I left my darkened room in the middle of the night. Almost no one was left in the Castle, gone off on a mission or some other venture. Good. Made my mission a all the more easier. I crept down the hallway and out the back door into the courtyard. Though I didn't use my forms, I stayed on full alert. I had a feeling that while Pashnirix wouldn't start a fight unnecessarily, he wouldn't be adverse to surprising me somehow.
"I was beginning to wonder if you--"
I whipped around so fast at the sound of Pashnirix's voice behind me so fast I nearly slashed his face off. He took a single step backwards, narrowly avoiding me. "Damn," I growled. I should have picked up on him before then.
Pashnirix merely gave me a small smile, the earrings in his ears glinting in the night. "A bit testy, are we? Anyway, as I was saying, I was beginning to wonder if you would ever show up," he said. "It's nearly midnight."
"Don't try to distract me, Dragon," I scathed. "You and I are here for one reason, and one reason alone."
He tsked. "My, my. So rude. Even after I've introduced myself, you still continue to call me 'Dragon,' and have yet to give me your own name." He raised both eyebrows at me.
I looked away. Stupid..."Rexikat," I said lowly. "My name is Rexikat. Now can we get this over with? I've made my decision. I--"
"Oh, but surely you want to discuss some things? Negotiate certain terms, perhaps?" He held his hand out to me in a questioning gesture.
Terms for what? I thought as he continued, "And surely we mustn't talk in such a...hostile place. Someplace a bit nicer would do."
I barely had time to react as he portalled away. I dove forward, hoping to catch him, but all I managed to do was fall to the empty space where he once stood. "What? I don't believe this," I exclaimed.
Moments later, I felt strong arms wrap around my waist from behind and haul me into a Corridor of Darkness. I fought back immediately, but the arms set me free almost as soon as they grabbed me. "Hm. That's better," I heard Pashnirix say. I looked around to try and get a sense of where we were.
Bright blue, cloudless sky; shimmering, glittering sea; palm trees dotting along a warm sandy beach..."Destiny Islands? You kidnapped me to Destiny Islands?"
Pashnirix made a face. "I am not holding you against your will, am I?" I shook my head. "Alright, then. I have not kidnapped you, nor would I resort to such tactics unless absolutely necessary." He began walking away. I followed.
"But...why Destiny Islands?" I still didn't understand why we couldn't just discuss this at the Castle, and why a discussion was even necessary at all.
He glanced back towards me. "I happen to know of a nice little cafe in the downtown area. I thought you might like it," he said with a smile. "Someplace where we can talk in private."
I stood still in my tracks. Thought I might like it? Had he gone absolutely loony? Nobodies couldn't feel, much less like something. "You do realize that as Nobodies, we can't feel, and therefore, your efforts to...please me are useless?" I questioned him, running to catch up.
He was silent for a moment. "You really believe that, don't you," he said rather than asked.
"Yes...of course," was my reply. "Without hearts, we are incapable--"
"--of feeling emotions, yes, I know that," he said tiredly. "But have you ever considered that there are other ways to feel?"
We both stopped this time as he stared at me, watching me try to analyze his statement. "I...don't know," I finally admitted. "I've never tried."
Pashnirix nodded. "And this is what I mean when I say we have much to learn from each other." He continued walking up the beach and down the path towards town.
"But you're obviously much older than me," I said. "I mean, you've been a Nobody for much longer than I."
"Not necessarily," he said, "though, I've stopped keeping track of time. How old was your Other when you were created, if you remember?"
"She was 26 years old," I replied quickly, and then immediately wondered why I had told him that. I had to remember, he was still the enemy.
He hummed. "Rhis was 32. So, if our Others lived during the same time period, that would make you older than me," he pointed out.
I was too busy making other calculations. "Rhis? But your name is Pashnirix," I said slowly.
"Pain Rhis," he clarified, "Everyone called him Rhis, though. Do you know if you were created before or after the original Organization came together?"
"Before," I answered absentmindedly. "But not too long before. Maybe...ten years or so."
Pashnirix nodded. "Me, too. So you're a few years older than I."
"But you have much more experience," I commented.
He glanced at me curiously. "You think so?" I didn't answer, instead looking around us as we entered into the town. It was a good thing I didn't wear my cloak, not that I did on a regular basis anyway. Those things were so bad for stealthiness.
He led us into a cozy cafe on the corner of two streets, and we were seated at a booth in the back of the store. We each ordered a drink, and the waitress took our menus. "Well, then," he said. "To business."
I wanted to know something right off the bat, and made sure to ask him first. "Pashnirix, you said something about being able to learn from me earlier. What exactly did you mean by that?"
Pashnirix looked at me with a unreadable, far away look in his icy blue eyes. After a long pause, he said gravely, "I would tell you, Rexikat, if I myself even knew. And despite the fact that we are from rival organizations, I feel that there is something much bigger than the both of us going on among the worlds."
