[Thread] - A-Hunting We Will Go

[skyefalls]

Characters: AU!Sora, AU!Usagi, AU!Kairi, AU!Dib, OU!Feather, and AU!Layla.
Where: Anywhere but the Plaza.
When: Early morning, the earliest you can get with the sun fully shining.
Summary: Sora's feeling a little peckish. To get rid of that, he goes hunting. More information in this OOC post.
Warnings: Metaphorical heart-snatching?
Notes: Please specify

Comments

The park

[odango_hime]

(OOC: Going to bed after this, but getting the ball rolling for AU!Usagi :D)

Usagi walked down to the lake, smiling as she took in its beauty. Oh how she loved spring. There were no sakura blossoms, but the bright green of new spring leaves was the next best thing, and she hummed a tune as she walked, smiling at the way the newly risen sun cast ripples of light on the still surface of the water. If it were warmer, she might even have considered a swim. But she could content herself with sitting at the edge and dangling her toes in the water. And that was just what she did, sitting down with a grateful sigh once she had her shoes and socks off. Sometimes, she could forget where she was in a place like this, with nothing but herself, the trees, and the lake. "Hmm, so pretty~"

[skyefalls]

Sora blinked, and sniffed at the air like a bloodhound. He was walking by the park and something gold at the river's bank caught his eye.

Something...the aura was almost intoxicating. So much power, such a strong heart - and he was immediately drawn to it. He slipped into the shadows and out behind the trees, careful to be quiet as he did.

"Yeah, it is pretty, isn't it?" he murmured, hands in his pockets as he stood behind her.

((OOC) All right. Sleep well!)

[odango_hime]

Usagi turned, startled, and smiled in relief at the newcomer. "You startled me," she said, giggling. "I didn't hear you coming."

[skyefalls]

He cocked his head to the side. "People always say that," he replied, adding a mental before they turn Heartless.

"It's quite early in the morning to be awake, you know?"

On top of the Office Building

[thelast_feather]

And wasn't it lucky there was an aura burning like a torch just a little way away?

Feather had flown up to the top of the office building to enjoy the sunrise. Now she was sitting with her wings fanned out and her legs hanging over the side of the roof in a remarkably childlike manner for someone who'd lived for close on a hundred thousand years.

Fortunately for Sora, while angels were remarkably good at fighting, they lacked the sort of intuition that would tell Feather right away that he might mean trouble. So long as Sora didn't act too terribly sinister, Feather would probably presume he was just another resident.

[skyefalls]

There were auras, and there were auras, and Antiform squirmed in anticipation. As surely as a moth is drawn to a flame, Sora was drawn to that feeling - and he craned his neck up high. There. A figure. Watching daybreak.

He looked around to see if anyone was watching, before gliding into the building's shadow and coming out on the top floor. He climbed up to the roof and had to stop, because the temptation to jump and claw and take would overwhelm him.

"You're an early riser," he said nonchalantly, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

[thelast_feather]

Feather stood and turned to face Sora - more for his benefit than hers, as it tended to unsettle people when she carried on a conversation without looking at them. "I enjoy watching the sun rise. It's peaceful." And it helped take her mind off the quiet of the early morning - even after a couple months away from Ravnica, silence still unnerved the angel a little.

There was something a bit strange about the boy's mismatched eyes, but Feather assumed it was natural. "My name is Feather. It is nice to meet you."

[skyefalls]

Sora tilted his head as she turned around. The wings threw him off-kilter at first, not because they frightened him, but because it reminded him of one of his Heartless. Oh now he was feeling homesick. Again.

"Peaceful, huh?" He looked past her at the rising sun, before back at her face, closing his eyes. "I hate it."

He opened one eye - the sickly-yellow one - before grinning. "I'm Sora. You'll remember that, won't you?" And he flicked his wrist as her shadow rose up slowly and caught corporeal form, a shadow duplicate of herself.

[redheadhero]

Grunting a little as she carried the large plant in her arms, Layla tried to poke her head through the folliage to see where she was going. It was a church-warming present for Krad, a beautiful potted rose-bush. But carrying it was a little hassle. But she was determined.

Taking a deep breath, Layla gave up and knelt to set it down next to her. She'd have to regrow it when she got there.

As she traced a finger over a green leaf, asking the plant and offering the plant her power, it slowly shrank in size and continued until it was just a sprout and then nothing at all. It wasn't far to the church, but carrying a pot full of soil wasn't fun either. So she dumped out the soil in the ground near her.

"There," she said and continued her walk up the streetway past the shops on her left and right with the empty pot in hand.

[skyefalls]

Sora was walking along the path, not really paying attention to anything, when a red-haired girl caught his eye. He smiled to himself, watching as she - hmmm. Interesting. She had an affinity with plants and the Light that was so obvious he couldn't help but be drawn, to see whether she would be a good catch or not.

He followed her silently, hands in pockets. If she was really worthy then she'd notice him, if not...well, her heart would make a nice hors d'ouevre.

[redheadhero]

Layla had the pot in one hand, pressing it against her hip. Hero Support always taught her to be aware, and she was more than that. The presence behind her didn't bother her so much as made her curious.

Not to be obvious though, she waited for another minute of walking before she glanced to her left and saw someone in her peripheral vision. No one that she knew exactly, but still not to be dismissed. So Layla tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear with her free hand that had been bothering her and looked straight forward again.

Normally she was very social, but she wanted to get to the church before her friend would. It would be such a nice surprise.

[skyefalls]

Oh, how shy. And sweet. And Sora did really take a sort of vindictive pleasure in tearing hearts out, sometimes, as all Heartless did.

He flicked his wrist and called to her shadow, grinning as it changed direction and was now following her footsteps towards the sun, not against the sun.

Cemetery

[notabighead]

The cemetery was oddly comforting today. He had convinced himself that he was there to check up on the resident paranormal activity. In reality, he'd come there to think. He had good memories associated with it, and he needed something to raise his mood.

Dib was seriously worried about Johanna.

Her father had gone...well...crazy, and it had obviously affected her. He would've gone to check on her...but at this point, he was afraid to.

That's what he was thinking about.

He cared about Johanna, that was obvious to him now. Sadly, he was also now acutely aware of his own inadequacy.

Oh well, at least he had something to think about while he waited for ghosts.

[skyefalls]

There was an odd feeling in the air. Like someone sighing. The wind sighing with whoever it was. Sora grinned at this as he shoved his hands in his pockets, whistling in the quiet graveyard as he walked past.

Someone - oh.

"Bad day?"

[notabighead]

"Yeah," Dib muttered, before he spun around in surprise. Oh, it was just a boy. Wait....glowing yellow eye? Dib raised his brow.

"What are you?"

[skyefalls]

"It's a matter of who, not what," he replied, tilting his head as he stepped inside the cemetery. "Sora. My parents told me it means sky."

He looked up. "But then the sky fell..."

Front of the clinic

[prodigyprincess]

Kairi stood by the doors, feeling a little lighter after having seen Sora earlier. As usual with matters dealing with him, she had been unable to sleep due to thinking of him and trying to repress the jealous best that rose up when she thought of him and her Counterpart. It was laughable, really, being jealous of yourself. What was the point in it?

She didn't know, and she'd wound up staying up the night. Right now, she was standing just in front of the doors, watching the sky slowly lighten up, her back aching, but . . . overall feeling rather light. Staying up for a long time did that since her mind got so tired, she couldn't focus on much more than one or two things - all external. She couldn't focus on her emotions at all.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw him, though it was . . . off somehow

[skyefalls]

So early in the morning and Sora didn't expect so many people to be up and about. He walked down the paths with his hands in his pockets and mind on whose heart he would borrow - just borrow, nothing wrong with that.

And he took a step and something in the air made him pause. That aura. He could never mistake that aura for anything else; it was an aura he had not felt for several years, ever since she lost her heart through no fault of his.

Kairi was waving at him.

He knew who she was and he had told her what he was and still...? And he had spoken to two Kairis here. He didn't know which one of them but his Antiform side was growling in anticipation. She wasn't his Kairi. No.

He made his way over to where she was and lifted a hand in reply. "Well..." he fumbled for words, "You're up early."

[prodigyprincess]

She glanced curiously at the one yellow eye, but decided to ignore it. He had told her plenty about his life and she wasn't going to ask further. That was how one handled things like this, right? It was best to let them tell you on their own if they ever wanted to.

Kairi shrugged her shoulders.

"I had trouble sleeping," she explained with a shrug and a small smile, "What about you?"

Kairi paused, deciding to make it clear which one he was - she'd seen her counterpart messaging him on the forums.

"I'm the Kairi from Hollow Bastion, by the way. My counterpart has longer hair than I do."

[skyefalls]

"I - " wasn't able to sleep anyhow, thanks,, "was just passing by," he replied, lacing his hands behind his head and staring at the side of her face. "Early morning walk. You know. That."

At her clarification of who she was, Sora tilted his head and blinked rapidly. How did she - "Oh. So you're the Princess one, huh? Guess I should be bowing down."

The longer he stared at her the greater his urge to leech off her heart was becoming. He swallowed painfully and took a step back. She was still Kairi and that familiar face was something he did not want to touch, but still...her heart was still as strong as ever. "You should," Sora muttered, "Go...off...away. Now. Or...something."