ુ ✬ Mคsʈeɾ Åqυค ✬ ૂ (
rainprism) wrote in
sirenspull_logs2012-02-03 11:46 pm
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⁂ come on, try a little
Who:
rainprism &
edge_of_nothing; open [please message one of us before jumping in though! ♥]
When: [forward-dated -- past the Groundhog Day event] late morning into lunch time.
Where: Small shopping outlet, possibly the surrounding areas later. Starting out at a small cafe/deli.
Summary: Two very different individuals formally cross paths for the first time.
Warnings: Probable creeper-ing. :|a
It was almost over.
It was her biggest 'shopping day' since she'd received her first pay check there in Siren's Port -- second only to the frantic venture that was her search for appropriate winter clothing, which, thankfully, she was now able to comfortably adorn herself with. There were a few old Christmas gifts that had been undelivered, but it seemed unfair to dross those items up in red and pink wrapping paper and pass them off as presents from the upcoming holiday. Perhaps if they were supplemented -- if the thought was made more genuine ...
She'd been up since the stores were open on that day, having come to the resolute conclusion to complete all of her shopping for the event of Valentine's Day, and at last, it was time to take a breather. Of course, she'd gotten all of the easy shopping out of the way first -- basic craft supplies to decorate the house and construct festive nick-knacks, charms, and cards, which occupied the largest plastic bag sitting against the leg of her metallic table, a medium-sized, circular box that had been bagged to her right, and about two or three smaller paper bags overflowing with brightly colored tissue hanging on the angled corner of the chair she occupied.
And now ... There were only two names left on her gift list.
Aqua, cross-legged, enjoyed the sun in that warmest time of the day in her outdoor table alone, took a slow, careful sip of a frothy tea latte while scrolling mindlessly around on the NV network. Groceries last, she reasoned. I can make a quick trip home to drop these things off ... but I'll be catching the crowds at the mall afterward ...
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When: [forward-dated -- past the Groundhog Day event] late morning into lunch time.
Where: Small shopping outlet, possibly the surrounding areas later. Starting out at a small cafe/deli.
Summary: Two very different individuals formally cross paths for the first time.
Warnings: Probable creeper-ing. :|a
It was almost over.
It was her biggest 'shopping day' since she'd received her first pay check there in Siren's Port -- second only to the frantic venture that was her search for appropriate winter clothing, which, thankfully, she was now able to comfortably adorn herself with. There were a few old Christmas gifts that had been undelivered, but it seemed unfair to dross those items up in red and pink wrapping paper and pass them off as presents from the upcoming holiday. Perhaps if they were supplemented -- if the thought was made more genuine ...
She'd been up since the stores were open on that day, having come to the resolute conclusion to complete all of her shopping for the event of Valentine's Day, and at last, it was time to take a breather. Of course, she'd gotten all of the easy shopping out of the way first -- basic craft supplies to decorate the house and construct festive nick-knacks, charms, and cards, which occupied the largest plastic bag sitting against the leg of her metallic table, a medium-sized, circular box that had been bagged to her right, and about two or three smaller paper bags overflowing with brightly colored tissue hanging on the angled corner of the chair she occupied.
And now ... There were only two names left on her gift list.
Aqua, cross-legged, enjoyed the sun in that warmest time of the day in her outdoor table alone, took a slow, careful sip of a frothy tea latte while scrolling mindlessly around on the NV network. Groceries last, she reasoned. I can make a quick trip home to drop these things off ... but I'll be catching the crowds at the mall afterward ...
no subject
Nothing could ever be truly forgotten.
And his focus was not suppose to be situated here.
Xemnas did not need to see what was sent. He continued to look at the young woman, barely raising his chin a few degrees without any trace of emotion.
"Perhaps I should have corrected myself earlier. The use of the term is...almost non-existent."
no subject
There was no denying it. The understated bellow of his voice sounded much less familiar than his features looked, but there was a sort of duality there that echoed a building anxiety within her heart ... and two or three bouts of deep breathing was doing nothing to put her at ease again.
Encountering a person who shared certain similarities with a friend -- it shouldn't have bothered her to the point of immobility. It was nonsense.
It had to ... had to be more than that.
Slowly, precisely, carefully, the NV was tucked away into the pocket of her white coat ... the shopping bags at her feet? All but forgotten.
"Who ... are you?"
no subject
"...I see you have not been given a thorough introduction. I wonder why that is."
The Nobody did not disregard her question fully. Preferred directness meant picking and choosing what to point out first.
"You have been here for...several months, haven't you?" he inquired calmly, using the same tone of voice -- the one she heard when she initially (re)appeared.
no subject
"Three months."
Now, however, she took one catlike, calculated step forward, followed by another, and then one more before she stopped. Just closing a bit of the distance ...
"I've been here for three months."
What difference does that make? The sudden, rising urge to run away seized her for just a moment. Did she ... really even want to know?
no subject
Perhaps it was better this way.
She was sure of herself, but subtle curiosity and wariness still drove her to wonder. He could see that clearly. He still refrained from giving her a proper answer, asking another in its place. "And have you found who you were looking for?
no subject
"Yes."
That ... if nothing else ... was one thing that she was absolutely certain of. Before she had arrived in the city of Siren's Port, she had been looking for something -- someone -- very specific, and he had been the very ... first ...
... Aqua's blood ran cold as ice.
"... You were the one I spoke with the day I arrived." And then once more under the ambiguous guise of text messages two instances since then. And she had never put it together!
Stupid ... Stupid!
At last, she tore her focus from him, his familiar face, his familiar stance, to shut her eyes in an intense and shuddering wave of shame. It felt exactly as it was, in reality -- like she had been the victim of an elaborate and humorless ruse; This, the grand unveiling of her ignorance and naivety.
"... Why?"
But she was still suspended in the sensation of free-falling. The impact of hitting the ground ... that was still to come, wasn't it?
"Why did you try to trick me? Why did you ... continue to ..."
She chose to expend her self-control to vanquish her anger, which allowed that gnawing dread to grow and slither up beyond the reach of her supervision. This ... would be the second time that she realized that anger was much easier an emotion to sit with than fear, and now it was that fear that overcame her features, unabashed.
"Who are you?"
no subject
It was like fitting pieces of a puzzle together. She had enough to form one corner; she needed more to fill in the gaps, to make something of the whole. Finding out what she didn't need to know was a risk to her mental and emotional state of being and she was already edging into the negative.
That would not do.
He continued in his weighted silence as the Keyblade Master had this information dawn upon her in a terrible way. And it would only get worse from here.
A step. Two steps. Several. Each one was slow and orderly in comparison to the feelings that raced through Aqua, closing the gap even more. The space was not closed completely; the Nobody let her keep some of her security -- whatever was left of it.
A corner of his mouth quirked slightly prior to relaxing back into neutrality. "Trick?" Xemnas could have laughed at the notion. "I only said what you needed to hear and wrote what you needed to read. And it was the truth. Nothing more."
The tone of his voice failed to betray any hidden depth to what was said. Or perhaps it was as he intended it to be, no different meanings involved.
But she wanted an answer. Demanded it.
Such a risk was to be rewarded.
With a fluid motion, a hand rose to remove the sunglasses that only obscured a small portion of his dark features. Gold eyes slowly reopened to meet her gaze again, unflinching. Intense.
"My name...is Xemnas."
no subject
There was ... however ... one additional feature that robbed her of any real comfort she may have been able to derive from learning his name. A feature that bore right into her soul, seared the blood in her veins, and drew a flush of dread to her cheeks.
For a moment, she merely stood there, as though the golden gaze had turned her to stone... unable to move, unable to speak, unable to react in any obvious way. After a lengthy pause -- one that could have easily lasted hours by her own perception -- Aqua swayed to the side once, readjusting her stance to keep her knees from buckling.
Xemnas.
The truth.
Nothing more.
She thought for certain that she was going to be sick.
no subject
It was something he had not done in a while. Unfortunately, it was not as satisfying as it should have been.
This was the part where someone other than the Nobody would have asked if she was all right. He could see Aqua was struggling. Xemnas did nothing to assist her.
"Do not faint on me."
no subject
The change was instantaneous. One second, her head was swimming and she seemed to be on the verge of actual physical illness, but the next ... she'd been both caught and called out on her moment of weakness, and now she was the vision of uniformity and composure, returning the stare that had sent her on her detour with one of sternness.
There was still much that she didn't know -- missing answers that she was certain that Xemnas held. There was no use in jumping through logical hoops trying to explain the similarities away to herself. No point in having a breakdown in front of him ... or anyone else. No sense in mourning something that was just a suspicion at this point.
The fear ... that was gone, too.
Thank goodness for that extra space between herself and the Nobody. She was able to straighten up, exuding as much formality as she consciously could ... before stiffly extending her hand.
"I know I've told you this once before." A slow, deep breath. "And I'm sure you knew what it was before I told you ... but I don't think it counts unless it goes both ways. So ..."
And she extended it a bit farther. Stubbornly. Insistently.
"I'm Aqua."
no subject
Xemnas saw the change in the Keyblade Master's stance, arching a brow with slight interest.
A hand?
He could have laughed. Not many people went through such lengths. He still remembered the day he first arrived -- one that had the Thirteenth ready to kill him on the spot. With each and every person from their world and outside of their universe, different greetings had been exchanged. This only added to the count.
Instead, a faint smirk crossed the First's features. "Yes, I have...but a lot of time has passed since then." His hand reached out for hers, a nonchalant but firm grip to match her stubborn insistence.
no subject
What did show through was a marginally polite arch of an eyebrow as she took advantage of the physical contact to take an exploratory 'glimpse' into just what sort of man he might be. Not ... a visual glimpse; More of a sensory intrusion of what might be a personal boundary for most. Something sightless, soundless, scentless -- an action that felt beyond physical touch. Just a quick, nimble glance, like passing one's hand over the flame of a candle.
And that was all it took, really.
The arch of the eyebrow signified the drawn conclusion that there was something distinctly different about Xemnas -- different than what she had sensed during the rampage of Master Xehanort, or during the heat of battle with Vanitas or any other manner of Darkness-born evil.
He felt ...
He just felt hollow.
"Has it? Were we acquainted when I was here before?"
no subject
Two years plus the one year he had spent in Siren's Port had subtly changed that perspective, leaving him to employ any kind of contact at his discretion. It wasn't too much of a difference from what he had previously done, really. The corporation he was heading now had more social cues to work with in order to pull off a normal company front. This was just another introduction.
The feeling that arose briefly from the touch was hard to describe.
Although it was nothing more than a simple handshake, the unspoken feeling vanished without lingering any longer than it should have.
Perhaps it was just his imagination.
Xemnas' eyes narrowed slightly at the young woman as he watched her expression shift, answering her question with one word.
"Somewhat."
no subject
"Somewhat? Meaning ... ?"
Putting her hands on her hips, Aqua canted her head to the side inquisitively.
"Did you send me anonymous messages? Follow me around while I shop?"
It shouldn't have been a funny idea, but ... well. It was. She could only imagine how flustered that would have made her in her previous stay.
Or maybe she just knew better.
no subject
Two friends, even.
But that wasn't how it played out with Xemnas and Aqua.
Brows lift slightly as he tilted his head several degrees downward, his own posturing vaguely indifferent toward her questions. "You had little knowledge on how to use the filtering options over the Network," he said. "That was swiftly remedied, however." Another pause passed as the Nobody looked past her, staring at nothing in particular. "Presently, you seem to have a better handle of the technology given. Or perhaps you took the time to learn more about it on your own, taking up any help and advice given by those who decided to assist you."
She had her suspicions and she knew what she was doing. At least, she could uphold her composure and continue as if nothing was wrong.
Initially, he could have left her alone.
"This...was unexpected."
no subject
Again, no turbulence beneath the surface. No bite in her tone, no hidden poison or resentment in her words. In fact, she mimicked him in glancing down the sidewalk in semi-feigned nonchalance.
"I did do a bit of practicing before I made any transmissions ..."
... And stole a glance back in his direction.
"Someone warned me not to trust the NV's. Were you the reason why?"
no subject
"So I did."
There was no use in denying the fact. "Many people do. It is...human nature, after all."
His gaze didn't return to meet hers as she did this, but there was a hint of empty amusement hidden behind the look. It was paired with a short, deep laugh when she brought this point up, one that was subtle in its growing interest. Unnatural.
Nearly unsettling.
"I'm not the only one you need to be wary of."
no subject
"No, you're right. This is a dangerous city."
She pauses to gather up the shopping bags, arranging them around her feet in a way to prevent tripping. It's another relaxed gesture, demonstrating a bit of bravery -- bordering on brazenness.
"So ... you know more about this place than I do." A cant of her head. "Who, specifically, should I be wary of?" And a blink. "... Other than yourself."
no subject
Nothing reinstated itself. And the two went on as they did.
There were several who were considered 'dangerous.' Some were questionable in their methods. There were also a good number of gray moralities that could easily sway toward the darker end of the spectrum.
It was all by choice, of course.
"You will know when you hear about them. You may even know when you speak to them."
no subject
The response was half-matter-of-fact, half chiding. The latter tone was only slight, but easily noticeable -- perhaps to him, who was on the receiving end. It wasn't something Aqua did consciously, nor was it something she realized she did at all after the fact.
Her head tilted in the opposite direction as she shrugged a shoulder lightly. "That's okay. ... I think I'll just rely on my own judgment ..." Her moral compass was fairly accurate ... most of the time. It had served her well during her stay in the Port thus far, at the very least.
... If not by the skin of her teeth, in some instances.A thought occurred to her quite suddenly.
"Wait ... You aren't on a lunch break or anything, are you?" It was a little hard to believe that he'd dress that way casually ... but it was just a guess.
"I don't want to get you into any trouble ..."
no subject
It was the tone that led him to delay his reply. One could say it was almost vaguely nostalgic, but it disappeared into the seriousness that had been prominently showing all throughout. Still, he brushed it off easily, never missing a beat.
"That isn't a problem," Xemnas said nonchalantly. "Being in charge of a corporation allows one to take as long as they want. It can be considered...a perk."
no subject
So ... he didn't really have a superior to answer to. He was it.
That certainly alleviated that problem.
Slowly, she looked back down at her shopping bags, unaware of the time that's passed since her pause at the café.
"Even so ..." Now that she thought about it ... "... I should probably get some more shopping done while the stores are still open." There was an instant in which she looked at him as though she were considering to invite him along ... but she said nothing of the sort.
no subject
He didn't need to answer them all. Not yet. She still had other sources to go to.
Time was always an issue. He hadn't thought much of it ever since he went out, but the reminder from Aqua's own personal scheduling made him realize its passing.
"Ah. Yes." Xemnas then gestured. "If it is that important, then you should go. I will also have to return from this excursion at some point."
The NV, which had been silent all this time, puttered in disappointment to itself.
no subject
That was why Valentine's Day was so important. It was the perfect opportunity to try and repair a downed line of communication. And what better way to help an angry, stone-faced friend open up than with the gesture of gift-giving? But Terra wasn't the only person on her list. Not by a long shot. And ... after this not-such-a-chance encounter, her list got just a little bit longer.
"I should get going, too. I'm ... making up for missing Christmas this Valentine's Day, so ..."
no subject
Whether he truly understood was left a mystery.
What he didn't know was that the meeting had affected her current list in some manner. He was focused on the present for now; the results of this in the future would be discovered soon enough, thanks to the forever-curious NV.
The sunglasses were slipped back on. "We all do what we must. Gifts are gifts. Perhaps it will be worth the effort going through all the trouble of giving them." At least they could enjoy them. There was a pause as Xemnas closed his eyes for a brief moment.
"Aqua?"
Gold eyes were barely visible behind the shades, his face in profile as he canted his head ever so slightly.
"...Enjoy your holiday."