The Promised Beginning

[tiny_promise]

Characters: tiny_promise and vain_sky
Where & When: The beach near the pier, after this
Rating & Why: PG? It's just talking, really.
Summary: Vanitas is in a bad mood. A chance meeting with a small child allows a reprieve.

Comments

[vain_sky]

Just. His. Luck.

After talking with the Master he usually isn't so uptight. Usually. Except this time he's so livid the inside of his helmet is misted over from his fuming. He was carrying a dummy with him that he'd wished up shortly after he'd thrown his Seal at the Parkor Estate's outer wall. He'd hoped he could at least come out here and keep his violent tendencies from those he lived with, but no. There was the little girl's friend, still trying to fly on his own.

A disapproving tsk. "Didn't I ask you to have someone to catch you if you fell when trying that?"

[tiny_promise]

Sora's managed to fall on his read this time. He glares up at Vanitas, shrugging it off and standing. He ruffles the sand out of his wings and flaps them again, only hovering about three feet off the floor before winding up right back on his rear.

"I'm not going too high!"

[vain_sky]

Vanitas' eyes narrow slightly behind the mask as the kid glares up at him, but says nothing while putting the dummy down. He doesn't speak right away, biting back the anger and sending a few Unversed out again so he can think clearly.

"Just high enough to get injured while trying?" he asks in a matter-of-fact tone, crossing his arms as he watches. A strange bird began flying overhead.

[tiny_promise]

"I'm bein' careful! I've been up higher when I was climbing trees on the Islands!" he says. He ruffles to release the sand out of his wings again, then looks up to Vanitas. ...Something's wrong. He can feel it coming off of Vanitas in waves, so he pouts and reaches up to tug at his hand--just enough to barely cause the beginnings of dizziness. Then, he lets go.

"What's wrong?"

[vain_sky]

"Uh-huh. Sure; whatever." He turns his back a moment, setting the dummy into place. All Vanitas wants to do is punch something when he feels his left hand being lightly tugged on by smaller ones. That sensation of wanting to crush that light returns in an instant, and he grits his teeth; shaking as he holds himself back. Acting out on his impulses will get him nowhere in this case.

"...Nothing. Nothing's wrong," Vanitas lies through his teeth, knowing a little kid wouldn't understand. That, and he didn't need to get in even more danger as it was. His hands are tied and he hates it.

[tiny_promise]

"...You're lying."

It's a simple statement. He can tell, it's just something is wrong. Vanitas seems angry about something. So Sora ruffles his wings one last time before plopping down in the sand and staring up at Vanitas, as if he's ready to listen to anything he wants to say.

[vain_sky]

He simply stares at the kid for a moment, mentally cursing the little brat's stubbornness. After a while though, he turns his head away and instead glares daggers into the training dummy. Figures his first wish actually turned out right for once.

"...Ran into an old face. Things turned ugly fast." This, bitty, is what you get when you don't believe in friendship.

[tiny_promise]

Oh. So... He met someone bad. Something bad happened. Sora quickly gets up and... He hesitates this time before taking Vani's hand and squeezing it. He's too little to reach up for his shoulder, so this will have to do. He lets go quickly, though. Maybe Eraqus was right... Maybe Van is the one making him sick.

"...You gonna be okay?"

[vain_sky]

Pretty much, yes. He looks down to the kid, more than perplexed. What... What was this? Sympathy? Vanitas almost wants to laugh, but then that feeling comes back and instead of taking it out on the kid like he wanted to... he slams a fist into the dummy.

"I'm fine, Sora." He pauses, trembling with so much negativity that he just wants to break down. But no, he was taught never to lose his composure... and this definitely counted as doing such. Damn it all to hell. "...Don't touch me," is added on at the last second.

[tiny_promise]

Don't touch me. That alone hurts. Not physically, but right where his heart is. His wings visibly droop and it reflects in his eyes. He even gets a bit quieter. He's not used to this. So he backs up a bit.

"...Okay."

[vain_sky]

He doesn't have to hear it, nor see his face to sense the hurt. Sadness... The kid had no right to feel it, not something that was born inside him─ Why was this affecting him so much?

... A sigh. Really, Sora. "You look like you're going to be sick every time you do; that's why." Half of it, anyway. ...To hell with taking out his anger on the dummy. For right now, he just sits on the ground with his hand to his helmet. How could this all be happening...? It doesn't make any sense!

[tiny_promise]

He nods a bit. Yeah, that's true. But Van's actions... Sora plops down in front of him, legs crossed with hands resting on his knees. He's listening intently, Van, if you want to rant. It's what Soras are good for.

[vain_sky]

Rant? He doesn't know the meaning of the word, kid. Just sitting in front of him is making him more irritated. ...Must find a distraction and quick- Why didn't he think of that sooner?

An Archraven lands on the ground next to Sora, curiously poking him with its beak. "...Looks like someone wants to help you learn to fly."

[tiny_promise]

Sora waits patiently, staring at Vanitas. That is, until something pokes him. He looks over and nearly jumps, because he hadn't been paying attention and hadn't yet noticed the Unversed. Very carefully, he reaches out and pets the bird.

"Really?"

[vain_sky]

And Vanitas doesn't respond to the staring, but nods at the question. See Sora? The 'bird' is now nudging as it caws in acknowledgment.

"What better way to learn to fly with bird wings than from a bird?" Technically an Unversed, but so what?

[tiny_promise]

"Is it safe?"

He'd been trying on his own for the moment, and not going very far with it. But to learn from a strange bird... Not to mention, he's alone with Van--what he promised Eraqus he would do. Hm...