To say that you are cute, Would be like saying a strawberry is sweet,

[mirroredmemory]

Who: Xion (mirroredmemory) and Master Eraqus (hikari_no_kundou)
When: 10/9
Where: House of Departure
Summary: Xion comes calling with baked goods to try and raise the spirits of the men of the House of Departure while Aqua's trapped in her darkness coma, and winds up meeting Master Eraqus in person.
Warnings: Baked goods and spit takes. Possibly.

It had been three weeks since Aqua had fallen into a strange sleep with no sign of waking up, and her friend had not been far from Xion's thoughts for most of that, nor had Ven (although he was never far from her thoughts, to be honest) and Terra and their master. Axel's departure left her all too aware of the pain of being without somebody precious; it was a pain that only dulled with time, it never truly went away.

Xion had finished her shift at Kahve at lunch time, leaving behind strict baking instructions for the tray of apple turnovers she had spent most of the morning perfecting and a generous stock of pumpkin bread for the afternoon staff, and had made a quick stop at the apartment on her way to her next destination. In the fridge, in clearly labelled Tupperware (DO NOT EAT THIS PLEASE JOE) was a freshly baked strawberry tart and a little tin of caramel slices (OR THIS).

After changing from her work clothes and making herself presentable, Xion walked out in the brisk afternoon sunshine to pay a visit to the House of Departure. It would have been easier to portal in, but she didn't know who was home and portalling in unannounced wasn't very polite. After a while, she reached the front door and knocked three times.

Comments

[hikari_no_kundou]

No guests were expected at the House today. Both Terra and Ventus were absent due to work, and due to circumstances beyond her control, Aqua was still absent from her own on a 'sick leave' that was growing more concerning by the day.

As such, the knocks on the door were a surprise interruption. Dark head jerked in surprise, attention drawn from the well thumbed copy of the book Eraqus had been reading regarding Siren's Port, an action mimicked by the kitten who had curled up on his lap. The little critter was none too pleased to be deposited on Aqua's bed when the Master rose to his feet, the man pausing only to brush a finger over Aqua's forehead with a faint hint of Cure magics, before exiting the room.

When the front door finally opened, with Oro nudged back to prevent either escape or the flattening of whoever was on the other side, Eraqus glanced down, intending to meet Xion's gaze.

Then blinked. And then blinked again, as he stiffened in surprise.

No one had thought to mention a certain, rather unfortunate, matter of appearances to the trio's Master involving a certain someone else.

Given his bond with Ventus, and the shakier but established link to Roxas, it is not remotely surprising that like student-son, master-dad sees not a young teenaged girl but yet another apprentice-twin. Albeit one in possession of a face that was certainly a great deal more feminine than either of the blond boys he knew, and lacking any sort of Darkness taint that might have summoned a keyblade.

Needless to say, it was a very awkward pause that followed, while a wary look flickered across the Master's face.

"...Can I help you?"

[mirroredmemory]

The moment that the door began to open, Xion fixed her brightest smile to her face in the hopes that it would help cheer up whoever was behind it, but as she realised that she was looking up at the stern, slightly intimidating face of Ven's Master her smile slipped just a fraction as she felt inexplicable and- in her opinion- completely unnecessary nerves bubble up in her stomach. It didn't help when she saw him immediately tense up upon laying eyes on her; she wondered for a moment if he, like Terra, was seeing someone else's face instead of her own.

"Um..."

Well that was a dazzlingly articulate attempt at conversation, honestly. Xion mentally kicked herself for being rude and tried not to gawp even though she suddenly felt frozen to the spot with trepidation. She adjusted her weight and tried not to shrink under Master Eraqus' scrutiny.

"H-how do you do?" Ugh, her voice sounded thin and squeaky; she immediately swallowed. "I'm Xion, I'm a friend, I promise!"

In time she would laugh at how completely inane she was making herself seem for a first impression, but there was something about this person who her friends obviously respected greatly- and who was essentially their father- that made her feel like she was about two feet tall and had just been caught stealing from the cookie jar.

[hikari_no_kundou]

Master Dad is a very intimidating individual when he has a mind to be. Particularly when his brows drew together - as they did now - and grey eyes narrowed at the person addressing him.

He waited for Xion to restart her attempt at an introduction patiently, mindful not to fold his arms across his chest as she did so. It was helped by the fact one hand was attempting to at least partially restrain the direwolf, who was evidently very glad to see the girl!, head trying to squeeze past the Master and through the door.

Given the sweet tooth three out of four residents of the House of Departure possess, cookie theft is a very serious problem! However, perhaps Eraqus was staring at the items she was carrying. Strawberry senses, tingling!! ...Probably not.

After she finally said her name, squeak or no squeak, the stiff father figure seemed to relax, while his eyes widened a bit in recognition. "Ah." The ...face was very very odd to see, but the voice was certainly not Ventus or Roxas, and both had made mention of a 'Xion' as a friend. While he did not smile, quite, his voice was suddenly a great deal warmer.

"So, you are Xion. My name is Eraqus," though she likely knew that - but he was not one to neglect his manners. "Ventus has spoken quite highly of you," while neglecting to mention a certain key detail, "My apologies, but if you were hoping to see him or Terra, they are still at work at the moment."

[mirroredmemory]

"Well actually," Xion replied, shifting her weight a little nervously despite the older man's softening towards her, "I came to see all of you. And Aqua. I know how it feels to worry about a friend in trouble, and she's my friend too. We're all thinking about her; me and Roxas and Naminé and my brother Joe, and we're thinking of you too so-"

With a little hastily bobbed bow- and that was unusual for her because she'd never really had cause for bowing before- she held out the Tupperware box with the caramel slice tin balanced on top, unaware of the havoc she might be causing the Master's strawberry sense in doing so.

"I made these for you. Ven said you liked strawberries and I know that Terra probably won't eat it because he's funny with his sweets but there's some caramel slices in that little tin and I thought he might like those because he always likes to have a caramel macchiato when he comes into Kahve and-" Oh goodness she was rambling. "I thought maybe be might like these instead."

Was that all? Wait, she hadn't actually replied to his introduction either in the course of all that nonsense. She tried to squash down her nerves- where had they come from and why weren't they going?- and forced herself to smile warmly at him.

"It's nice to meet you!"

[hikari_no_kundou]

Mentioning Aqua brought about a hint of sadness to Eraqus' expression, something that Xion had no doubt seen echoed in her two friends as of late. But to hear that others are thinking of her, of all four of them really, was unexpected for the Master - and earned the girl a small smile of gratitude.

"..Thank you," he said, genuinely touched by both her words and the gesture, "I am glad to know others are thinking of her."

There's just something about this authority figure that encourages bowing, isn't there? There was a deeper nod of his head, a tilt evident in his shoulders as Eraqus returned Xion's bow, his expression a little more friendly where it had not been before. The baked offerings certainly did not hurt, either.

Once the girl had straightened up, his hands reached for the offered gifts; a hint of a chuckle began in his chest at the mention of Terra's taste in treats. "He has never been one for fresh fruit, or sweet things." Especially not strawberries, poor boy. This still does not explain why he likes caramel on things, given that caramel is, essentially, melted down sugar.

Guess that leaves more strawberry tart for Master Eraqus. And possibly Ventus. He might just leave him a slice. (Maybe.) "It is very nice to meet you as well." He stepped aside from the doorway, motioning for Xion to enter. "Please, come in." If Oro will let you. Enthusiastic direwolf kisses are sometimes difficult to sidestep.

[mirroredmemory]

"Terra's funny like that, I think maybe he thinks he's too grown up to enjoy sweets, but that seems sad. I don't see why you can't keep enjoying sweets when you're older, Axel- he's one of my best friends- he loves sweet things."

Xion was about to thank him for inviting her in when she was duly flattened by a very affectionate, very large direwolf, and she could not have been happier for the distraction as she laughed at his welcome.

"Hello boy, it's nice to see you too!" she giggled, trying to avoid having her face thoroughly washed by the direwolf. "Oro stop that's my no- ugh no, that doesn't mean you can lick my mouth that's gross!"

She managed to wrestle him off her long enough to dig into the pocket of her jacket for a paper-wrapped package which immediately served the purpose of getting Oro to plonk himself down in front of her and watch it with his tail thumping expectantly. Still smiling, Xion patted him on the head and then remembered that this was probably not making a very good impression on her host. She looked sheepishly over at Master Eraqus and then at Oro, and then back at the Master.

"I sometimes bring Oro a treat when I've been baking, it doesn't seem fair to leave him out just because he's a wolf. He really likes sausage rolls."

[hikari_no_kundou]

Eraqus stood aside and watched, the tasty treats safely in hand and out of range of direwolf joy.

How does Oro see Xion, one has to wonder? Having witnessed his happy reception for Roxas, does the beast too see Xion as not-Ven? How else might he even see her, save perhaps as a jumble of scents and colours.

Only once the girl and wolf have moved safely out of range of the front door did he close it shut, and he allowed his earlier chuckle to resume. There are far worse first impressions one can make, Xion. Rest assured, yours is certainly not anywhere near as bad as his was. "He is very remarkable," the Master commented, watching the ever so puppy-like behaviour on display in the face of promised sausage rolls. "He has been good company, and definitely deserving of a treat."

That seemed as good a cue as any to move towards the kitchen, the Master's stride measured and perhaps a bit weary. "Terra, I'm afraid, has never been one to enjoy fruits or certain types of baked goods. Aqua and I have tried for years, but I can assure you, his bias against treats has not budged since he was eight." He allowed himself a small snort. "Don't ask him for his opinion on strawberries."

Even today, Eraqus was fairly certain that the stalemate over the Master's most favoured food was still in place. One of the few constants between any world. The fridge door was tugged open, and the two food gifts set within. Getting a little sparse when it comes to food in there, actually.. On the other hand, food shopping has not exactly been the highest priority of late.

Still, Xion was a guest, and would be treated accordingly. "..Would you like some tea?"

[mirroredmemory]

Xion gave Oro one last skritch behind the ears for good measure and tried to stop smirking at his obvious delight and transparent attempts to be good enough so that she would kindly unwrap that delicious smelling pastry and give it to him, please and thank you.

"Tea would be lovely, thank you," she replied, smiling graciously at the older man. "It really feels like good tea weather now it's getting colder."

She set to unwrapping the sausage roll for Oro and surreptitiously studied Master Eraqus from the corner of her eye. He seemed very... proper. Tall and composed with the sort of bearing that demanded you be on your best behaviour around him, but at the same time the quiet dignity that he carried seemed to be quite soothing.

The mental image he provided though, of tall, grown up Terra being ferociously and stubbornly opposed to sweet things at the age of eight, was pretty amusing though. And sad. Fancy not enjoying sweets!

"Strawberries are delicious, I don't see how anyone wouldn't enjoy them. They're almost as good as watermelon. That's my favourite fruit, it's my second favourite food actually."

She slipped Oro the sausage roll and was careful to make sure that she didn't get a handful of grateful direwolf slobber in return.

[hikari_no_kundou]

Scapegrace wolf knows exactly what to do to flatter his favoured humans to earn treats, it would seem! One can only imagine how much more powerful such an ability was when he was a tinier puppy.

If Eraqus noticed Xion's scrutiny, there was no outward signs given, the far older keyblade wielder going about the motions of preparing a drink for himself and his guest once he had gestured for Xion to take a seat. The water was soon set to boil, while mugs were retrieved from the cupboard.

"The weather here is less predictable than other worlds I have known, it would seem." While Departure was never without a change in weather, it was considerably more...idyllic than Canada. Such are the benefits of Disney inheritance, one can presume! "Have you been here for winter before?"

Tall, grown up Terra was once smaller and bittier than Xion! Aqua too, for that matter, hard as it might be to imagine for those who've only ever known them as the older, more world weary teen-adults they had become. "I would hazard Aqua using him for taste testing of new treats for a time didn't help matters." Terra likes it? Not enough sugar! "That said, fruits have rarely been something he enjoyed. He simply lacks a refined palette for these things." Perhaps, when he knows you better, he'll tell some embarrassing stories. Until then, however, people of fine food tastes can lament the lack of strawberry appreciation together.

It does not take long for the Master to prepare the drinks, and both cups are set on the table, along with milk. And, of course, a small bowl of sugar. Help yourself!

[mirroredmemory]

Xion sat herself down and popped two spoonfuls of sugar into her cup; there was no disguising her sweet tooth and she had no mind to want to do so either. For a moment she nursed the cup in her hands, letting the heat seep through into her fingers. It was a nice feeling. Comforting. For all her enjoyment of coffee based drinks thanks to her prolonged exposure from working at Kahve, Xion certainly had an appreciation for a nice cup of tea.

It still didn't beat a good mug of cocoa though.

"In February I'll have been here for two years," she said, her eyes on her tea for a moment. "This will be my third winter, and last year was pretty bad. We had a big blizzard that kept everybody stuck inside for days. I'd never really had a winter before that, or seen snow. I know a lot of people complain about it, but I think it's so bad just as long as you stay warm. It looks really pretty too."

She took a sip of her tea, testing the temperature, and decided it was still a little too hot. She looked over at the Master and smiled.

"I'm really glad you're here with everybody, I know Ven and Terra've missed you and must be so happy you're here now." she paused, not knowing if mentioning Aqua would be a good idea or a bad one. "How's Aqua?"

[hikari_no_kundou]

Coffee has its own place and time. But good tea is eternal -- and it would be impolite to turn down hot cocoa whenever it is offered.

"Hmmm, I see." Certainly sounded a great deal more vicious than the winters he'd weathered previously. "Given the amount of adaption this world needs for most new arrivals, the addition of poor weather would certainly not help." Taking a seat opposite, the Master waited politely for Xion to finish up with the sugar before helping himself to three heaped tea spoons. "I cannot say I am looking forwards to winter myself - by all accounts, it sounds much harsher than anything from my home."

The smile was answered by one of his own, though he did seem mildly startled by her words. Were they happy..? Ventus certainly was, something that had been tentative at first but had grown in short order. But Terra..Well, that was a little harder to judge. He wanted to believe the young man was happy he was here, but he spent as much time avoiding him as he did lingering at the edge of his presence.

But Xion said they had missed him. "I missed all of them," Eraqus replied honestly, if a touch quietly.

And as for Aqua.. "I've done all I can to heal her." That fact dragged his smile down into a frown, dark head shaken slightly. "There's been no change."

[mirroredmemory]

"She'll be okay, she has to be. Aqua's really strong, I just know she'll get better."

The vehemence of her answer made her jostle her tea-cup a little as she put it back down, but despite a brief moment of concern that the contents would slop over the side, the tea stayed in place. Xion glanced fleetingly at the cup in concern before she looked back at the Master. A warm, fuzzy weight dropped across her thigh and she looked down to see Oro resting his muzzle on her lap; she tangled her fingers in his ruff, petting him mindlessly. It was a comfort.

"I wish there was something I could do to help."

[hikari_no_kundou]

The reaction isn't one he expected, and for a moment silence holds sway, making the sound of sloshing tea and the set of china on china clink very loudly.

It was soon broken by the quiet pad of paws through the kitchen, and a small smile soon followed for both wolf and girl as the Master sat back in his chair.

"She is strong. As is the bonds with those she calls friends," close or not, it is clear there is a bond here, and Eraqus was certain that was what helped her stay with them so long. He took a sip of his own tea, considering the contents thoughtfully once he was done.

"We've taken turns to keep her company, staying by her side. I do not know that she can hear us, but it certainly hasn't done any harm. Perhaps, if you would like to sit and talk with her...?" Dark head tilted slightly to one side as Eraqus shrugged. "I know she'd appreciate it."

[mirroredmemory]

"My best friend Roxas fell asleep for a long time once. I used to bring him shells until he woke up again, then he did the same when it happened to me. I can't remember his visits, but when I woke up again, knowing that someone had been there and had been thinking about me... it helped me to feel better. So even if Aqua doesn't hear us, I'm sure that it helps. It's our hearts reaching out to her, right?"

She looked down at Oro again, finding it hard to remain melancholy while looking at the big animal's content expression.

"Aqua's a good friend, I haven't known her as long as I've known Ven and Terra, but she's always been so kind. You know, we went and got our nails painted together once, and the lady there was so silly about what colours they were using and we had to try so hard not to laugh when she was fussing about the differences between two different blues." She smiled at the memory. "We keep saying we're going to go back to find out just how many blues there are."

It was a silly thing to talk about, so Xion thought that maybe it would be better to change the subject.

"Anyway. I know Ven's happy you're here. He's really missed you."

[hikari_no_kundou]

"That's exactly right," nodded Eraqus, absently turning the porclain cup in his hands. Grey eyes did not betray the surprise at hearing that both she and Roxas had once been trapped in sleep - just as Ventus had also once slept. Another, perhaps more worrisome, similarity that the nobody and his student shared - and this third keybearer. "She and Terra once did the same thing for Ventus. I see no reason that such a thing would not help her as well."

It wasn't quite the life any of them might have imagined once, but it was a life he had missed out on. "How is it that you came to meet them? My students, I mean. Through Roxas?" He was not aware of all the details there. Surely there was no harm in asking, however.

And as for silly things? Perhaps - but Xion's story warmed him nonetheless. "No doubt you will have that chance. Perhaps there are as many shades of blue as exist for both the sea and sky - or shades seen only on other worlds." Or this one alone.

There was no immediate reply to the news Ventus had missed him, though perhaps Xion might forgive him if his features softened and gaze appeared distracted. Given the tension during their reconciliation, tension that had ended with honesty and ceremony and an unrehersed hug, he'd little idea whether the youngest had still remembered him fondly.

"I've missed him, all three of them," he said, before draining more of his cup. "I regret greatly that I have no memory of when I was here before." A year ago, Terra had told him. "Did I meet you then, as well?"

[mirroredmemory]

"I never got the chance to meet you last time you were here," Xion said quietly; it hadn't been that long after her arrival last year that he had left, though being so new and confused about the situation she hadn't even been aware of who he was. "I had only just arrived, I hadn't even met Ven yet."

She nursed her cup in her hands, half full as it was, smiling a private smile.

"He and Roxas were already good friends by the time I arrived, and he introduced himself to me on the network when I arrived. I thought he was Roxas at first, a lot of people do. I think he's used to it by now."

Poor Ven, but at least he didn't seem to be too bothered by it after all this time.

"But I met him properly on Valentine's Day, he showed me around the city a bit and then we got sodas together, and then I sort of met the others through him and we just started hanging out together a lot. We didn't start dating properly until August though."

She took a dainty sip of her tea, wondering what to cover next.

[hikari_no_kundou]

So Xion had only been here a year; Ventus, he knew, had been here somewhat longer, with Terra longest yet at 2 years. Eraqus did not know how long Aqua had been in the Port, and both boys had seemed oddly gunshy at answering the question when directed their way.. When his student awoke, perhaps he'd have a better opportunity to do so.

"I would imagine it would be something quite trying to even the most patient individual. The likeness is quite uncanny." Spoken with the patient tone of someone who definitely didn't make a near-fatal face-mistake, honest, cough cough.

Somewhere between sip and swallow, Xion's casual explanation of friendship filtered through, the Master having offered a slight nod of understanding -- just before his body chose to inhale in surprise at entirely the wrong moment.

It wasn't an explosive cough, nor was there a tea-spray fountain (in no small part thanks to his left hand having been quick to rise and cover his mouth), but it did take some doing to clear his airways again. "I do beg your pardon," he rasped once he could breathe again, apology polite, but eyes slightly wide.

Dating?

Cough. Well well. Guess which detail someone neglected to mention to MasterDad..? Though...Oddly enough, part of him isn't surprised. Except for the part where Ven is dating someone who looks just like him.

[mirroredmemory]

Oh dear. Xion recognised what that cough and wide eyed look meant. Admittedly it wasn't quite as dramatic as Terra's explosive bellowing or Aqua dropping water glasses, but it was definitely a 'wait- what- oh gosh!' sort of reaction that Xion associated with surprising people.

She was going to have to have words with her boyfriend about his apparent inability to tell people who were important to him that he had a girlfriend. It had happened often enough that she was beginning to think it was becoming a bad habit

"Nobody told you, did they?" she said, not exactly sadly but resigned to the fact that her relationship was constantly going to surprise people. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you like that. I thought Ven would have said something to you already."

Her tea was half finished. Xion put it down for a moment, wondering if she could try and steer this conversation away from becoming any more awkward than it already had. Of course she had no idea just how awkward it was, seeing as she was unaware of the form she had taken in the Master's eyes.

There was a brief, awkward silence as Xion wondered what to talk about next. Oh, that was right, he had said something about Roxas and Ven's similarity. Maybe that would be a good enough thing to talk about.

"As for Ven and Roxas... none of us really know why, but we mostly think it's got something to do with Sora helping to fix Ven's heart a long time ago, and because Roxas comes from Sora's heart, maybe that's why. I don't know really, maybe there isn't a good reason for it. It might be why some people like Terra used to see me as Ven, because of the connection between Sora and Ven's hearts. I know Vanitas does; that jerk calls me Girl Ventus. It's really annoying."

[hikari_no_kundou]

"No," Eraqus coughed, sounding a tad bemused when Xion stated the obvious. "No, I'm afraid they had not."

It was hardly an unpleasant surprise, either, which rather begged the question as to what else Eraqus' male students were keeping from their teacher. Still, perhaps that was assuming a bit much too soon. "I suspect it would have come up soon enough, but," there was a brief glance towards the ceiling. (It did not seem particularly fair to lump Aqua in with them, given current circumstances.)

"No lasting harm done," he assured Xion soon enough, his own tea now neglected and cooling in the wake of the brief fit. "I suspect that Ventus was simply waiting for the right time to mention it, or perhaps introduce you himself. He's certainly mentioned you often," and with great fondness, which in retrospect added an entirely new spin on matters.

When she mentioned the likeness issue, he was politely all ears, attention eventually sharpening on Sora (that boy again) and fixing and.. Wait, what? MORE THINGS that the Master hadn't heard about, it seemed, but any questions he might have on the matter are briefly curtailed by the fact Xion looked like Ven to Terra as well -- and to Vanitas, who's name rings a bell even if he had yet to meet him in person.

(Eraqus was certainly NOT be mentioning she also looked like Ventus to him as well. It seemed oddly rude to do so, given the circumstances.)

"It would seem this young man, Sora, has a great many ties to other Keybearers." There was a scrape of wood on floor as the Master rose from his chair. Now seemed like a perfectly good time for some of that strawberry tart. "So they saw an echo, of Ventus? Due to heart..resonance, I suppose might be the most appropriate word." he hrrrms in query; any attempt to rise on Xion's part would find the girl kindly shooed back to her seat.