First Choice // Theme - "Don't Wake Me Up"

[lockandkeyblade]

[You find yourself on a beach on the brink of sunset, shoes off, feet sinking into sand and the ocean surf washing over your ankles.

But you're not alone.

Further down the shore, two figures face each other, at odds. First is Sora, caught between chasing the cloaked figure waiting for him even farther down shore... or the two figures waiting

Comments

[waterfell]

At first, she watches. Ami stays at a distance as Sora leaves the cloaked figure and joins his friends.

Humans shouldn't stay under that long, but perhaps he has more stamina than the average.

Humans certainly shouldn't stay that long, but he doesn't seem to be in any distress.

Humans staying that long can only be deadly; it's unthinkable that he'd be fine. And there is no other help for him; he is alone. Somehow that seems like the important part.

Ami strides briskly towards the shore with purposeful but unhurried steps. She slips off her shoes and leaves them on the sand. She wades out to Sora and begins to pull against the water. His friends have strong grips, and she's slowed by having to work against them.

(ooc: LJ is being really finicky, so I may be slow or disappear for awhile, just as a heads-up)

its all good, bb. looks like lj got hit with another DDoS attack

[lockandkeyblade]

Somehow, in the dream, it makes perfect sense he has to do this- that he has to follow Riku and Kairi into the ocean if he wants to stay with them. It makes perfect sense they'd hold him there too. What else are they supposed to do? Watch? They're not trying to hurt him- No way. They’re trying to help him. Plus, they're best friends. He trusts them more than anybody. And he's gonna to prove it.

Even when the urge to surface hits him, he squashes it immediately, uncompromisingly. His body isn't making it easy: The rising pressure in his chest and the discomfort everywhere else makes him want to kick off from the sand and break for the surface only a few inches away. Instead, he just holds onto their hands and rides it out.

From there, it's all a panicked blur. It’s not like real drowning for some reason, nothing like when he’d gotten swept out by a rogue wave when he was little. There’s just a lot of pressure, and a faint impression that something about this is really wrongAt the very least, he’s with his friends. If not for them,

Ugh. I wish it'd stop.

[waterfell]

A few years ago, she'd have walked on without even thinking twice. After all, she doesn't know him. What does a human matter to a soldier of the Dark Kingdom?

Now, she knows humans' strength; they had even ultimately been able to save themselves from the threat of the Dead Moon. And she understands now: What did they all want the planet to stay intact for, but for the people living there? Even Beryl had understood that if there was nothing and no one, she would have nothing to rule.

The hardest part is getting Sora out of the water and dragging him to rest on the shore. She struggles against the dead weight, and has to pause for a few breaths before she quickly checks his pulse and heart rate, then starts CPR.

Me too. Its kind of driving me insane.

[lockandkeyblade]

It takes a few moments before Ami's work begins to bear fruit. Sora begins to respond, and does so abruptly: He jerks back to wakefulness with a start and his body does the rest. He's on his side in no time, emptying his lungs of all the saltwater that he'd taken in only a minute before, reclaiming as much air as possible in between hacking coughs.

And ugh he's gonna be sick... The place he's come back to is ten times worse than where he's come from.

It's tough to get his bearings at first, dazed and confused. But that's when he realizes he's not with Riku and Kairi, not where he's supposed to be, but on land. On shore. Away from his friends. He's almost angry. In fact, he feels cheated.

As soon as he's able to speak proper, "What... what was that for?"

Finally LJ works enough! /LATCHES

[vacationisalie]

[Its a beach that's very familiar.]

[Not quite Destiny islands- the expanse of it is too long, sinking past the horizon in any direction you look. The first aspect of this dream-space Roxas notices is the cloaked figure on the shoreline, never moving, simply staring down at the water intently. The cloak, the body shape- they're all too familiar, and Roxas strides forward, striking it with his keyblade and watching it disappear with a distasteful glare. That part of his life is over.]

[But then, for that to be here...its not his own dream. He can feel it, the difference between the psyche holding this place together and his own; is used to the difference between his own natural lucidity and the pressure put on by someone else, and his gaze goes to the water, undeniably drawn to whatever it was the cloaked figure- he refuses to call it by any name- was looking towards.]

[And with a choked cry, he's dashing into the water as fast as his feet can take him.]

Sora!? Sora!

welcome back bb! Y SO WORRIED ROXY?

[lockandkeyblade]

[It's almost kind of eerie how grounded he is on the ocean floor as he trudges through the water. He's moving slow against the current towards those blurs of red and white and yellow and blue, brilliant slashes of color against the backdrop of the ocean. He's close, close enough to touch.

There!

He can feel it: this is the whole point of him being here. Even if the fact that he's dreaming escapes him even now, even if he could have easily chased after the cloaked phantom, this is what this dream is meant for. This is where he's supposed to be. With Riku. And Kairi.

That's why it's so startling when something interrupts. There's something tearing loudly through the water after him in a panic. Sora turns in the water. It all moves so slowly for him. Time has ground to a frustrating halt.

Roxas?? ]

danke bb! OH I WONDER YOU DERP.

[vacationisalie]

[Its a struggle, the water slowing him down as he moves further into it, the current acting against him as he struggles, chest deep in the water now, to reach Sora before he moves into those waiting arms.]

[He can see them, of course. Kairi and Riku holding hands, eerily reflected under the water. But he can also see how dead they look, how lifeless, how wrong, and with Sora's heart in a general state of blank peace, its up to him to stop this.]

[Stay there, Sora. Just stay there. Please. However tense their relationship, however awkward it is when they're not in the midst of battle, fighting side by side- he needs Sora. Needs that tether to life, and who knows what damage the mind could do if it wanted to. Sora could literally choke himself in his sleep, for all Roxas knew.]

[A deep breath, and his head goes under, as well. It's getting increasingly difficult to move, like the ocean doesn't want him in there.]

[lockandkeyblade]

[And it doesn't. Roxas doesn't belong here. He's an intruder. A trespasser. Just by being there, just by existing, Roxas changes things, bends and breaks things, tugs at the very fabric of the dreamer's world in unpredictable ways. It's Roxas's conscious will against Sora's unconscious one, though only Roxas knows.]

[Behind him, Riku and Kairi beckon. It's obvious from the way he's turned that he still wants to go to them, but he also wants to know why Roxas looks so scared- or rather, angry. He's actually kind of worried.]

[So he waits.]

[But Riku and Kairi hardly afford Roxas that luxury. They reach forward, leaning unnaturally in the water, curled fingers brushing against Sora's relaxed ones.]

[auncyenhalig]

She waits in the water where it laps just above her ankles, watching to see him come up with them, or one of them anyway -- isn't that why he went down there?

It doesn't take long for her to get anxious when something already feels off. She heads into the water, turning once to call to the hooded figure to help. She has no idea who he is, but what kind of person just stands around and watches a drowning?

Once she gets to where she saw the boy disappeared, she takes a deep breath, looking back once to see if any help is coming, and then heads under.

[lockandkeyblade]

Aerith's instincts are sharp, and even in a dream that doesn't belong to her, she manages to pick up on the faintest whisperings that something is very wrong. The hooded figure standing at the edge of the water only shakes its head in reply to her request, giving a slow shrug, as if it's out of his hands. Even when Aerith rushes into the water, the hooded figure shifts its head slightly, eyes underneath the hood following her form as she attempts her rescue

[auncyenhalig]

The water's clarity isn't just beautiful but lucky. Aerith, after all, has never been to the ocean, and the salinity would have taken her by surprise. Perhaps even thrown her concentration for some precious moments. As it is she keeps her eyes open, spots the trio, and kicks off her boots as she swims forward, arms reaching forward in an awkward but hurried breaststroke. They sink heavy into the ocean floor as she reaches Sora and shakes his shoulder. But she doesn't stop at him, because even if she thinks something is wrong she doesn't know exactly what it is: she shakes Riku and Kairi too, quickly, before reaching to grab under Sora's shoulders and lift him up.

[lockandkeyblade]

Riku and Kairi turn, eyes snapping to her in unison as Aerith approaches, expressions flat and guarded. They fail to respond to her shaking, and if anything, they tighten their hold on Sora's hands when they realize what she intends to do. Sora on the other hand, responds more favorably. The shaking brings him back to himself if only in part.

That face. He knows her.

Aerith? What is she doing here?

He feels himself being lifted, but Riku and Kairi stubbornly maintain their hold.

[whitleas]

[At first Whitlea only watches as Sora wades into the water, biting her lip and wondering what's going on, what is that kid doing wading into the water?!

Then she waits for a moment, waits for him to reappear, before paling noticeably and charging into the water herself, fighting against the current to get to the boy before he drowns.]

[lockandkeyblade]

[Whitlea's rescue is timely, and under normal circumstances, she likely would have reached Sora in good time. Too bad things don't always go as planned. There's a third person there on the beach, the cloaked phantom who begins to move at the same time that Whitlea does. He walks with long strides and closes the distance between them with little difficulty.]

[His gloved hand reaches out and grasps Whitlea's upper arm. The grip isn't hard- just firm enough to stop her in her tracks. Just enough to get her attention.]

[whitleas]

Wha--hey, let go!

[She struggles against the cloaked figure's grip, her free hand darting to where she keeps her Pokeballs and grabbing the first one she feels before tossing it into the air, watching Unfezant burst forth.]

Aerial Ace, Unfezant!

[She needn't have said anything. The bird Pokemon quickly flies up, about to attack the cloaked figure.]

[lockandkeyblade]

[He's quick to snap his hand back and release her as the pokemon is summoned, is quick to leap back several strides away. He's not out of harm's way, not by far, but he budges no further. When he straightens, he appears more concerned with Whitlea than the bird.]

He doesn't want your help.