careful around the Nymph. She can be persuasive in her own way."

Was that a joke? Lexaeus wasn't telling.

"Of course," Zexion answered with a slight smile. He could and likely would be more than willing to dance the dance of politeness and politics and power that embodied most of the interactions between members of the Organization. In some ways, it could almost be called his element.

But all those were things he either wouldn't or saw no need to mention. Instead, he simply offered Lexaeus one last nod before disappearing in a swirl of darkness. There were other things to turn to at the moment.

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