Author's Note: Here she is, chapter three.
Disclaimer:
Act I, scene I. Curtain opens onto a word document.
Pleiades: Hello rights to Kingdom Hearts, characters, locations, and plot devices!
Rights: I'm not yours, leave!
Curtain Falls
Chapter 3- They Dine
The delicate clatter of silverware against china daintily interjected the faint clamor of breakfast in the castle's dining hall that morning. A monolithic, stark-white marble table dominated the focus of the room, aided by 13 throne-like chairs surrounding it, each tailored to a specific constituent. Several plates of breakfast lay upon the plane, coercing aromatic displays of fresh produce and fluffy pancakes into the air. As it happened, one of the partakers of the morning meal was exceedingly interested in the mathematics presented by his breakfast…
"Descending integers," he thought, lazily. "Four places are set at the table this morning, with three meals half eaten. Two of us are left here now, and there's one person here with whom I'm inescapably smitten."
Zexion continued to ponder, whilst noiselessly munching on a strawberry and growing exponentially more uninterested in what his remaining dining companion had to say. Axel's speech wavered in and out of focus, as the succulent fruit haphazardly made its way past his tongue. He savored the tartness of the juice with closed eyes, slowly growing more and more eager for the redhead's departure.
"Right, Zexion?"
Normally arrogant eyes shot open, betraying only for a moment some guilty inattentiveness. Gone in a flash, it was replaced by a dark, academic creativity, infamous within the walls of Castle Oblivion.
"Perhaps Axel… perhaps."
A quick glance to the left told him that this response had been satisfactory. Sometimes it seemed as though Axel spoke to fill a void. In Zexion's opinion, silence was heavily undervalued in the castle.
The sound of a far off door opening and shutting presented a golden opportunity to re-capture his mental seclusion
"Ah, if I'm not mistaken, I believe that our chef has returned from taming the beast."
As he spoke, the sullen clunk of heavy boot-clad footfalls could be heard growing louder, descending the relatively unassuming staircase leading into the room.
"Well, well, is number XIII ready for the miss-"
Zexion's statement was unfortunately cut short by the sight presented before him, and the subsequent earth-shattering silence… followed by earth-shattering laughter.
Standing before the two of them was a Demyx never before seen.
Lanky form hanging in a livid state of defeat, one side of Demyx's face was nearing the color of the strawberry speared on Zexion's fork. A bruise of sizeable proportion was also beginning to develop on his cheek, with a lovely shiner to match. He stood, fuming, on the landing, silently absorbing the inevitable salt-in-the-wound of Axel's laughter. Zexion was caught in a half risen state of shock, fury, and admittedly, some bemusement himself
"Demyx, what on earth,"
He began, but was interrupted by Axel.
"Obviously Roxy's not in an 'eggs n' 'bacy' mood this morning, eh Demyx," came the sole comfort from the Fury of Dancing Flames.
"Hmph!"
Directing his present rage at Axel, Demyx summoned a glare which, on anyone with feeling in the left half of his or her face, would have been positively withering. This was promptly met with another outburst from Axel, and something of a hacking cough from Zexion.
After realizing this was to no avail, Demyx retreated across the room to the seat beside Zexion, as the dying echoes of Axel's laughter proceeded further into the Castle. Obviously seeking some sort of vindication, Demyx gave Zexion a pleading look…or so the silver-haired man thought.
Rather than the solace he sought, Demyx was met with ill-solicited inquisition.
"What on Earth happened to you?"
Zexion asked slowly, carefully masking any previous emotion.
Apparently astonished that Roxas's death warrant was not being composed before him, Demyx began a pouty rebuttal, but was cut short by the icy tone of his companion. "Don't start," spoke Zexion with deceptive serenity, "just answer me."
"Sniff…Little Ba'th'ard 'thlammed the door in my face…"
"More like on your face!"
…Axel had impeccable timing. He was promptly silenced with by the visage of an intensely irritated Zexion.
"Oh don't gimme the look Zexy… Roxas just didn't get much sleep."
"…"
This remark was met less with the monotone agreement Axel had been looking for, and more with curious glances of two suddenly-intrigued nobodies.
"And just, how would you know that Axel… you were on detail last night, as I recall it." Zexion articulated the wonder of both himself and Demyx, with one manicured eyebrow slightly cocked and coy smirk on deck.
"Oh, well, I mean, probably, y' know… with how he gets…" Looking much more uncomfortable than was rightly allowed for a man who, moments before, had been giggling uncontrollably at the pain of others, Axel dodged the question as tactlessly as was possible. It was indeed, a long way down from the top of the world.
"Oh, no, please, do go on."
Zexion's drollest tone could still manage to be harsh and unforgiving.
"Well, it's like, just… with no one else here…assuming…"
Axel stumbled over his reply again.
Damn it all, why can't I think straight?! Zexion's going to fry my ass.
Though his thoughts were articulate, nothing more than mumbles came from the normally smart mouth of the Organization. Scratching his neck in a nervous gesture, Axel sat mute.
"My, my Axel," cooed Zexion, as the redhead squirmed farther back into his seat, "you wouldn't happen to be… no couldn't be, right Demyx?"
As he peeked from over the grand inquisitor's shoulder, Axel saw that Demyx was beginning to regain some of the normal color in his face, which wore an over-enthused grin.
It seemed as though the two kept inching closer and closer, smiles growing larger with every move. "Don't lie to your superior, number VIII", Zexion crowed in an ambiguous tone as he ran a gloved hand through his feathery silver locks, "it would be in the best interest of you both to speak now."
Though, this obviously was what he hoped Axel would do least. Making a true fool out of the resident joker was just too satisfying
He gave Axel several more seconds to respond. In that short time, the eyes of the hunter and the hunted locked. A dismayed scowl clouded Axel's brilliant green eyes, and apt fire emanated from his frown. He gave Zexion a small, infinitesimal shake of the head; a gesture so unnoticeable that anyone lacking the perception of the cloaked schemer would have failed to pick up on it…
Zexion could only smirk all the wider
Social blood-lust in his eyes, he went in for the kill "Axel, give it to us straight, are you Roxas f-"
For the second time that morning Zexion was rudely interrupted by the arrival of another to the dining hall.
Arms outstretched in an indulgent yawn, Roxas unexpectedly emerged from around the bend in the stairs. Without skipping a beat, he quietly took the seat next to Axel. Giving out nondescript good-mornings to two of the three at the table, he promptly laid into the breakfast before him.
Demyx's good eye twitched involuntarily.
Before giving the situation a chance to escalate, Zexion made the choice to retract his previous statements, and prudently laid a gentle hand on Demyx's shoulder. Demyx immediately turned his head, a defiant, puzzled look on his face. He opened his mouth, but was silence by a small shake of a grey head. Shut out for the second time that morning, Demyx sat back in his chair and began to push his eggs around his plate.
The rest of the meal was carried out in relative silence, reverting to the tinkling of silverware against china; Zexion brooding, Demyx pouting, Axel breathing a sigh of relief, and Roxas in an oblivious morning fuzz.
Drama, amusement, breakfast, and, to top it off, quiet.
Zexion wouldn't have had breakfast any other way.