gone shopping [that AU]

[haveacuraga]

Who: Roxas and Aerith
What: A quick pit stop for supplies and first aid winds up leading Roxas to help Aerith out on fetching said supplies. Possible suspicion of his origins ensues!
Where: Hollow Bastion – Merlin's house and around town.
When: Sometime after visiting Beast's Castle, sometime before visiting the next world.

[starting some two years ago, Aerith had been named the official healer for the Keyblade Wielder and his friends– whenever there happened to be an injury on the battlefield too grievous for a curative spell, she would be the one to take over.]

[though, to be honest, she wasn't exactly expecting for Sora to show up again with another wielder she'd never met tagging along. regardless, upon their arrival Sora and the others dispersed to various areas and patrols, leaving the... oddly familiar boy by himself in the middle of Merlin's house.]

[which is why she'd chosen to invite him to come along with her to the market. it's not every day she gets to meet a new friend of Sora's, not after they'd all returned home.]

Comments

[binarysky]

I've had it longer than that.

[but quickly] Not as long as Sora, though.

[haveacuraga]

I see... I guess that's why we never ran into you when we were first fighting the Heartless, then.

[except for the part where they did, because he was Sora at the time.]

[binarysky]

Sounds like that was a tough time.

[SOB.]

[haveacuraga]

You're right. It was a long time before we had a real fighting chance to restore our world – and the worlds that had been lost in the meantime.

But you know, I think dedicating our time to helping those around us made the wait a little more bearable... That's how I feel, anyway.

[binarysky]

[Roxas can't help but smile.]

I'm glad things weren't wrecked for good.

[haveacuraga]

I am, too.

What about your world, Roxas?

[binarysky]

My world?

It's still around. There have been Heartless, but it never...it's been mostly okay.

[Even if it wasn't really his.]

[haveacuraga]

Sounds more or less like this world now.

[with the addition of Nobodies, but really, anything is better compared to what Hollow Bastion was when they first escaped it up to about a year ago.]

[binarysky]

Kind of.

[He shrugs again, a little uncomfortable now. It doesn't feel good to think about Twilight Town. He's not sure if it ever will again.]

[haveacuraga]

Mm... I'll bet you miss it while you're out traveling.

[binarysky]

Not really.

[Unconsciously, he walks a little faster.]

There's not a lot left for me there.

[haveacuraga]

[... what are you doing, boy.]

You don't consider it your home, then?

[binarysky]

I used to. [shrug] Turns out I don't really belong anywhere. So traveling around with Sora's just as good.

[...why is he telling her this?]

[haveacuraga]

[she doesn't mind. Aerith actually looks a little sad at that – she hasn't really matched his pace yet, she's just watching him lengthen the gap between them slightly.]

I want to tell you that you not belonging anywhere isn't true – you know yourself better than anyone else, Roxas. There's a place, even if it isn't what you expect.

[binarysky]

I dunno.

[He'd like to believe he still belongs on Twilight Town. But no matter what the memories he can still recall tell him...he never really did.]

For now, I'm where I should be. That's good enough.

[haveacuraga]

[Aerith sort of gets the sense that maybe Roxas might have shared more than he meant to on how he thinks about his home world, but... he seems to be a private boy. she has no reason to pry further.]

[nor would she have the chance, even if she did – shortly after a brief lapse into silence, a small band of Heartless spring from the ground, surrounding the both of them.]

[binarysky]

Look out!

[Oblivion appears in his hand in less than a heartbeat, and Roxas charges forward. The lone soldier is the most obvious danger, but the way shadows slide across the ground in groups makes them far less than safe too, and he doesn't know if Aerith can fight at all. But still, they're pretty lowly Heartless—he's more concerned about property damage.]

[haveacuraga]

[Roxas can obviously handle the Heartless by himself – and though Aerith can use an array of offensive spells, she works best in the background, supporting. which is why Roxas might feel the light heat of a spell hitting his back – just a simple haste.]

[strange... judging by his posture with his Keyblade, Aerith can't help but think she's seen Roxas fight sometime before.]

[binarysky]

[Roxas' eyes widen as he finds himself moving faster, but he doesn't stop to ask questions, just takes out the Heartless before they can escape or get past him to attack Aerith.

Soon enough, they're gone, not even smears of darkness. He isn't even breathing hard.]

Thanks for the spell.

You okay?

[haveacuraga]

I am, thank you.

[see the icon? that is exactly her, studying the way you're holding that Keyblade, Roxas.]

[binarysky]

Guess we should have expected to run into some of them.

[He hesitates, watching her for a moment.]

Uh...should we...move on?

[haveacuraga]

[well, that little niggling thought in the back of Aerith's mind has suddenly ballooned into an observation of how plain familiar Roxas seems to her in some ways. very different in his own terms, but somehow... she can't quite place her finger on it.]

[after all, she's never met the Nobody of someone she knows very well before. now that her train of thought and little observations has taken off on their own, it's entirely possible she'd make a connection if Sora and Roxas were to stand side-by-side again.]

[brace yourself.]

All right. Are you sure you don't want any supplies just for you? You never know when something might come in handy.

[binarysky]

[Obliviously, Roxas is more ready to relax. Aerith already knew he's a Keyblade wielder, so it's not as if smashing into some Heartless is a surprise, but he's just as happy to explore other topics unrelated to what he and Sora have in common.]

I don't really need a lot. As long as there's stuff to eat and drink and we have the Gummi Ship, we should be okay. [Although—] Well...I guess I could use a thicker jacket? In case we go to a cold world again.

[haveacuraga]

I'll go get potions, then. You can pick up a jacket at a store across the market.

[as she walks over to plop a small munny bag into Roxas' hands. no, don't argue, Keybearers need to stay warm!]

[binarysky]

[He blinks in surprise, but accepts it, as if he senses the futility of resisting.]

Okay. See you soon?