As some of you may know, Peanut and I are crazy about Roleplaying, and it's clear, since this is the second one on this site that belongs to us. And we aren't even done with the first one! Regardless, that won't stop us from starting this new roleplay, Rude Awakening!

 

Kinda dark and mysterious title, eh?

 

As stated in the title, this RP is one on one, no exceptions. Please refrain from posting in the RP. Instead, follow us on this new journey!

 

Peanut, my amazing friend, let's begin!

Riku's body stiffened naturally in reaction to the crack of the whip, the muscles in his back straining as he tried to pull his arms from the ropes. It was no use. Just like he thought before, he was stuck here, suspended with only the balls of his feet touching the ground. But Riku wouldn't budge. He wouldn't talk like Jihl wanted. He had to keep his mouth shut, for Lightning.

After several minutes of pulling back the whip and striking Riku, Jihl found herself growing impatient. She enjoyed putting people through pain--she enjoyed making them feel weak, because it made her feel stronger. But Riku wasn't reacting the way that she wanted him to. If Cedric would just settle down with Lightning now, she could inflict emotional wounds to soften Riku up.

Cedric had Lightning in a building not too far off from where she and Riku hid for a few hours, his daughter in a chair as he stood in front of her. He was disappointed in her, believing she should have beaten the paralysis by now. Or at least much faster than this. "Claire, Claire, Claire," he said, circling her chair, his arms crossed. "What will I do with you?"

Lightning curled her one hand into a fist, her broken arm sitting in her lap in the meantime. The paralysis was wearing off, but the pain wasn't. That had been there all along. She lifted her head and looked up at her dad, glaring at him when he walked in front of her. "Tell me where Riku is," she demanded lowly, though she realized she was in no position to tell her dad to do anything.

Cedric shook his head. "Doesn't work like that, sweetheart," he said lowly, his voice level with his daughter. He wouldn't tell her outright where Riku was, since he didn't know. But he could hear everything happening in his earpiece. Jihl was doing her job, but not well enough.

Lightning had more feeling than she let on to her father. She could actually feel her legs well enough that she could at least rise to her feet. And her good arm had enough strength to get in a good slug. But he wasn't close enough for her to land a hit. She needed to buy some time, and give him a reason to get close. "How does it work, then?" she asked him in the same tone.

"I make the demands and you do as I say," Cedric declared, looking his daughter in the eye. He was sick of her attitude now; she was too headstrong than he would have liked. "Unfortunately, we'll have to do it the hard way, I feel." Lightning wouldn't cooperate well, that much he could already tell. That meant Cedric would have to take desperate measures to get his daughter to side with him.

"Then let's get it over with," Lightning said, nearly growling as she stared up at her father. "Make your demands so I can refuse them." Whatever he was going to tell her, it would have to do with Xehanort. She didn't know much about him except what was in history books--which really wasn't much. All she knew was that she didn't want to side with him.

"You already know what I'm going to ask of you, Claire," Cedric told her lowly. "We need you to be our thirteenth vessel so we can meet our goals. It's you or the Nobody, and given the circumstances, you seem to be the most reliable. Well, you were until you met that good for nothing Keyblade wielder." He screwed Lightning up in the head. Lightning was the tough soldier Cedric wanted her to be, the one he guided for the last ten years.

Lightning's eyes narrowed. "His name is Riku." And he wasn't a good for nothing Keyblade wielder. In a matter of months, he went from an annoyance to her best friend. More than that, actually. Riku was interested in her and she was interested in him. It was no secret to anybody. Cedric must have known that too, right?

"Whoever," Cedric said with a small shake of his head, "he's in the way. Jihl is making sure he stays away from you and out of our hair for the remainder of this quest." He could hear Riku's cries of pain in his ear, loud and clear. And soon enough, Lightning would hear him too. And Riku would hear Lightning. It was just a matter of time.

"You leave him alone," Lightning growled, aware yet again that making demands was stupid. As if her father would listen to her. He stopped shooting at Riku earlier when she told them both to stop, but it was probably just because he was surprised by Lightning's order. By now, he was probably used to her making empty demands.

"Not until you do as we say, sweetheart." Cedric moved to stand directly in front of his daughter, bending down and grasping her broken arm. He gripped it tightly. "And you will do as I tell you, or so help me, I will make your pain worse." He was tired of her stubborness and her love for the Keyblader. Riku would no longer be in the picture, and Lightning would have to let it go. Her time with Riku was over.

A short cry of pain left Lightning's lips before she bit down on the bottom lip to hush herself. Monster, she thought of him, squeezing her eyes shut. How dare he call her "sweetheart" one moment and then cause her pain the next?! Did he ever truly love her, or was she always just some pawn to him? Was his threat true?

"You will side with us, Lightning," Cedric practically growled, no longer the easy-going Organization member. Now, he was the infuriated father, impatient with his daughter. "Your feelings for that boy mean nothing to the Organization or me. If I must use pain to sway you, then so be it." He squeezed her arm, feeling the broken bones under his glove. "I will not allow my daughter to be a failure!"

Edited October 2, 201213 yr by Forever Love

Lightning lifted her free hand, not to slug her father like she originally planned. She was in too much pain for that. Instead, she lifted her hand to her lips and bit down on it, moisture slipping out of her eyes. In the back of her mind, she apologized to Riku. She had promised she wouldn't cry again, but that was what was happening now.

Cedric wasn't getting a word out of his daughter, so he lifted his free hand to his radio. He put it on speaker so Riku's cries could be heard, but he was sure that Jihl had hers in the same state. The cries would be shared, and used to fuel the fire. Riku screamed roughly from his place in the city, easily heard through the radio. "Do you hear that, sweetheart?" he said lowly. "He's being tortured to give us information about you. And knowing my comrade, she'll kill him before the day is done. Shall we encourage him to talk?" Cedric lifted Lightning's broken arm, twisting it roughly. Now she should talk.

Lightning screamed through her hand in pain, though that hardly muffled the sound. It sounded way too loud to her, along with Riku's cry. She didn't bother yelling at him to stop; it obviously would have done no good at all. And besides, she was ready to pass out in pain. He had to let go of her arm, or she was going to lose consciousness! Her head was already spinning, though it wasn't just because of her pain. Riku...

 

"Hear that, Riku?" Jihl said, hearing Lightning's cry of pain come through the radio. It was set loudly enough for Riku to hear her, and though Jihl loved that Riku was hearing Lightning's pain, Jihl was more pleased to hear it herself. It was about time Lightning got what was coming to her.

Edited October 2, 201213 yr by Peanut

Riku tugged at his restraints again, grunting at the sound of Lightning's pain. It hurt him. Worse than the gashes that were already forming on his chest and back. It had only been twenty minutes and the scars were showing. "Ugh....Knock it off!" he roared. He couldn't take that! He couldn't handle hearing her in pain!

"Let...me...go!" Lightning cried, having a hard time getting just three words out. She took her trembling hand away from her mouth and attempted to punch her father, the person who wouldn't release her arm for even a second. She almost wished she would pass out from this; then he couldn't make her scream for Riku anymore! Hearing him in pain was enough, and hearing him cry out in her defense was heartbreaking.

Cedric lifted his hand and grabbed Lightning's other arm, moving her from the chair and onto the floor as he twisted her arms behind her back, his knee between her shoulders. "Then say it!" he ordered. "Join us and you'll be free of the pain!" He couldn't say as much for Riku, who was calling Lightning's name from wherever he was. He clearly wanted her to be safe, but that wouldn't happen. Not today.

Lightning cried into the floor, both tear-wise and screaming wise. She tried to muffle it for Riku's sake, hearing his heartbreak as he cried out her name again and again. Just knock me out! she wanted to cry. Stop exacting this out of me to torture Riku! She just wanted it all to end! Eventually, the screaming faded into sobbing, but not pleading. She wouldn't make Riku listen to that.

Cedric heard Riku's call for Lightning get cut short by his own cry of pain. Clearly Jihl was doing her job well, but it wasn't good enough. Riku wasn't talking. "Claire Rosalynn Farron," Cedric growled. "Don't make me break your other arm." He would do so if need be. Like Jihl said, the damage could be forgiven. Just as long as Lightning reached Xehanort.

Lightning cried into the ground, though her body was beginning to go limp. Yes! Yes! She could feel herself losing her grip on reality! That was so much better than staying here. If she stayed conscious and didn't tell Cedric what he wanted to hear, he would follow through with that threat. If she was unconscious, well, there wasn't much he could do.

Cedric knew he would have to take this another step further. "I'll go after your sister if you refuse," he threatened lowly, ignoring the cracking sound of the whip through the radio. "Serah's life will be in danger because of you. Do you want that for your sister, Claire?" If it was a step he had to take to get what he wanted, he would. He'd done so this far.