Keygate Ficbit: Friends in Dark Places

~ crossovercreativechaos

“You’re a shape-shifter!” Aeris beamed, as if someone had given her a new lamp for her flowers. “It’s all right. Magic isn’t hidden in this world.”

Leon suppressed the urge to groan and rub his scar. Aeris could do that, sometimes; pull bits of a new refugee’s past out of the tiny World-fragments that’d ridden the Dark along with them.

A shape-shifter from a world where magic had to hide, who’d been in the military? Leon tried not to grimace. This? Is not good.

Leon had been a mercenary, not regular forces – but still. He knew about the life. Shape-shifters needed space. And that was exactly what you didn’t get. Close quarters, living in your teammate’s pockets; any secrets you had might stay in the unit, but you’d never keep them to yourself.

And I thought I had issues.

“Are these your friends?” Aeris went blithely on.

Vincent pulled the jacket a little closer around himself. “They were.”

Leon winced. Bad enough to be fighting Heartless from who-knew-where. People you knew? Ow.

“They still are,” Aeris said firmly. “Leon? I need you as the Commander for a minute.”

She didn’t ask for that often. “What are we doing?”

“You’re going to stand in for Twilight Town.” Putting her right hand under Vincent’s, Aeris beckoned to the little Shadow.

Carefully, dark talons rested on top of pale fingers.

Magic. Leon waited for the Gargoyle to add her claws, and the little fire to stretch a lick of flame into the knot of flesh and energy. Put his hand on top, and let Aeris cover it with her left. I hope you know what we’re doing.

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30 thoughts on “Keygate Ficbit: Friends in Dark Places”

  1. Muwahaha, magic as an embodiment of power…..AKA, classical magic, though I’d argue not the classically forbidden type, since it looks like it’s authority inherent, rather than vested…..

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  2. Huh. You know, shapeshifter is probably the least weird thing the SGC has ever run into. No wonder Vincent joined up.

    …and now my bunnies are wondering if a shapeshifter would be immune to a snakey hitchhiker since altering a bodily form might (??) give a snake a headache at best.

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  3. Shape-shifters needed space.

    Especially ones who either turn into something that tends toward loner (like a cat) or has claws (like a cat).

    Ever try to crowd a cat? Especially when it is NOT in the mood for company right this minute. It isn’t pretty.

    And that might be in addition to his human side – Vincent seems like the introverted type. And we introverts can get rather irritable if we don’t get our alone time.

    …not Hojo. *EG* Though a guy of similar flavor.

    Oh that’s not terrifying at all.

    And although I am sure that Vincent was expected to be grateful for this small mercy, I bet he manages not to be.

    Vincent wasn’t a shapeshifter in that world until some time after he joined the SGC. *EG*

    I think there is a story there. One that probably sent the General’s blood-pressure through the roof.

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    2. Janet: “Now that we have talked about what it does, we’re going to discuss your recovery options. You have three choices, stay here and be at the center for the next emergency to hit, probably when SG-13 gets back, go home to recover by yourself or stay with one or more of your teammates. Do be aware that going home by yourself does run the risk of having your teammates calling you every fifteen minutes.
      “And you are legally required to shoot anyone who tries to run medical experiments on you that is not a member of the SGC. In fact you are not to be treated by a non-SGC doctor, period. Running screaming from them is also an option.”

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  6. Gargoyle’s a ‘she’? Well, my guesses were clearly off.

    If it’s still SG-1 then that’d make the Gargoyle Sam, hmm. Daniel makes more sense for a Red Nocturne than Teal’c or Jack… So Jack’s probably the Shadow. …Wonder who/what their fourth is…

    Tho’ – alternately – I could be jumping to conclusions (well. Let’s be real. I am jumping to conclusions, the question is exactly how wrong I am.) and they’re actually the rest of SG-6. In which case… could be SG characters, could be FF characters, could be the Turks. Hard to know without more from you.

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    1. I know back when this was posted my assumption was that Twilight Town has a Significant Name.

      Basically, Traverse Town was where world fragments gathered and joined to form a new whole. Not what they originally were, but a new Story made from what was left and refused to be eaten. It’s not a home, it has no natives, everyone there is a Traveler from somewhere and on their way somewhere else, no matter how long they may stay.

      Twilight Town meanwhile – if we follow Significant Naming – is a place in Balance. It’s not like Radiant Garden or Destiny Islands – places of Light and Future – it’s a place where the Dark and the Light are equal, encompassing both sides of the soul.

      Leon’s a hero (and a Hero), but as a Knight in Sour Armour… Well. I never played FFVIII, but my understanding was that Squall wasn’t a champion or being of righteous Light, that was Rinoa. Squall was definitely the hero, but he was more complicated, a mixed bag of Light and Dark, good decisions and bad.

      Granted: this is entirely supposition and guesswork on my part. But if CrossOverCreativeChaos refuses to say, that was/is my theory.

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      1. Huh. Makes sense to me! I think Joshua has the best explanation for Traverse Town I’ve heard, that it came to be when people falling between Worlds needed a refuge. Or, as an alternative take on that, that it only exists when someone needs it. And Leon was pretty shocked that Traverse Town was enough of a world to have/need a Keyhole.

        Yeah, Leon is on the side of the angels, but mostly because that’s where Rinoa and his friends are. He’s Neutral with Good Tendencies. Much like the Dragonkin I did in the last D&D group, was an Evil group, but we mostly only got one session before RL happened. (Our rogue failed a spot check and stepped on a rake in plain sight and got hit with it, and our warrior got into a fight with a goblin and kept rolling low so they wrestled for a bit while we stood around and watched.)

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