Axel had almost about had it. "Stop looking at me like that!"
Demyx continued to stare at him, eyebrow raised, arms crossed. "I still cannot believe you."
Axel groaned. "Oh, come on. I told you, it's just not fair to her."
"But that was the perfect chance! Absolutely perfect!"
"Just as it would be every night."
"Exactly! So try again tonight!"
"No!"
"Why not?"
"I've already told you!"
"But why not?"
"Demyx! Come on. Why aren't you agreeing with me? She probably has a reason to keep her hood up, so let her keep it! Drop it, Dem."
Demyx sighed, defeated. "Ugh. You're probably right. But --"
"But, what?" said Axel, squinting at him and leaning back on the pillar.
Demyx stared at him, looking as if he had something important to tell him, but he turned his gaze on something to his left. Axel looked for what had caught his attention: Nalax was heading towards them.
Axel sighed, and she stopped in front of the two. "Xemnas is calling a meeting," she said, distracted. "He says it's important."
Axel, Demyx, and Nalax appeared in the Round Room. The rest of the Organization was already present and in their high seats.
Axel watched as Demyx took his seat between Saïx and Marluxia, and then took his own between Luxord and Zexion when Nalax failed to take the empty XIII seat. Brows furrowed, he continued to watch her, to see what she would do, but she only stood where she was. It occurred to him that he actually hadn't attended a meeting in the Round Room since Nalax arrived, so he had no idea what she was supposed to do if not sit in the only empty seat in the room.
As if in answer to his thoughts, Xemnas spoke.
"Nalax," he said with obvious authority. "You will take the chair at my feet, today."
Confused, Axel looked below Xemnas' seat, as he was sure every other member did, thinking, What chair? I don't remember there being a 'chair at his feet'. But there was, indeed, a chair connected to the front of Xemnas' throne, some yards below his boots.
Must be an add-on, Axel thought, scratching at the back of his head.
Nalax did as she was told, sitting with her hands clutched in her lap. He guessed she must have been nervous.
"Now," spoke Xemnas after a quick and dignified glance below him. "There are two things to be discussed tonight. They are connected."
Every Nobody's attention focused solely on what Xemnas was saying, in custom.
"I'm sure all of you recall what was discussed about the new Keyblade wielder in the last meeting," he went on. "The boy named Sora?"
Most members gave a nod, the rest simply continued to listen.
"He created a Heartless."
Axel furrowed his brow as Xigbar voiced his thoughts: "What's so important about that?"
"Think." Xemnas smirked. "When a Heartless is created…"
"…a Nobody is created as well," said Zexion, twining his fingers together.
"Exactly," Xemnas said. "This was a Nobody like us, and he will complete our ranks as the thirteenth member of the Organization."
An aura of tension settled over the room from interest.
"What is its name?" Marluxia asked, eyes narrowed. Axel gave him a small, cursory glance.
"Roxas."
As Xemnas said the name, a corridor of darkness opened at the XIII seat. When it disappeared, a figure sat there in an Organization cloak, hood up.
He already gave the guy a cloak? Axel thought. He leaned forward, head turned fully towards the new Nobody -- Roxas, his mind supplied.
Then, the thirteenth member let his hood down. All turned back to him, watching as a head of spiky blond hair lifted. Bright blue eyes gazed back at them, taking in the faces of the other thirteen people in the room.
"Wait," said Larxene, leaning her torso on the arm of her chair. "If this guy's the thirteenth member, then what's the other girl?"
"Nalax," Xemnas said, "is numberless."
"Huh?" Larxene said intelligently.
"She is not paneled in the Proof of Existence. She has no rank. She is numberless."
"Then why does she still get to wear the cloak?"
"Because she is still part of the Organization."
"As what?" asked Luxord, leaning forward on his knees. "If she has no rank or number, how is she still part of the Organization?"
"And why," said Marluxia, with a pretense of anger, "did we not gather to discuss this when she first joined us?"
Xemnas' rage slipped through into his face. "All of you will do well to remember your place in this Organization, and to remember who gave you reason to continue to exist in this universe! You will do well to understand when you are speaking to one above you! I have my reasons. You shall also do well to trust that." Xemnas spun out a glare before disappearing in a corridor of darkness, signaling the end of the meeting.
Marluxia glared darkly at where Xemnas had been before disappearing, Larxene following close behind. Eventually, Axel, Demyx, Nalax, and the new member, Roxas, were the only ones left. They, save the latter of the four, appeared at the floor of the Round Room.
"Nalax?" said Demyx hesitantly. "What did he mean by 'numberless'?"
Axel stared at her, and then up at Roxas' seat. He recalled reading 'numberless' on her notes about herself in her room, but he hadn't understood so completely then.
"I am Number X," she replied.
Axel looked back at her. "You couldn't be; that's Luxord's number."
"No," she said, looking him square in the eye. "I don't mean 'X' as in 'Ten'. I mean just 'X'. Number X. Number Zero. I have no rank."
"I always thought you were Number Thirteen, though," said Demyx. "Because you're still part of the Organization--"
The three of them looked, slightly startled, at Roxas, who had chosen that time to appear some feet from them.
He stared at them, blank.
"Um," said Demyx pointedly.
Roxas looked to him. "Where am I supposed to go?"
Well, doesn't he just get straight to the point, thought Axel, quirking an eyebrow.
Demyx looked to Axel, as if asking silently for help.
Eyes rolling at his comrade, he turned to the new member. "Anywhere in the castle that doesn't belong to another Nobody," he said, hand on his hip. He wasn't quite sure he liked this new member.
Roxas stared blankly at him.
"Didn't Xemnas at least give you a room?"
"He gave me this," said Roxas, fishing a letter from his pocket. "But I can't understand it. Is there a Nobody language?"
Axel blinked, took the letter from his hand, and read over it. Then, he laughed.
Demyx blinked at him, asking "What's so funny?" incredulously before taking the letter to read over himself. He laughed as well.
When the two finally settled, they looked at Roxas, who was glaring.
"Eh-heh, sorry," said Axel, sending a quick glance at Nalax, who was struggling to read the letter over Demyx's shoulder. "It's just that it's not another language. That's just Xemnas' handwriting." He chuckled a little. "You'll learn to read it."
"So what does it say, then?" Roxas inquired, finding no humor.
Demyx quirked an eyebrow, still smiling from the laughter, before reading the letter aloud: "To Roxas. Upon joining the Organization, you are given a place in the Proof of Existence as well as a bedroom on the thirteenth floor. I recommend approaching another member to assist you in finding these places, and generally helping you find your way around the Castle. Your first mission will be given to you within the next few weeks. You shall be working with a few members of my choice. Good luck to you. Xemnas."
Roxas nodded and took the letter back. He stared at them once more.
Axel stared back, brows furrowing. "Do you want us to help you around?"
After a moment, Roxas shrugged. "Are you three the best for it?"
Axel snorted. "We're probably the best you're gonna get, Roxas."
Demyx tilted his head for a moment before shaking it. "Well, if we're going to help you, then you should know our names, right?"
Roxas said nothing.
"I'm Demyx," he said buoyantly, jabbing a thumb at himself. "That's Axel--" he pointed to Axel, and then at Nalax "-- and that's Nalax."
Roxas nodded.
After a moment, Axel sighed. "Well then, come on, let's show you around." So saying, he opened a corridor of darkness.
As Demyx stepped in, he said, smiling, "At least you're not as bad as Nalax was on her first day!"
Both Axel and Nalax rolled their eyes.
