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!

Lightning slowly let her arms slide down Riku's arms, her gaze also falling. She didn't want to say goodbye, but she didn't want to say "see you later" either. She settled for saying nothing. She turned around, glaring at her father. She supposed she was ready to go.

Cedric caught his daughter's gaze, but then he also sensed the Keyblade wielder glaring at him as well. He met Master Riku's eyes, only to see the young man spare Lightning one last look before hurrying out of the large room. He was on a mission that would end pointlessly, but Cedric's own plans involved his daughter, not the Keyblader. "Claire?" he called. It was time they left.

Lightning's hands curled into fists. She hated being called that name, especially by her father. It was a reminder of his deep betrayal. But she had to put up with it for now; Serah's life hung in the balance. She stepped forward, stopping right in front of him. What? her glare nearly said. What do you want with me this time? 

Cedric only stepped aside, waving to the Dark portal that was a few feet behind him originally. It was time she finally got away from the Keyblade Master and succumbed to the Darkness. He would teach her true strength, and she would never forget it.

Lightning passed him a glare before she stepped past him. Dark portals weren't pleasant; she was dragged through them before. She hoped this was the last time she had to experience it, but she doubted it. She walked through it, feeling the despair of Darkness surround her for a few chilling moments before she reappeared in a room that she thought she'd never see again. This was the kitchen of her old home in Bodhum. The place she found her mother's dead body. The place Cedric murdered her.

Cedric followed Lightning through, glancing around the abandoned home in silence. He sighed after a moment. "Home sweet home, right sweetheart?" The Dark portal closed behind him as he stepped forward, running a gloved fingertip along the dusty counter. He hadn't been in this room since his wife's death.

Don't panic. Don't panic. Yet even as Lightning repeated the mantra in her mind, it became harder to stay calm. "Why are we here?" she demanded lowly. Already, she was fearing the worst. He killed her mother here, so he probably brought her here to do the same. She wouldn't last long enough for Riku to find and save Serah if that was the case...

Cedric moved to the kitchen table, where he pulled out a single chair. "Have a seat, Claire," he said with a dark smile, looking at his daughter. Dried blood from her mother covered parts of the chair, as well as the floor near his feet. This was where her mother died, and it was where she would suffer.

Lightning swallowed back the urge to throw up. She hated her mother for the past few years because, according to the world, she committed suicide. She was a coward who left her two daughters behind to fend for themselves. That was what she thought until her father returned and revealed that he murdered her when she learned of his intentions to use Lightning for his own purposes. Now Light held sorrow for her mother and for her fate, and anger as she was forced to sit in a chair that had her mother's blood on it after all these years. 

Once Lightning was seated, Cedric summoned tendrils of Darkness to bind her hands to her seat. He stepped away as this occurred, his eyes darting from his daughter to the kitchen. Darkness surrounded this home in more ways than one; there was his, and the darkness of his wife's death. The latter didn't bother him in the slightest. In fact, it strengthened him.

Lightning felt the chill of Darkness against her arms, though there was a burning sensation as well. Darkness was painful to people of the Light like her. Stay calm. He wants a reaction. Just stay silent and glare. Soon enough, he'd tell her everything. He wouldn't leave her confused; he'd let her know precisely what was happening so she could fully experience fear. 

"I suggest you get comfortable," Cedric said, passing a glance Lightning's way as he approached the counter. He already had his next step ready to be put in motion. He grabbed a dusty glass from one of the cabinets and began to pour the tea. If Lightning was as smart as he believed she was, she would connect the dots rather quickly.

Lightning leaned to one side of her chair, trying to look past her father's body to see what he was doing. It was obvious he had a glass and a beverage, but what-- Just as the chair tipped and she fell onto her side along with it, she connected the dots. Her mother was killed by poison. Now Lightning would be too. 

Cedric didn't even look at Lightning when she fell over, his back to her as he picked up a vile of liquid. It wasn't the same poison that killed her mother, but he would let her believe it for added effect. He poured the liquid into Lightning's tea before turning and taking it over to her. He smirked at the sight of his daughter on the floor, her face near her mother's dried blood. "Comfortable yet, sweetheart?" he asked, kneeling down next to her. Of course, he couldn't care less about how comfortable she was; this was torture. It wasn't supposed to be gracious.

Lightning bit down hard on the inside of her cheek, the pain of the fall nothing compared to her anger and urge to snap. He was baiting her--trying to get her to give a response that would give him reason to hurt her. But she wasn't going to give him anything. One day, Riku, she silently reminded him. He had one day to save Serah, and then Light would fight back.

Cedric lifted his free hand and squeezed either side of Lightning's face to open her mouth slightly. It was then that he began to pour the tea into her mouth. "Drink up," he whispered menacingly. He couldn't have her writhing around anytime soon, not that the Darkness would let her.

At the threat of immanent death, Cedric finally got a reaction out of Lightning. She sputtered on the drink, unwilling to take it. At least...not until she settled one thing. "Serah," she coughed around the liquid. "Let her go!" Cedric could poison her here--he could kill her. But with her gone, he had no reason to keep Serah. He had to let her go!

Cedric closed Lightning's lips with his hand, enough of the tea in her mouth for now. "Enough," he growled, holding her mouth closed. She would swallow it eventually, and then the potion would take effect. Lightning would begin to lose herself, in a similar way that her mother did before she died.

Lightning squeezed her eyes shut, knowing it was pointless not to panic now. She was going to die, hopefully without much pain. She could either suffocate as her father's hand blocked both her lips and her nose, or she could let the poison do its work. She initially settled on the former, but she couldn't hold her breath long before natural instinct kicked in. She swallowed the liquid that filled her entire mouth so she could breathe once more.

"Good, sweetheart," Cedric praised, taking back his hand and setting the tea on the table. He remained on the floor in front of her, his blue eyes examining her form. "You're doing so well, Claire. In a few moments, you'll do even better." She would fear the smallest of things, and that would work in his favor.

Light opened her eyes, glaring at her father as she caught her breath. "You're getting your way with me. Let Serah go!" She didn't know when this poison was going to take effect, but it would be sooner rather than later, judging by her father's comments. Once she was dead, he needed to let Serah go. Lightning's death couldn't be in vain.

"I can't do that just yet," Cedric said with a small shake of his head. He adjusted his position, resting an arm against his knee. "You see, before your sister can be released, I have to teach you a few lessons." Of course, she would believe that was pointless. Lightning thought she was going to die. As if Cedric would let that happen so easily!

"Fine, teach me," Lightning growled. "But when you're done, you have no reason to keep her!" He promised before that he didn't want to hurt Serah. She had no place in his schemes, so she could go on living. Light trusted that still held true even now. The only place Serah had in his plans was a hostage. 

Cedric only laughed, then rising to his feet. He moved around Lightning and roughly positioned her chair back on its legs. "Claire, you underestimate me," he said, stepping around her once more. "It's quite insulting." Claire may have been the oldest of the two daughters, but she was still naive.

Lightning felt her heart jump when the feet of her chair pounded the ground, her eyes landing on her father before her as she tried to ignore the odd sensation. "What are you going to do to her?" she asked angrily. Whatever he had in store wasn't going to work. Riku was going to save Serah before any harm came to her. He had to.