"Welcome my dears! Come in, come in!"
Maleficent's smug greeting gave Riku chills. His clear blue eyes searched for Sora but couldn't find him.
The witch cranked her head to view the other arrivals amd frowned slightly. why are only half of them here?
"Where is Roxas? Surely he got my invitation. What of the redhead, Sora';s light?"
Riku backed away, the witch's scent bringing unpleasant memories.
"We still have time to honor the agreement. Roxas has fallen ill and Kairi is tending to him. What about YOUR end of the deal? I see no chain around your wrist, so where is he?"
Maleficent shrugged
"Sora is around somewhere."
"You don't keep tabs on him?" Riku raised an eyebrow.
"There is no need." the woman was quite smug, "My pet knows his territory. Sooner or later he will come to me for releif or escape."
Now the boy was curious, "Escape from WHAT?"
There was a crash in the kitchen, and Malefiscent smiled knowingly and said, "Punishment of course."
Riku's spirits and hopes rose immediately as a figure emerged from behind the double doors and scampered behind the dragon lady's chair, a potato in his mouth and a chicken leg clenched in his fist.
The witch waved off the angry chef, Louie, and scratched Sora behind the neck, cooing at him softly. Riku snorted and knelt next to his friend, looking him over carefuly.
"So...you took his voice, tortured his body, shadowed his heart, dressed him in Darkness...but you still could not crush his spirit. He's still a nuisance in more ways than one. Isn't that right...Sora?"
Hearing his name, the green and black clad troublemaker turned to the speaker and began chittering and chattering excitedly, eyes sparkling in joy before he scampered off again.
Riku stood and watched him before sitting by the witch. As much as he hated her scent, it was the most efficient way to observe and check on Sora. He was lighthearted now that he knew his friend's core had not been tampered with and deep down, Sora was still the same. He gave a smug smile to Namine, who nodded slightly.
Kairi will love this news.