Ansem's Compromise
"Riku, I really don't have the patience today to put up with this," Ansem mumbled, rubbing his temples. "That Maleficent can really be a bitch to work with sometimes."
"Ooo! You said a dirty word!" Bob squealed.
"Bob, if I am not in the mood to deal with Riku, how can you think I'm in the mood to deal with you?"
"Well, fine then! We're going to our lair! If you don't see us later, it's because we've killed ourselves."
"If only," Ansem whispered wistfully.
"I mean it, Ansem," Riku continued, ignoring Bob's bout of immaturity. "I absolutely refuse to debase myself by wearing that… that thing."
"Debase. I believe someone has been enriching their vocabulary."
"Stop trying to evade the subject."
"Look, Riku, I want you to help the side of darkness. But only if you wear the uniform. If we're to strike fear into the hearts of others, we need to have a sort of sign, easily recognizable yet dark, that makes others quake in terror."
"Who's going to quake in terror at the sight of a grass skirt?"
"Alright, Riku, I concede," Ansem sighed, hiding his face in his hands in exasperation. He ran his hands across the flesh in a smooth gesture as if wiping away his irritation. His amber eyes flashed quickly over the teenage boy across from him. "I'll give you an assignment, you can wear your normal clothes for now, but I won't promise you that you'll be unsupervised. However, you have to finish your dinner first."
"Dinner? Oh, yeah," Riku murmured, looking down at the dish before him for the first time that evening. The swirling eddy of dark hues twinkled, tempting him to taste. The teen's expression became dour and disappointed. "Darkness again?"
"What were you expecting? Caviar?"
"Well, surely you have other stuff in this dilapidated, old castle besides darkness? Where did you get all that pizza?"
"Riku, I'll tell after I can be certain of your loyalties. For now, you have to have a steady diet of darkness until it becomes like… like coffee."
"You want me to become addicted to darkness?"
"In a sense. I am."
"I should just give up trying to figure you out."
"That would be wise. Bob tried, and look where it's ended up."
"We heard that!" Bob yelled from down the hall.
Delicious white locks flying lazily in multiple directions, Riku shook his head as if trying to clear any thoughts of trying to understand either of the two members of darkness. Once cleared, he lifted the spoon to his lips, downing the sickly sweet concoction. Bob was right; darkness did taste like chocolate and honey. Riku decided he would wait for Ansem to leave, dump the stuff in one of Bob's castles, where it would seep into its brother material, and be done with it. With figures like these heading the forces of darkness, Riku wasn't at all certain it would be wise to have an unnatural loyalty to them right now. Not to mention, disgustingly addicted to Bob's own material.