[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/220729/023912a75a8a9b16c801799640a60148.png[/img]

[H3]Suoh ~ Beacon Mental Hospital Residential Wing[/h3]
[@Lugubrious] Luka | [@Yankee] Pit

[b]Word Count:[/b] 805
[b]Level 7 Roxas:[/b] 4/70
[b]Exp:[/b] +2
[b]Friend Heart used:[/b] -5 exp
[b]NEW EXP Balance---[/b] 1/70[/center]

[color=Gold]"What the-? Yuito!"[/color] cried Roxas as he helplessly watched him be... devoured(?) by Anima. Right after this was when the real horror show started. Anima let out a shrieking cry of victory that caused all the tables to float up and then drop back down to form a maze of sorts. With the horrific monster floating about them above, this left the Seekers as well as the remaining Scarlet Guardians little choice but to hide until a better opportunity presented itself. By pure chance, Roxas spotted Yuito's sword on the floor near to his position. After what happened, Yuito's psychic control over the blade must have been broken resulting in the levitating weapon being dropped on the spot. The following victory cry and resulting shuffling of the tables must have knocked the weapon to its current location.

[color=Gold][i]Hold on, Yuito.[/i][/color] Roxas thought to himself as he scrambled forward and snatched the weapon up along the way. He now scurried in a low-crouch, making sure to keep himself well behind the tables to avoid being spotted by Anima. He'd dismissed both his Keyblades and was now only holding onto Yuito's sword, the hilt of which he clutched tightly in his hand. [color=Gold][i]I'm not leaving this place until I figure out a way to save you.[/i][/color] He solemnly promised himself. Just after this the tables rose back up only to drop down in a new formation. That meant that even if Roxas did start to get a sense of direction, Anima would likely just change it all up and effectively reset the entire board. Was navigating this "maze" really going to be so impossible? Or maybe Roxas was just thinking too linearly.

When the tables shifted next, Roxas was able to use the opportunity to glance around and gauge where everyone else was. He briefly glimpsed Luka across the room and the sobbing Hanabi in another position entirely. He also spotted where Yuito's body was shambling. All just before the tables came back down. If he wanted to regroup with someone without having to reorient his sense of direction every time the maze changed, then he needed to change the timing of when he moved! [color=Gold][i]Luka![/i][/color] Roxas loudly thought in his head, hoping Luka could hear. [color=Gold][i]We can track each other's position during the periods when the tables are floating. We can use that time to move closer to each other. Otherwise we'll just be wandering around this maze of tables forever![/i][/color]

After this Roxas made a point to glance around and double check where in the room everyone was during those brief moments when the tables were moving. It wasn't a perfect solution, but at least it was [i]something[/i]. At the same time, Roxas began trying to think of a way to stop Anima. He had a feeling that Yuito might return to normal if Anima was defeated and destroyed. But even if that idea was no good, he did have another thought percolating in his mind. The other day during the return home from Suoh, he and some other Seekers had that brief run-in with the demons born from the redshift. Roxas could recall saving one specific individual from the infection by using a Friend Heart on him. Would it work on Yuito, too? He had no idea, but Roxas wasn't about to give up without at least trying.

So for the time being, Roxas focused not on regrouping but instead on closing in on Yuito. He knew he'd have to get closer to try using a Friend Heart on him after all. This was a huge, if it didn't work then Yuito's shambling body could just as easily attack him or worse, alert Anima to the Nobody's presence. Roxas was really hoping at this point that his black coat was doing its job in helping him stay undetected. He never thought he'd have to rely on it for a mission like this before. It wasn't too terribly long before Roxas spotted Yuito after a table shifted position. This was it. It was now or never.

Roxas moved toward Yuito from behind, remaining crouched and hopefully still out of sight from Anima. Roxas swallowed hard as he formed a pink Friend Heart in his free hand. Then he just held his breath and threw it at Yuito's back. This was either going to work, or result in a catastrophe. But Roxas promised himself he was going to save Yuito. If not with this Friend Heart, then perhaps by defeating Anima if necessary.