At last Thomas made it out of the lodging he had been ensconced in, and moved through the town with casual slowness towards his destination. The streets were fairly empty, most of the inhabitants most likely busy with the Struggle tournament or just not out this time of day. He wasn't knowledgeable to say either way. Idly, he wondered how it was going, who was winning the contest. His money was on Joshua as a bare knuckled brawler, though it was hard to judge without knowing who all had entered. Belle had a shot as well, but if he had the inclination to place a bet, it would be on the person who's presence he enjoyed the least, though Reno may have been his main rival in the group.
On he moved, entering the woods that separated the mansion from the rest of Twilight Town. Now he was a tad more alert, though still below what he normally would have been. His mind strayed as he walked, wondering if it would be so bad if Heartless sprung up here and struck him down, He thought about it, then shook his head. That didn't fit his type of end. At least, that's what he thought. He'd always wanted to go out big, taking down an army of enemies, or maybe an explosion. Something memorable or at the very least cool. He couldn't say if that was still true, but it seemed a lot better than getting mauled in a forest somewhere and having his body lost to time.
Soon he arrived at his destination, the mansion. It wasn't in the best shape, Gates rusted and hung open, while weeds and plants overran the courtyard inside, winding amongst columns and arches. But he could still pass through, and that was what mattered. He spent a bit looking at the crumbling statues, forms still visible though tarnished like the rest of the place. Then to the entrance to the mansion itself, the oak doors looking remarkably good all things considering. And they weren't locked either, so he swung them open and stepped inside.
The first thing to hit him was the dust. Not surprising since this place was abandoned, but the sheer amount of it was stifling, tossed into the air by his presence. He coughed and waved his hand in front of his face, hoping to clear the air immediately in front of him of the fine particles. Then he could turn to exploring. The furniture in here was shattered, but he walked cautiously, almost reverently, alert for possibly weak floorboards that could send him plunging into the basement, but also trying to not disturb anything, like he felt not worthy to be here even though no one else was around. The main entrance, past the dangling chandelier, to the dining room beyond, this much a shattered mess as the first. As he went, images played in his mind of activities, comings and goings, fights that had taken place between keyblade wielders, Heartless, and Nobodies.
Exiting back to the foyer, he ascended the grand staircase, aware of those steps rotting from age, and made it to the second floor. He glanced about in the different directions he could go, before heading left. It was straight, then a turn and a door. Stepping through, he had to shield his eyes, blinking rapidly to adjust to the almost blinding whiteness of the room. This was...Namine's room, wasn't it? He stepped into the middle of it, brushing a table with his finger and rubbing away the collected dust. If it weren't for that, you would barely be able to tell that she was gone. It was like it was in a state of limbo, waiting for it's occupant to return to it. Even she, a Nobody had a place to return to, that awaited her, unlike him. His head dropped in his darkened thoughts, a stark contrast to the white around him. His gaze fell to the drawings on paper that rested on the table, but he quickly averted his gaze. Those were not meant for him, for his time, most definitely not for someone as broken as he was. He backed up and exited, fleeing the ghost of a white haired Nobody.
That left the other direction, the Library at the opposite end of the hall. Thomas knew enough to not take it at sight value, though he did peruse the titles, but finding nothing of interest. All that was left was to activate the hidden switch, which he did, and watch the floor fall away to reveal the stairs to the secret basement. The metallic surroundings made a solid contrast to the Victorian house they were hidden behind, and lights flickered on as Thomas descended the stairs and entered the sanctum.
Though the doors was the Computer Room, an array for monitors situated in front of a chair and keyboard, which were themselves in front of a strange machine. The screens were empty, the machinery that maintained the simalcrum Twilight Town long since deactivated, and he pressed idly at keys with no effect. he wondered if he could step inside, visit the fake reality that had been built up for one man, but decided against doing it even if it were possible. Onwards he moved, through the place where Roxas and Axel had had their epic battle and where the passage to the World That Never Was had formed (Though it was long since closed again). It was after that was also interesting.
Another hallway, this one lined on both sides with pods, all of them empty. Thomas knew what they were, the role they had played, yet he continued past them to another white room, where a larger pod sat in the middle. He stepped up to it, placing a hand against the side as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, hoping to catch some glimpse of the presence of the one who had been contained within it. Sora had been in this pod, to recover after turning into a Heartless, to recover his memories and fix himself. If only it were so easy for Thomas to do the same. He wondered if the Keyblade warrior had dreamed, or if he had had a peaceful sleep without nightmares or fears. But he couldn't test that, and he knew no amount of time in there would fix him like it had Sora.
With a pain in his heart, he sighed, turned around, and left, heading back to Twilight Town proper. Time to face reality.
