Isolation Jamboree (Seed, closed)

[hoffman]

Somewhere out there, somewhere beyond this world, there existed other worlds... other havens of life. But much like the infinite sea of stars that made up the universe, the outer sea of the Destiny Islands housed similar intricacies. Other islands... other people.

This could not be disputed. Somewhere, hundreds of miles off the mainland, civilization could be found. One such example were the observable, faint outlines of a large, blocky and could-it-be-possibly-be-said clunky piece of architecture situated out on a small isle.

It was a strange object. By no means were there any contrivances to keep it secured to the ground - in fact, one might almost make the daring conclusion that it was meant to be moved.

It had no wheels, though, so it clearly was not a terrestrial craft. It was much too heavy and improperly shaped, so it was not likely a flotation device.

But one defining trait of the craft - wings - made it clear that it was in some respect capable of flying. How, that was unknown, given its non aerodynamic design. One would almost say that it was more of a toy than anything else. But they could not be further from the truth.

Its sole pilot, who could vouch for its authenticity as a very operational aircraft, would likely tell you that it was the fastest cargo ship this side of the galaxy. But if you needed to be told, which I assure that you would because of an average person's bewilderment at the sight of such a bulky item, you would find two very peculiar things completely unrelated to the question at hand.

One, that its pilot was ultimately feminine in every sense of the word. Every curve, muscle or hair on the individual was decidedly unmanly. Even its very voice was high-pitched and husky. Her emerald hair, thick and wavy, sculpted a scarf-like frame about her dark skin. Were you presented with such a delightful visage and you happened to be of the sex that sought out such things, you might just buckle and say, "dear, that might be the most delicious posterior I've seen in ages".

Two, that the pilot, for all that has been conceivably shown in the realm of the physical, was in fact not a female at all. And that he might just take it upon himself to tell you - who likely happened to make a common mistake pertaining to the identification of one's deceptively ambiguous sex - that you're "a total moron".

Coincidentally, the pilot that we speak of happened to be very conscious and present around the aforementioned ship, lounging back against the surface of its starboard. He stuck his dainty, bootless feet in the beach's sand, raising what appeared to be a glass bottle filled with a translucent, amber liquid.

"To loneliness," the androgynous pilot called out to the void-filled night sky, performing a mock toast. A sudden breeze tousled his green hair as he stood there silently, as if signifying something ominous that was about to occur.

[Deleted]

• • •

What was it about the beach that made humans flock to it? Was it the warm sand between their toes? The never ending waves of water to thrash around in? The warm sun tanning them? Some human festivities elude Seed; why bother enjoying what you know is going to be lost? Why bother giving meaning to them at all?

"Humans are so...mundane" the Heartless sighed to himself as he lay on the sandy shore of the island, not noticing the person who had made his way to the same shore. Seed tilted his head and smirked at the, what he could tell, female that had come to watch the waves tonight. This just made him question Human emotions even more.

Seed could hardly remember what it was like being human. Too much time had passed and all he knew was that he used to be one, all the memories, all the ties of emotions and of what it meant to care was gone, vanished. A distant memory in the recesses of his mind.

He gave another glance to the apparent woman and decided to have some fun. It's been some time since he had gotten any action and he could care less which gender it came from by this point. Perhaps that was the last bit of humanity, insatiable thirst for sex.

Since the person was rather far away Seed just moved his body through space and was right next to them in second. However, as Seed got a good look at the person, he saw it was a man. A very feminine man at that. The Heartless shrugged, he could still mess with the guy no less. But Seed heard him say something rather odd, To loneliness?

"Lonely huh? Funny, I thought all humans had someone they cared about by their side." the Heartless flipped the hair out of his eye sight to have it fall back in place.

He walked up to the side of the man and gazed out at the ocean, still wondering how staring at the open sea helps. Wanting to know how he asked the man to his side.

"Why do you stare out at the ocean? Is it...soothing or something to look at a body of water for no apparent reason?" even if the answer made no sense, Seed would eventually get to what he really wanted to do.

[hoffman]

"Lonely huh? Funny, I thought all humans had someone they cared about by their side."

The glass bottle wasn't up in the air for long. It quickly dropped to the sandy beach as its holder bore witness to a familiar voice and face belonging to a much loathed person: a green-haired specter who had taken it upon himself to cause him strife several months ago. Quite devilish-looking in nature, even his very appearance spoke of arrogance and a lack of remorse. Leiz hadn't the faintest idea where he had come from or why he hadn't caught his eye earlier, but one thing was for certain: the distance at which the male had closed between the two was frankly alarming.

Leiz was... angry. Furious. Even outright pissed at the individual's tenacity to approach him as if there was not a thing to worry about. He did nothing but clench his fists as the inhumanly humanoid joined him at his side, insisting on starting a conversation that undermined the true purpose of why he thought he came here.

"Why do you stare out at the ocean?" he had asked. "Is it... soothing or something to look at a body of water for no apparent reason?"

Leiz narrowed his violet gaze, looking over at the perceptibly arrogant bastard who perverted this situation into a complete mockery of what he had thought it was going to be. The emerald-haired soldier longed for the day that he would be able to exact his revenge on this relatively unknown adversary, but... not even his looks of contempt were being met with derision. Leiz was completely confused and wanted to know why this prior circumstance held little regard in the other male's mind.

"I've got a better question. Is it soothing or something for someone such as yourself to just take what's not yours?" he asked with a slight crackle in his voice, expecting that this would be the reminder that the thief needed.

[Deleted]

Seed smirked at Leiz as his annoyed voice almost cracked with anger. Now Seed couldn't remember who this kid was but if he was this mad Seed must have pissed him off at some point. Not wanting to disappoint, Seed went along with what the kid said.

"Oh I take tons of stuff that isn't mine. Money, food, viginities. Stuff like that you know. Just a hobby really, something to do." Seed lowered himself to the sand and sat cross legged and still kept his gaze on the ocean. Funny, something reminded him of his human life; was it the ocean or something at happened there? He shrugged it off anyway.

"Loosen up will ya? Whatever I took couldn't have been that important, if it was you wouldn't be here wasting time now would you, and," Seed added laying down on the sand with his arms spread out with his gaze now on the clear, dark sky. The stars were really bright tonight, those worlds must be really powerful the Heartless mused to himself.

"If that thing I took was REALLY important that it was a document or something, it couldn't have been as important as you think if you're still alive with it being gone or still apart of...whatever. Trust me..." the Heartless thought of Ansem and Lexaeus. Those two proved they can be viscous to someone who fucks up.

Seed sighed and looked at the man standing above him. Something about this kid seemed off, the Heartless couldn't even begin to guess what it was. Maybe it was just him being too cautious. But Seed still wanted it, the itch of not engaging in interaction was clawing at him. It kinda disgusted the Heartless, to still be tied down by a human need.

"Sit, talk...I'm in a good mood."

[hoffman]

Leiz crossed his arms as he let out a heavy sigh, not at all liking the man's words. Although some of what he was saying was rational indeed, his enemy was failing to see the ultimate reason for the boy's contempt: it was a matter of principles. It wasn't about what was won or what was lost. It was the simple fact that what was his was taken.

The green-haired boy had the lowest opinion of thieves. Selfish as he might have been, he had a moral code. He wouldn't just go out and take something for himself. That wasn't how he worked. Even though the dossier's importance was moot, it would never change the fact that he was wronged.

"I'll stand," the boy replied, keeping up his cold aura of bravado. The breeze brushed his hair back like a ghostly hand as he stood there, no doubt exacerbating as dusk proceeded.

Not saying much else, Leiz mulled over his grudge against the one named... "Seed". Yes, that was his name. In a way, his name had planted a seed in his mind some time ago, forming a deep-seated grudge. It was indeed hatred.

But now that this man sat before him, as if egging Leiz on to exact the revenge he believed he deserved for that damnable incident several months ago. However, as much as he wanted to take that shot at Seed, he really couldn't. Nothing in the universe could make him kill a man over a personal matter when they weren't face-to-face. And, as much as he hated to admit it, he didn't want to fight. Not tonight.

Leiz's fists ceased their tight shape as he released his anxieties, arriving at a moment of peace. Only, of course, for this moment.

[Deleted]

"Are you going to be this grumpy the whole night?" Seed sighed as he could still tell Leiz tensed up whenever he spoke. Seesh, this kid must not know when to let things go. But Seed was not getting the answers he needed from this kid, even from his body language. Why hold on to such contempt when you know it is unlikely that you can change it? Just let it go, be free...relax.

"Look, I'm in a real special mood right now. Not like a Heartless to let a human stay alive this long when he can help it. All I want to do is talk...is that so..." evil Seed finished in his thoughts. Bah! Was this kid like all the others, not having even and inch of evil in their bodies and shunning anyone who did. Fuck, Seed really hoped not.

"This is what people are supposed to do right? When they fuck up, they be nice to make up for it right? Give some credit...its been far too long since I was Human." hearing himself talk Seed began laughing. Man, what has gotten into him? A day off and he goes of and prattles on and on about nothing, guess the Heartless was more desperate than even he assumed he was.

His laughter dissipated and he spoke once more closing his eyes, "You'd be surprised what you can overlook when you're human kid. You lose more than a purpose when the darkness takes you....say...what's your name anyway?"

[hoffman]

The emerald-haired soldier listened to the heartless's - yes - heartless's words, actually finding himself quite surprised that the male would go to the extent of revealing what his true form was. He thought it to be preposterous, moreover ludicrous, but nevertheless, he was quite impressed with Seed's ability to reason and work things out given that... statement.

In spite of not being tensed up, he was more than contemptuous towards Seed, not exactly wanting to come to any sort of understanding just yet. There was an inherent lack of trust that just couldn't be broken down by words alone.

In any event, the boy chuckled, actually humored by Seed's generalization about people, thinking it to be rather foregone to say that all people vied to 'make things good' when in all actuality people were only trying to make themselves feel good. He himself felt kind of good knowing this true nature about others, the fact that altruism, in all its forms and incarnations, didn't exist.

But it was kind of depressing to think that not a sliver of good could come from any single person. To think that they were all back stabbers or self-serving in reality. Leiz idly wondered if he should be thinking such things. Was it his place to conclude that gestures of kindness didn't exist?

"Leiz," he eventually responded, looking down towards the heartless with a now indifferent gaze. His contempt found itself diminished for the moment as he tried to approach this situation with a newfound pragmatism, deciding that the best way to divert the direction of this conversation was to pretend to bury the past. "You can't make nice to fix things, Seed. Not today. If what you're seeking is forgiveness, I can't give that to you. We can only make the half-assed conclusion that nothing happened between us back then. So, all that said, I'm taking advantage of this situation."

Leiz sat down on the sand on his posterior, outstretching his legs. He thought it to be rather peculiar that him and a humanoid heartless could be rather close in physical proximity, noting that fists would be flying in most other circumstances.

[Deleted]

Seed smiled when Leiz finally sat down on the sand and lowered that barrier he was trying to build between the two of them. Not like Seed would have taken no for an answer but things tend to be smoother when both parties are not trying to rip each others throats out. Still, the kid was kinda pissed about whatever Seed had done.

"Advantage? Seed questioned as the teen sat next to him. What was there to take advantage of? Seeds kindness that was only being given for his own sick pleasures? His questioning of humanity? The Heartless failed to see what he could be taken advantage over for but if this teen found it by all means, Seed would let him. The emerald-haired Heartless moved his arms upward to place his hands under his head, the shifting sand turning a very light shade of black from the darkness from the Heartless.

He kept his gaze on the sky and his senses on Leiz. This was turning out to be more fun that he had envisioned it would be, him being able to be all sly and the teen not being all hero like and trying to vanquish the "foul" Heartless for being alive. Well...as alive as being a Heartless can be.

"Ya know, I think I do remember a bit of why you're so pissy. Assuming it was Twilight Town, I can vaugely remember you...or rather your voice..." Now Seed may not be sure what Leiz could be talking about but given his attitude, his wording on what Seed did; The Heartless stole something from him in Twilight Town. The place is a ball park guess but Seed doesn't travel much from there and The World That Never was.

"If you can tell me what it is I can most likely return it. I carry a crap ton of shit around in my pocket...not that its obvious but Space is a tricky thing."

[hoffman]

Leiz narrowed his eyes, looking over to Seed as he suggested the possibility of being able to retrieve the papers that were stolen. Especially wary of hand-outs, Leiz always believed that there was an ulterior motive behind things just being freely given. Nevertheless, the sentiment was appreciated, but ultimately rejected as Leiz knew that the intel on those sheets was useless to his superiors now.

He smirked slightly, shaking his head back and forth. Amused by the heartless's propensity to want to fix the damage that had been done, Leiz spoke once more. "Principled as I am, it's too late for that now. I don't exactly have a reason to be holding onto the documents you stole from me. My superiors don't want them now. But if you feel obliged, you can do us both a favor and shred them."

The boy paused for a moment, mulling over the question that Seed had asked regarding his last comment. Confused at what he should say in response to that, he figured he would be overtly blunt about what he meant. Even if he was totally withdrawn, was he somehow more knowledgeable about social conventions than Seed? He honestly didn't know.

"... yeah, advantage. Don't take it too literally. All I'm saying is that I'm intending on making use of whatever time I'm given to... talk things out. I crave downtime, as hard as that is to believe."

[Deleted]

"Sheesh...you won't let this go? Guess humans are more emotional than I thought huh." Seed said out loud without thinking. He didn't bother to realize he had spoken out loud. The Heartless was rather enjoying being in the teens company. It donned on him that even in his personal glorified insanity, he was more serious than he thought. Being with Elaeus made him buckle down...but with him gone...

Seed raised his arm up and made all the paper he had compressed in his spacial pocket appear in the air above them and lit them on fire with a simple spell. He looked over at Leiz and smiled, maybe now he'll lighten up. Though Seed smirked on the inside when Leiz tried to be all serious, something about this kid made Seed feel at ease.

"Look...I'm not great with casual conversation either. So whatever "advantage" you want go for it...you just...seem cool to talk to, I don't know. So..ummm" the Heartless was actually at a lost for words. Normally he could prattle off about anything..to the XII. All they cared about though was the Organization, Hearts, the Darkness and the like. Seed had no real casual talk with anyone. Where they came from, what they like to do, why they do hobbies and stuff. Realizing this he just sighed, now he's going to look like a total awkward socialite.

He looked back at the sky and sighed, "So...umm...where ya from anyway? You don't look like the hero stereotype that seem to be running about?" the Heartless extended his arm for a hand shake and formally introduced himself.

"Name's Seed, not my original name; I can't remember that name anymore. From Twilight Town and underling of...some people. Nice to meet ya."

[hoffman]

Hesitantly, the green-haired boy took the heartless's hand in his own, shaking it briefly before releasing. Definitely now at ease given that the documents were disposed of in an orderly fashion, Leiz could put that incident behind him... for the most part.

"Likewise," he replied, his eyes shifting over to the nigh-endless sea that sat before them. He turned silent for a moment before looking back over to Seed, his guard dropping a fair bit. Disclosing details wasn't usually in his nature, but today, he felt he could be more open about himself. "Hero? Nah. I'm from a place called Belevadia. It's a few light years away."

Not saying much else, he leaned back in the sand, not paying much mind to the comment the heartless made about his origins. Leiz already knew that Seed was involved with some pretty shady people. So was he, in fact.

As long as they could carry on without strife, Leiz was pretty much fine with hanging around Seed... who, under normal circumstances, would pillage, plunder and murder others by taking their hearts. That is, if his assumptions held correctly. Although principled, Leiz wasn't about to make a fuss about someone who was in all actuality pretty terrible.

Contrary to what the heartless might have thought, Leiz was indeed a dark individual, stained by a certain presence of arrogant, careless apathy. When it came to the wrongs undone to other people, he was unphased. As long as he wasn't the one suffering, he could carry on.

[Deleted]

Seed sighed a sigh of relief when Leiz said he wasn't the typical hero. If he was Seed would have lost interest in him right away and may have tried to kill him just out of disgust. The emerald-haired Heartless just smirked again as he gazed back over at Leiz and back at the night sky. So this kid was from a different world, would fit the motif of people he's met. It seems like almost no one is from the world they live on, it would fit; with all the worlds that fell to darkness.

"Belevadia? Odd name." the Heartless mused as he reached with his hand in a vain attempt to reach for the sky. So many worlds Seed has heard of, but those are just grains of sand compared to the whole universe. He clenched his fist as he spoke again.

"I don't...or rather can't remember which world I'm from. Or even if I am from one for that matter. I woke up in Twilight Town and called it home ever since. What's Belevadia like?" Seed closed his eyes as he waited for Leiz to describe it. If he could focus long enough on the description, he could make their surroundings look just like it.

[hoffman]

"It's a gray world. Lot of dead plants. The lakes have stagnated. No one dares travel the oceans because of the pretty huge predators out there. Whatever's still alive is rife with pollution."

He looked over at Seed for a brief moment, continuing to speak as he sat on the beach's soft sand. "But the world's not devoid of life. People live on in the cities. We've got farm facilities to keep things running. You probably wouldn't believe me when I say that there are entire farms built for the sole purpose of cultivating oxygen."

He then turned rather quiet, not having much else to say at the moment. Oddly, his words weren't really laced with the kind of empathy that his acquaintance probably expected. He was more or less objective in summarizing the planet's current status, not putting much feeling into his explanation. Was he a heartless bastard, or was he just not attached? It seemed like the latter.

"Underpinning it all is a monopoly business by the name of XMR. They run the farming facilities. They provide the power. They export the goods. Most of all, they run the planet with an organized, militaristic approach. It's not sufficient to say they're just another big company after money, because that's not their chief aim. They're a government that has its hands on, well... everything."

[Deleted]

Seed hung on every word the teen said to him and formed a picture in his head. Like painting on a blank canvas he pieced together the world that was being spoken to him. It sounded like a pretty dismal place, but guess that what most places are if corrupt people take control. Seed pieced together the ocean, the sky, and the land in his head. The buildings came next, tall, grey as they seem to be falling apart.

Seed opened his eyes and the vision he put together filled the area. The sky turned grey, along with the very world. Ocean darkened and buildings rose up from the sky. Now this was a illusion no doubt but Seed wanted to see the teens reaction. The Heartless stood up and looked rather proud of his work.

"Is this what it looks like? Not too good with places I've never been too but from what you described this is what I got." Seed offered a hand to Leiz to help him up. As long as Leiz could give more details and if Seed could stay concentrated the illusion would hold. Maybe this is what Leiz needed to loosen up and drop that barrier he has been building.

[hoffman]

Leiz was flabbergasted as the world around them seemed to shift, taking on a completely different appearance. All traces of blue began to leave. The sky grayed, the clouds turned thicker and more noxious in appearance, and the island, once populated by much foliage and sand, quickly became littered with large, industrial buildings, roads and sidewalks.

It was, for all intents and purposes, the very description he had given his acquaintance. Of course, it lacked more specific details - such as people, cars, or the way that architectural engineers approached the design of buildings - but if one hadn't known any better or didn't have much to go on beyond what Leiz described, they'd likely think this was the world he came from.

Leiz took the heartless's hand and hefted himself up with the male's aid, taking a look around the newly-fabricated portside city. Rather speechless, he gave Seed a look of bewilderment as he tried to take in what had just been done. Was the heartless a god? An incredibly skilled geomancer, perhaps?

Both answers seemed unlikely, so he was led to believe that this wasn't much more beyond an illusion. Realizing that, it all felt less real. Recognizing such tricks was very much present in the military training he received, but he was nevertheless impressed at the man's handiwork.

"... kind of looks like a portside city. I think there was one called... Garn. They weren't very fortunate. About fifteen years ago, about two-fifths of the city was devoured by a giant sea snake."