The flowers of naivete,

[gracefuldahlia]

It had been an enlightening meeting, as well as a concerning one. Marluxia had given enough information to be helpful without exposing himself too much, and he planned to keep things that way, although manoeuvering around someone as dangerous as Aizen while doing that would be tricky. Marluxia didn't like the man; he reminded him of Xemnas except for the important and concerning possibility that Aizen might be a thousand times more dangerous, but he was a useful ally of convenience, at least for the time being.

Axel was alive, and on this world, and running around with Saix as though their time as Nobodies had never happened. That was something Marluxia had needed to think over. There were implications, not just to Axel's appearance here, but to his alliance with Saix. Those two made for a dangerous combination; together they'd plotted and executed the neat disposal of half the Organisation, having moved each other and the rest of them into positions that allowed them to follow through on a plan no one had realised they'd had.

Xigbar would be a fool to trust them, and Xigbar was many things, but regardless of how he acted, he was no fool. Zexion had clearly not known Axel was around, so it seemed unlikely that Axel had encountered the remnants of the Organisation prior to Zexion's departure, but they also hadn't heard anything about him before now, which made Marluxia wonder if he'd been hidden up to now. This was Khamja's first encounter with Axel, and given the record of certain former Organisation members when it came to picking fights with Khamja, and with Arrancar in particular, it seemed unlikely that would be possible, but these two were tricky.

Although how long Axel had been here paled into insignificance next to the fact that he was here. Axel had not been present when the rest of them... arrived. He'd got here somehow, after the fact.

And then there had been the way Saix summoned his old weapon....

There was one person whom Marluxia would reluctantly admit was smarter than himself, and it was him Marluxia came looking for in the library. Getting to Zexion early, when he was still on the back foot with the new information, may have given Marluxia an advantage with him, but it would also have put Zexion on the defensive, which Marluxia preferred to avoid. Instead, Marluxia had gone to process the new information for himself, first, and attempt to glean what little more he could from L, who had been very busy trying to track down how long Axel had been with the rest of the Organisation and had thus far found nothing except a distinct lack of his own informants where informants had previously been, before discussing the issues with Zexion.

Zexion, of course, was attracted to libraries like iron to magnets. Marluxia entered the library, expecting that Zexion would have noticed his approach already; Zexion had always been particularly talented at that sort of thing, and spotted the Cloaked Schemer at the large table in the middle.

He approached him without any particular hurry. Zexion didn't appear to be in a hurry to go anywhere, after all.

Comments

[gracefuldahlia]

Marluxia, of course, had no concerns about being detected heading out to his own gardens, and so didn't bother making any attempts at masking his departure in that direction.

He kept his garden as the furthest end of the grounds, well out of the way of the main thoroughfares in the gardens. Part of this was to prevent accidental intrusion into what would be considered Marluxia's territory, and the consequences thereof, and a larger part was the additional privacy. It was harder for people to spy on you if they had to come noticeably out of the way to do so, although Marluxia would deny having anything worth spying on in his gardens regardless.

There was a greenhouse, and rows of flowerbeds around it, and two rows of tables near those which bore a number of pots and small trays for the seedlings which were not yet ready for planting in the ground, or which Marluxia had other reasons for keeping separate as yet.

There wasn't a visible boundary, either; no fence or markers delineated where the rest of the garden turned into Marluxia's own patch, but adult Malboros moved back and forth like sentries, extending no further than an invisible line, and then wandering back inwards.

A couple of them stopped and held position, turning their attention and wiggling tendrils towards Marluxia and Zexion. Marluxia made sure he was in the lead as they approached, to avoid confusion. "This world has some truly fascinating plant life," he said, as he spotted the Malboros eyeing up Zexion but, obediently, making no move towards him. "Are these the first Malboros you've encountered?"

[theschemer]

Zexion did not miss the invisible boundary that seemed to mark the outer extreme of Marluxia's land. The malboros stopped as they reached a certain point and then withdrew, clearly knowing where they were and weren't allowed to tread. Had they gone farther, Zexion suspected that certain people would have hunted them for sport.

Regardless of their limits, Zexion was well aware that he was entering their territory and he didn't like it any more than he liked them. They were grotesque and foul-smelling things, with far too many tentacles and, somehow, even more teeth. Their open maws dripped with some sort of noxious saliva-like excretion and their beady, stalk-mounted eyes turned to him as he followed Marluxia.

"They're not the first I've seen," he said, sounding rather tenser than he would like.

Zexion had seen them, yes, but he'd never been this close to one, save for that curious, stunted specimen that the Arrancar, Luppi, called 'Daisy' and treated like a pet. Before being pressed into joining Clan Khamja, he had caught glimpses of the things while travelling. Kakuzu, always the authority on excursions, had instructed him to give them a wide berth whenever they came into view, citing a Malboro's tendency to inflict a large number of unpleasant status effects with minimal provocation.

[gracefuldahlia]

Marluxia smirked at Zexion's reply. That was a carefully worded answer suggesting that, while Zexion had seen them before, he'd never truly encountered one. "Don't let them intimidate you," Marluxia said, "they won't make a move while I'm around." Although they'd certainly pretend that they might to try and make Zexion squirm. "Just don't touch any of them," he said, aware that it was probably unnecessary warning.

He led Zexion in, nearer the greenhouse, past the tables. He paused for a moment, turning towards one of the pots and fastidiously picking a dried leaf off with a frown. It was nothing to worry about, but still, it made things look untidy.

"They may not react well if you surprise them," he said, after a very slight pause, and then turned to look directly at Zexion, finishing, "you used to be better at concealing shock, too." He turned to invite Zexion into the greenhouse, opening the door for him.

[theschemer]

Zexion had absolutely no intention of touching them. Nothing could be further from his mind. The very look of them disgusted him, let alone the odour. If it was considered unpleasant by people with average senses, it was downright offensive so someone like him.

"So it would seem," he said with a thin smile, returning Marluxia's look for only a second. Zexion didn't want to take his eyes off his predatory pets for too long.

The malboros him uneasy, but he wouldn't be above transmuting them into compost should they decide to turn on him. He was relatively sure that Marluxia wouldn't be as rash as to set them on him, but he didn't presume to know him as well as others might think he did. They had been one-time associates, but they were never allies, let alone friends.

He gave the malboros a last look before he entered the greenhouse.

[gracefuldahlia]

The inside of the greenhouse was, unsurprisingly, warmer, and more humid then outside. The plants therein were brightly coloured and most of them smelled sweet, filling the inside of the greenhouse with their mingled scents. Marluxia seemed perfectly relaxed, closing the door behind them both as he followed Zexion inside.

"I must admit, seeing that old face was discomfiting. Your obvious shock can be forgiven." Marluxia frowned, and folded his arms. There was no love lost between either of them and Axel, but Zexion in particular must have found his presence on this world an unpleasant prospect. Marluxia doubted Vexen was taking it much better. "I'd be interested to know how he got here."

[theschemer]

Zexion found the smell of the greenhouse cloying and unpleasant, and the humidity didn't help matters. His nose crinkled while he got used to the scents and he folded his arms, looking unhappy. Axel did, of course, take top billing on the list of things they really rather needed to talk about, but he was fairly sure that the Flurry of Dancing Flames wasn't the only thing that Marluxia wanted to discuss.

"He shouldn't be here," he said, shaking his head. "He wasn't there when the rest of us got dragged through that portal, he shouldn't be here now." He scowled, wishing that denying it as possible would somehow erase Axel from the world. "It either means that everyone within Castle Oblivion was taken when we were, regardless of whether they were in that room at the time ... Or that the rift stayed open for some time after the fact."

They had no way of knowing which it was without talking to Axel. Zexion, in fact, had no idea whether Axel was even in Castle Oblivion when the incident took place. He had been considered 'missing', but that didn't mean that he wasn't there.

[gracefuldahlia]

Marluxia listened to Zexion chatter to himself. He'd thought the same things, but Zexion's perspective as someone who was more studied in these matters was useful. Zexion did not appear to have known about Axel in advance; his surprise in the meeting had made that clear, or at least, Marluxia had to remember he was dealing with one titled the cloaked schemer here, it had appeared that way.

"A pity we have no way of knowing how long Axel has been on this world," Marluxia said. That might answer the question. "Or how long he has been with the Order," Marluxia paused before he added, "presuming he is, of course, and is not simply with Saix."

That was a distinct possibility; they were both tricky enough. "Unfortunately, if Axel came through after the fact, then it is possible he is not the only one who may have done so," Marluxia frowned, "or who may do so."

Would Xemnas, if he could? And what of the keyblade bearers?

Axel was such an unfortunate complication.

[theschemer]

Since witnessing the indisputable evidence of Axel's arrival, Zexion had considered the possibility of others coming through. Xemnas, Keyblade Bearers, Maleficent and more besides. It was highly likely that at least some of the non-Nobodies amongst their collective number had associates as well. Even so, there was no way of knowing for sure which of the two possible scenarios had taken place to bring Axel to Spira, so he hadn't driven himself in endless circles thinking about which was more likely or the risks associated with them.

"Without asking Axel himself, I'm sure we'll never know," said Zexion, his voice made dull with unhappiness. "There was no love lost between him and the rest of us when he left The Organisation, we all know that. Even without hearts, we found his actions deplorable. Furthermore, the last I had heard, he and Saix were not on the best of terms."

Axel had betrayed them all, but Saix had every reason to take it personally. While his lack of heart meant that didn't, in fact, take it as badly as he could have at the time, Zexion didn't doubt that it had niggled at him since his return to a complete state. Isa's childhood bond with Lea would have been all too easily remembered once he became whole again and there was a very real chance that the betrayal he'd suffered at the hands of his Nobody would have felt all the worse for it. That said...

"Saix was more than happy for Axel to shoulder all of the blame for orchestrating Castle Oblivion's failure," he pointed out, making sure to keep his expression entirely neutral. "Saix was behind it all. Axel had been acting on Saix's instruction. None of us knew that until Saix accidentally revealed that he knew more than he should about what happened there. That they should team up again seems strange in light of that. Nevertheless, they have..."

At the same time as trying to rationalise that, he struggled to imagine Xigbar taking him into The Order with a clean slate and no questions asked.

[gracefuldahlia]

Marluxia raised an eyebrow very slightly. He knew what Saix had revealed; Zexion had taken some degree of joy in revealing to Marluxia just how he'd been manipulated and beaten, not just by Axel. Still, it seemed odd for someone capable of that degree of deception to make a mistake.

"Can you be sure the revelation was accidental?" Marluxia pointed out. "True, Saix may have simply grown complacent, but when you consider what that revelation achieved," Marluxia gestured idly with one hand, shaping his thoughts in the air, indicating Zexion as he said, "driving a wedge between you, and the others, and I doubt Vexen took such news in good grace, it has been an effective method of fracturing the group." Deliberate or otherwise, that was what had happened. "And it comes conveniently timed for Axel's presence being discovered, at least by us."

Xigbar was no fool, of course, much as he acted one, and would be watching Saix closely. If he knew about Axel, he wouldn't be letting him far out of his sight, either.

"A pity you cut all ties with them," Marluxia said, just a fraction too airily. "I'm sure Lexaeus would have answered these questions, if you were in a position to ask them."

Marluxia was still surprised Lexaeus had stayed, but possibly, just possibly, the quiet thoughtfulness of Zexion's lapdog had decided he was better placed to watch the others than continue to guard Zexion alone. He'd failed last time, and they'd died, they'd all died; perhaps Lexaeus had chosen another track this time, hoping for a different outcome.

[theschemer]

Marluxia made a point that Zexion hadn't much considered until now. He'd filled him in on his reasons for leaving The Order back when he'd been made to join Khamja, but it seemed useful to reiterate it in light of the new information. Saix had slipped up. Axel had been known as the bad element until that point. Saix was still thought of as largely loyal to Xemnas during his time in Organization XIII, at least up until his failure to claim Kingdom Hearts. Axel, cocksure and cunning, was the loose cannon in Castle Oblivion and Saix's involvement hadn't been known of at all until long after the fact. During his time on Spira, it seemed like he'd had no intention of stepping up and admitting his past guilt; it had come out in the form of a mistake, a little bit too much knowledge and Zexion, ever sharp, picking up on it.

That it could all have been a deliberate and carefully executed attempt to get rid of him and drive off Vexen, arguably the two smartest members of The Order, was a disturbing prospect. Vexen had been conspicuous by his absence during the battle with the Arrancar.

"I would have not have needed to sever all contact with The Order if I had not been forced into joining Clan Khamja," Zexion pointed out, not sounding as testy as others might in his position. "Your involvement with this Clan, and the rivalry of the Arrancar, has forged enough enmity that nobody can safely be associated with both."

He scowled and folded his arms. Lexaeus would be a useful contact, if he could talk to him. That he had chosen to stay behind after Saix's actions came to light still stung, but there was no reason why they could not converse on friendly terms. He had left because he refused to stay in a group where a known traitor was allowed to remain and keep their freedom with no repercussions for their actions. There was always the chance that Lexaeus now thought of him as an enemy due to the Clan he had ended up in, however unwillingly, but that was far from being a foregone conclusion.

"Unfortunately, had I not been here, that altercation would likely not have taken place," it was a realisation that made his stomach knot, "nor would I have witnessed the replay even if it had."

[gracefuldahlia]

That latter was an inarguable point. Zexion had clearly been vital to Aizen's mission which had drawn his Arrancar out to where they had encountered Saix and Axel. Still, difficult as communication would be for Zexion to initiate, if he had the opportunity to initiate it, Lexaeus would be unlikely to reject it.

"Nobody indeed," Marluxia replied. "Have things turned so sour between yourself and Lexaeus that you expect he would turn you away, or worse?" Lexaeus had always been so loyal, not to the Organisation, although he'd certainly been loyal to that, but to Zexion in particular. "Though the point is moot right now," he added, "since you lack the means to communicate with him."

At least as far as anyone was concerned, of course, and Marluxia wasn't about to push that issue because even if Zexion could contact Lexaeus, he wasn't about to admit that, especially not to Marluxia.

"Still," he changed the subject, slightly, "Axel's presence wasn't the only interesting thing about the replay; Saix was wielding Lunatic." Only Saix, of course, which was interesting in itself.

[theschemer]

Lexaeus probably wouldn't turn him away. Even so, Marluxia was right. He had no way of getting to him anyway. He was a prisoner, civil prison though the Desert Palace was, and he would not be let out, especially so soon after Midgar. He expected Clan Khamja to wait until he suffered some sort of captor-bonding experience so that he could finally be trusted to leave and not disappear, or report anything to enemy groups or governments.

As if he could. He was a ryoka. He was probably considered more dangerous than they were.

Zexion looked up at the mention of Saix's Nobody weapon. He had expected this subject to come up, as much as he had hoped to avoid it. He understood why Aizen had opted for Marluxia's presence in the meeting; he had needed to know whether Axel and the girl were Ryoka. What better way to do that than gauging the reactions of two of those he had access to? Nevertheless, it was unfortunate for Zexion. He had hoped to keep the whole subject from Marluxia for as long as possible. Alas, it wasn't to be.

"Indeed," he said, resigned to the impending discussion.

[gracefuldahlia]

That wasn't a note of surprise, Marluxia noticed, and he nodded ever so slightly to have that suspicion confirmed. "Adept at treachery and deceit as Saix is, discovering a way to summon his weapon in this world is not something I'd consider him intelligent enough to achieve unaided. That narrows the field to either you, or Vexen."

Axel either couldn't, or chose not to. Possibly, Saix was unable to adequately teach him, possibly Axel had not been with the others for long enough to have learned the technique yet, in any case, Marluxia had noticed that Saix was the only one to have done it in the fight with the Arrancar.

"Regardless of who discovered it, you will know how it's done."

Marluxia loathed admitting to such a gap in his own knowledge, but if he wished to learn, than he had to bite that bullet. It was the last one he intended to bite.

[theschemer]

"I do," he said, not about to argue the fact. "I pioneered the ability, though most of us in The Order have managed to master it to some degree."

It wasn't easy. It took a lot of effort to master the initial generation and then considerable training to maintain the weapon's form for any length of time. Those who needed a weapon that could be forged and dismissed at their whim had progressed the farthest first, especially if their traditional alternative was large or heavy. Others, such as Lexaeus and Xaldin, had taken longer. Luxord, the most distant of their number, had opted to eschew it entirely.

[gracefuldahlia]

'Us'. Marluxia heard that little slip in Zexion's speech and a smirk touched the corner of his lips. While Zexion still thought that way, he wasn't going to get out of the Palace any time soon. He'd have to be more careful.

Marluxia didn't point it out, yet. Instead, he nodded, just the once. "I don't intend to be left behind," he said, shifting his weight and moving that fraction closer to Zexion, his voice dropping slightly, "and you need an ally, if not a friend. We both find ourselves embroiled in the affairs of a clan which claims among its ordinary members people who make Xemnas' megalomania look like a quaint peccadillo."

There was no love lost between them, but Marluxia was not opposed to an alliance of convenience. Especially when there were the likes of Aizen, L, and Gin prowling the halls. He needed something from Zexion, and Zexion, right now, if he ever wished to get out of this Palace, needed someone on his side.

[theschemer]

Zexion fixed Marluxia with a look that hovered between defiant and nervous. Marluxia was giving him a choice; teach him and forge a tentative alliance with him, one that could very well include Kuja and Lumi by extension, or deny him access to a recreation of his old ability and make himself another enemy.

The decision came easy.

"It is a technique that requires practice to improve the duration of the manifestation," he said after a moment. "That is, if you find yourself able to master it at all."

It shouldn't be impossible, especially with their experience related to manipulating their Nobody weapons, but the effectiveness of the technique varied by person to person. Their weapons had been a part of them back then, there was no reason why they shouldn't be a part of them still, providing they had good enough Chakra manipulation.

[gracefuldahlia]

Marluxia was satisfied with Zexion's response. Zexion was not an idiot, but he could be tricky to deal with. If he'd refused to tell Marluxia how it was done, Marluxia would struggle to get the information out of him, but a trade of a technique for alliance within the clan was in both their interests.

"You said most of the Order have mastered it to some degree," Marluxia pointed out. "Presumably, that includes Demyx and Larxene, who both lack discipline." And intelligence, in Demyx's case. If they could learn, Marluxia most certainly could. "Afford me the opportunity, and I will learn, Zexion."

[theschemer]

Demyx, contrary to how lackadaisical he seemed, had been all about raw power in a fight. Granted, he tended to dally about with music, but he also executed exceptionally powerful Water Elemental techniques that consisted of towering columns of water blasting his opponents and blocking their escape routes. Larxene's modus operandi had consisted of hit-and-run strikes and lethal magical outbursts. Neither of them had changed. The only difference was that they were now referred to as 'Mages'.

Marluxia's battle style had been brutal-but-measured and both heavily physical and just magical enough. If none of the others had made any drastic alterations to their fighting preferences, Zexion did not expect that Marluxia had, either. He did not doubt that Marluxia had the ability to both learn and master the ability. He knew that his Chakra reserves were vast but deliberately understated and his control, even from what he had seen thus far, was precise.

"I don't doubt your ability," he said quietly, "but it isn't easy. Demyx and Larxene both opt not to summon their Nobody weapons due to the concentration required to sustain it in battle and the potential drain on their Chakra reserves. They are both magically inclined, unlike Saix. Not all of The Order use the ability, even if they learned it. Luxord didn't trouble himself even to learn the basics."

As with all things, some were better than others. Additionally, it was effective when used in combination with certain fighting styles, but not others. Vexen could summon his Shield and fend off attacks indefinitely while taking remarkably little damage to the weapon. Xaldin tended to use his only against difficult prey during any Mark Hunts he undertook. The ability to remote-control numerous weapons became extremely useful against one large enemy, but was largely pointless when executed against a weak opponent and downright dangerous to his own health when used against a group. Though useful in particular situations, the Whirlwind Lancer consistently found himself unable to recall it once lost. Saix, conversely, had the ability to generate his weapon over and over with only eventual detriment to his power.

"I will teach you the technique," he confirmed, in case Marluxia had reason to doubt him, "but I implore you to use it sparingly. As far as I am aware, Saix alone has been seen producing a weapon in such a way. I don't think anyone related to Clan Khamja has witnessed any of the rest of us doing such a thing. I would prefer to preserve their ignorance for a little longer."

[gracefuldahlia]

There was a trace of amusement in Marluxia's smile as Zexion spoke. He was well aware that no one else had been seen to perform this little trick, or he'd have known about it earlier. The fact that the mages in the Order were disinclined to use it, however, was an interesting note, and one Marluxia intended to remember. It might be useful.

"I have no intention of letting anyone else know the full limits of our power," he answered. Especially not Aizen, which was exactly why he'd offered to share what information he had. He'd have a better grasp of what the man knew about them, then, and 'them' in this instance included himself.

Having Graceful Dahlia returned would be an asset. It would be a bigger asset if the return of his scythe was unknown to the general population of Khamja.

"How long will this lesson require?" He asked, quietly. He'd need space to practice, preferably away from prying eyes. That would not be too difficult; difficulty would arise if he required Zexion's presence for too long, or too many times.