There had certainly been times they were parted, in Castle Oblivion--and by and large, those times had bred disaster. Lexaeus wasn't naive enough to believe he could have protected Vexen from Sora and Axel both, or maybe even Sora alone--as a hero of the Keyblade, he made for a foe every bit as formidable as Riku, even at such a young age. But Axel alone? .....Perhaps. Perhaps he could have held him off, or better, and prevented such a gruesome and treacherous end. It may have still ended with another member fading out of existence by another's hand..... but wasn't it better, even if only in principle, that such a betrayal be born of self-defense?
Vexen had needed him. Even needed him. Zexion and Ienzo were much the same. They made for an odd team, perhaps, the three of them or either pair alone..... but a strong one, as well, forged through countless years of teamwork, trust, and closer camaraderie than Lexaeus ever would have dared to share with any of the other members by the end of the Organization--yes, even with Xaldin. Even Xaldin, once his brother in arms, had proved to be an unreliable deserter in the end, ultimately too distant and unreachable to be trustworthy.
Dilan needed him too, now--and just because Lexaeus didn't trust, that hardly meant he wasn't willing to serve. Even when intimacy and friendship had slowly given way to wariness and mere acquaintance, that never diminished his duty to protect his fellow former Apprentices.
Lexaeus didn't bother to parry Dilan's wry jab, save with a pointedly raised eyebrow and expectant silence; the answer was there, after all, even if it was unvoiced--and even if it was a distinctly un-Aeleus like one, at that. Yes, he was quite aware that Dilan was still conscious, and that he could hear every word they said. Both of them were. What was his point, then? What difference did he really think it should make, talking about and around their patient without addressing or including him? Was that supposed to matter to him, when Dilan would very quickly be unconscious and in surgery? He'd already proven that he didn't know what was best for himself, after all..... At that point, he really hadn't earned having a say in his own treatment for the time being.
Xaldin, on the other hand, had no such strikes against him at the moment. He deserved a fair hearing, at least, even as Lexaeus felt the first drops of blood start soaking into his uniform. Lexaeus hummed thoughtfully as he moved to lay Xaldin face-down on the operating table and get him properly situated, finally shaking his head and reaching for the man's pants. Who knew how extensive these changes might become, after all? Even had meant for him to be nude, so nude he would be. If he worked quickly enough, maybe they could get those incisions made before the damage grew worse than just a bit of mild bleeding from what basically amounted to needle pricks; blunt force like this was likely to make even sharp-tipped bones rip gaping wounds wherever the pressure caused flesh to tear, far larger and more serious than they needed to be, rather than cut cleanly and only make enough room to free themselves.
"I don't think there's much need for concern, honestly; you know as well as any of us how easy it can be to persuade a heart to abandon itself to Darkness. How much simpler must it be, then, to merely coax it to Sleep for a while?" After all, wasn't Xaldin their silver-tongued orator, the charismatic and charming serpent whose words dripped with poisoned honey when he cared to make them do so, a man so eloquent and persuasive he could break a heart just by talking to them, or push it over the brink and force it to become a Heartless of its own accord? For a man as cunning as him, putting Dilan down for a time must have been simple, however much actual effort it took.
Of course, someone so gifted with words would be held to a higher standard than most, though; Lexaeus' tone turned slightly chiding. "As long as such things are handled with care, there doesn't seem to be any harm in such temporary measures. If you had anything to do with causing this predicament, though--" Here, he nodded towards the growths struggling within Xaldin's back. "--then I wish you had chosen a more direct method to start with, as well." It was an opening, if nothing else--if Xaldin knew anything they didn't about this sudden emergency, then he'd better start talking, before they gave him the anesthetic and he lost the opportunity to interact directly with them entirely.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2015-09-18 03:43 am (UTC)Vexen had needed him. Even needed him. Zexion and Ienzo were much the same. They made for an odd team, perhaps, the three of them or either pair alone..... but a strong one, as well, forged through countless years of teamwork, trust, and closer camaraderie than Lexaeus ever would have dared to share with any of the other members by the end of the Organization--yes, even with Xaldin. Even Xaldin, once his brother in arms, had proved to be an unreliable deserter in the end, ultimately too distant and unreachable to be trustworthy.
Dilan needed him too, now--and just because Lexaeus didn't trust, that hardly meant he wasn't willing to serve. Even when intimacy and friendship had slowly given way to wariness and mere acquaintance, that never diminished his duty to protect his fellow former Apprentices.
Lexaeus didn't bother to parry Dilan's wry jab, save with a pointedly raised eyebrow and expectant silence; the answer was there, after all, even if it was unvoiced--and even if it was a distinctly un-Aeleus like one, at that. Yes, he was quite aware that Dilan was still conscious, and that he could hear every word they said. Both of them were. What was his point, then? What difference did he really think it should make, talking about and around their patient without addressing or including him? Was that supposed to matter to him, when Dilan would very quickly be unconscious and in surgery? He'd already proven that he didn't know what was best for himself, after all..... At that point, he really hadn't earned having a say in his own treatment for the time being.
Xaldin, on the other hand, had no such strikes against him at the moment. He deserved a fair hearing, at least, even as Lexaeus felt the first drops of blood start soaking into his uniform. Lexaeus hummed thoughtfully as he moved to lay Xaldin face-down on the operating table and get him properly situated, finally shaking his head and reaching for the man's pants. Who knew how extensive these changes might become, after all? Even had meant for him to be nude, so nude he would be. If he worked quickly enough, maybe they could get those incisions made before the damage grew worse than just a bit of mild bleeding from what basically amounted to needle pricks; blunt force like this was likely to make even sharp-tipped bones rip gaping wounds wherever the pressure caused flesh to tear, far larger and more serious than they needed to be, rather than cut cleanly and only make enough room to free themselves.
"I don't think there's much need for concern, honestly; you know as well as any of us how easy it can be to persuade a heart to abandon itself to Darkness. How much simpler must it be, then, to merely coax it to Sleep for a while?" After all, wasn't Xaldin their silver-tongued orator, the charismatic and charming serpent whose words dripped with poisoned honey when he cared to make them do so, a man so eloquent and persuasive he could break a heart just by talking to them, or push it over the brink and force it to become a Heartless of its own accord? For a man as cunning as him, putting Dilan down for a time must have been simple, however much actual effort it took.
Of course, someone so gifted with words would be held to a higher standard than most, though; Lexaeus' tone turned slightly chiding. "As long as such things are handled with care, there doesn't seem to be any harm in such temporary measures. If you had anything to do with causing this predicament, though--" Here, he nodded towards the growths struggling within Xaldin's back. "--then I wish you had chosen a more direct method to start with, as well." It was an opening, if nothing else--if Xaldin knew anything they didn't about this sudden emergency, then he'd better start talking, before they gave him the anesthetic and he lost the opportunity to interact directly with them entirely.