Mortica slunk through the cafe doors and seated herself at one of the tables, taking in the empty place with an expectant eye. It was near closing time for the place, but Mortica didn't plan on being here for long; she was just expecting someone. Mortica twirled a finger around a lock of black hair as she looked up at an approaching young waitress.
"Oh, 'scuse me, ma'am," the waitress said uncertainly. "But we're going to close in a few..."
Mortica smiled fleetingly at the girl. "Don't worry, girl," she said silkily. "I'm only waiting for someone. But in the meantime, may I get two cups of hot chocolate? I'll be gone before anyone else notices." She flashed a secret smile toward the girl, and the waitress blushed and rushed back into the kitchens.
Instantly Mortica's face dropped to reveal the tired, worried, and puzzled expression beneath. She folded her arms and rested her head within them, sighing heavily. Mortica felt a sudden tap on her head, along with a friendly scratch at the same spot. The woman looked up, expecting it to be the waitress, but it was none other than the person she was expecting. "So you came...," she murmured, a tad uneasy.
Larxene nodded. "I did." She took the seat opposite Mortica, and Larxene looked across to her former best friend. "What's troubling you? When Zexion delivered your message, he said you seemed rather stressed about something..."
Mortica nodded. "It's just that... ever since Jester came back from Zexion's Infirmary, two weeks ago, he's been, well... different..."
Larxene's ears pricked. "Go on...," she murmured neutrally. Before Mortica could open her mouth again, the waitress from before came with the cups of hot chocolate. Mortica handed over the munny, but the young girl only took half, and with such a blush that Larxene was a little suspicious. Not deciding to dwell on the trivial matter, she looked to Mortica as the woman gently pushed the hot beverage to her.
"Jester... he's been..." Mortica sighed. "It's just that he acts so different around me nowadays."
"How different?"
Mortica's ice-blue eyes glazed slightly. "He keeps touching me... Especially when we're alone, he'll just start kissing me and touching me..." Mortica's cheeks burned.
Larxene set down her cup, her eyes glittering. "Did you let him bed you...?"
Mortica hung her head. "The first time, yes... But at the time I didn't know any better... It was only in the morning that I realized that... that the love wasn't there..." Her eyes watered with pain, and she found Larxene staring at her in concern for the first time in roughly ten years. "The love just wasn't there anymore..."
Larxene nodded. "I know what you mean..."
Ever since that night with Steel and those three hounds, Axel had been different as well. The pyromancer could never seem to keep his hands off of her; he was always touching her body with such hunger that Larxene could immediately tell that something was missing. Every night, Axel would try to lead Larxene to bed, but the Nymph had always refused; she realized that the rejection was only fueling him and arousing him all the more... "Axel's been the same way, too...," she said to Mortica.
Mortica looked up, ice blue eyes shining with surprise and intrigue. "He has? Perhaps there's some sort of connection..."
Mortica quickly rose, and Larxene followed; leaving the munny on the table for the waitress, the black-haired woman left the cafe, her blond companion at her heels. She turned and said, "Take me to where they went two weeks ago."
Larxene looked taken aback, but she recomposed herself; eyebrows furrowing, she replied, "What do you hope to accomplish?"
Mortica's shoulders sagged, eyes pleading. "I just feel that this isn't Jester... Don't you feel that Axel isn't himself?"
Larxene held Mortica's gaze, a near-forgotten, archaic connection resurrecting itself between the two. Mortica knew Larxene's answer, though neither spoke a word.
Mortica nodded. "Something happened that night. Something that made them this way. Perhaps, if we go back, there's a way to negate the effects... Do you have any idea who could have made them this way?"
Larxene closed her eyes in thought, recalling that night when she had arrived. She remembered everyone who had been there that night, and the image of that large vixen kept coming into her mind's eyes. The canine's posture was haughty, smooth, and her gas-flame eyes shone with a certain lust and satisfaction every time she had looked at either Jester or Axel.
"There was a vixen," Larxene began, her voice low. "One of the hounds that Steel brought along to attack Jester and Axel. I have a feeling she had something to do with this."
Mortica's eyes flashed, the light within them hardening with resolve. "Just get me there, then," she entreated. "I need to get him back..."
Larxene slowly nodded. "I will... And I'm coming with you."
This statement made Mortica start with surprise. "I... I..."
Mortica was obviously at a loss for words, therefore Larxene saved her the trouble of looking for them. The Savage Nymph nodded and opened a portal, motioning for Mortica to follow.
"Go to Zexion," Larxene ordered. "I think either he or Xemnas has Roxas. Take him to me so I can tell him I'm going somewhere." Mortica nodded and disappeared through a portal to search the Castle; after watching the red-and-gold vortex disappear, Larxene turned and made her way to her own room. She felt her spine prickle with slight unease as she opened her door to see Axel looking out her window.
He turned and flashed a grin at her. "Hey there, Lar-Lar," he drawled, eyes narrowed haughtily.
Larxene crossed her arms and growled, "Hello to you too, asshole."
She blushed when Axel returned by saying something vulgar that was rather linked to her comment. He sauntered up to her and cupped her chin; the pyromaniac gently set her up against the wall, nibbling her ear. Again, Larxene was aware of the love's absence, and thus she bit down on his shoulder and sent a jolt of electricity into him, however much it hurt her to do it. Axel reeled back, looking startled, and Larxene took the opportunity to say, "I was going to tell you that I have to go somewhere for a bit. Just a visit, and I won't be long."
Axel raised an eyebrow. "By yourself? No me?" When Larxene slowly nodded, the redhead crossed his arms in thought. "But I'll miss you...," he whispered heavily, seizing her hips, his hands sliding over to cup her.
Larxene slid out of his grip, saying, "I know you will," she returned, sarcasm laced in her tongue. "But this is something I need to do by myself. So back off," she finished sharply as an afterthought.
Axel looked taken aback at the last part, and he blinked as a knock on the door sounded. Larxene opened the door, and Mortica came through the threshold, Roxas walking behind her. "Here he is," she said softly, avoiding Axel's eyes as he observed her with indifference.
Larxene nodded. "Axel, I need you--"
"I need you, too, Larx."
Larxene rolled her eyes. "Let me finish, dammit. I need you to watch Roxas while I'm away."
Axel looked at the child briefly, then looked up at the ceiling, hands on his hips in thought. "Fine," he said, returning his gaze to look at her. "I'll watch him; be back quickly, eh?"
Larxene nodded and turned quickly through a portal, Mortica in tow.
Axel sighed and sat down on the floor beside the child, whom he had hardly paid attention to in two weeks. He looked at Roxas now, as the child had poked his side. "What do you want, squirt?" he asked with mild abrasiveness.
Roxas sighed and hugged his father fiercely. "Ackel?" he asked quietly. "Where Ackel?"
"Right here, sport," Axel sighed, rolling his eyes.
Roxas cried out in annoyance.
"What?"Axel asked loudly, looking sharply at the boy, who held his father's gaze with sternness. Axel, for some reason, couldn't help but stare into the boy's green eyes, so much like his own. He saw his reflection in there, and Axel couldn't help but think of the boy in front of him; the man felt a warmth of sorts rush through his body, and he thought of Larxene next. This time, he recalled their past together, of their relationship, of how they would both work to benifit the other and never themselves, the love that was between them, connecting them. He felt a wave of icy water course through him, and he shivered; however, as soon as the feeling started, it was gone.
Axel blinked, and he looked at Roxas, who blinked at him in clueless return. Axel furrowed his eyebrows in deep thought, realizing that he was himself again.
"How...?" he murmured to himself, looking down at his son, who clapped his hands and laughed. "I know it wasn't you...," Axel murmured, rubbing his head in thought. Axel recalled everything throughout the two weeks since returning after the incident with Steel, and realized that he had not experienced a single feeling of love ever since. However, when he did, he felt like himself again... Axel figured that he hadn't been himself ever since that night, but what had happened that time? When he recalled the vixen, Axel felt himself bristle; it must have been she who had done something to him... It all seemed to fit...
"Jester...," Axel breathed, rising. "He got licked, too..." He paced the room in thought, arms crossed behind his back. He stopped to open a portal, but unfortunately the pyro didn't have a fixed destination in mind, and just let the vortex swirl there. Suddenly his mind went back to Larxene, and the pyro was overcome with a different need: the need to apologize. "I gotta go to her," he said to himself urgently, and turned. "Roxas, I'll get Demyx and Meytha for... you...?" He looked behind him. "Rox-- no, not the portal!"
Crisis lifted her head and sniffed the air, her upper lip curling as she viewed the blue sky above her. She was in the dragons' pasture, in the forested part of it, with one of Steel's hounds curled into a ball on her saddle. She turned her black neck and breathed through her nostrils into their neck fur. Up, you bum, she hissed irritably. There are intruders again.
The dusty brown dog slowly lifted his head and blinked sleepily at the black whose back he was resting on. You rang? he asked, droopy-eyed from his nap.
Crisis clicked her fangs together and repeated, There are intruders again.
Well, that's nice news, he replied sluggishly; yawning tremendously, he said, Be sure to tell Voltaire now while I get back to sleeping.
You lazy mutt! Crisis growled, her lip curling again. I wonder how Steel puts up with you! You do nothing but sleep and laze about!
And provide moral support.
You HAVE no morals!
The dog opened one dull brown eye and stared at Crisis' own red ones, which were glittering with vexation. So what's your point? Get Stray to look into it or something...
Go tell the your litter mates that there are intruders, you good-for-nothing twit! Crisis roared, rearing on her hind legs, thus causing the dog to roll off her back and onto the grass.
He shook his fur and stretched, yawning again. I don't feel like it..., he returned as a last attempt, looking back at Crisis. When her mouth began to smoke, his eyes widened and he scampered off back toward the kennels.
Crisis sniffed in disdain as she resumed treading through the forest for game, grumbling, Little mutt lives up to his lowly name of Sloth...
"I've never been here before," the young child said to his brother, who looked a tad skittish. "Strafe thinks he can have all the adventure just cuz he's the Cub Prince. I don't think so... Come on, Paddin, we gots an adventure to see!"
Paddin whimpered and clutched his older brother by the sleeve. "But Har, I'm scared of this place... It looks creepy..."
"Don't be a baby," Har scolded. "It's just a forest, like the one we live by! See, there's nothing to be afr--"
Paddin screamed as a large dog snarled and bowled his older brother over. The young child took in the fox-like creature's dark red fur, and the gleaming white teeth that tore at Har's shirt in an effort to seize the boy. "Let him go!" Paddin screamed, fists clenching to his chest as Har yelled out in terror.
The fox leered at him, eyes of the lightest deep green glinting at his own golden ones. She licked her lips and barked threateningly at the boy, and the bushes rattled to reveal a stocky, rotund male dog pad through and next to the fox's side.
Get the child over there, Gluttony, the fox commanded. Her tail flicked when the dark brown dog eagerly moved forward. But don't eat him, she spat condescendingly.
Can it, Envy, the dog grumbled as he swung a heavy paw at the frightened Paddin; the boy fell, and Gluttony scooped the boy up by his shirt with his jaws. Alright, let's go, he grumbled as he dragged the boy past Envy, who preferred to carry the other crying child by his leg. I'm getting hungry.
A/N: So there we have it: Lust's power can be negated when the victim experiences or recalls feelings of actual love. All we have left to introduce is Greed, and Stray should be in the next chapter, too.
And Roxas is going to have his next adventure, so yay.
