(Untitled)

[endtome]

Who: Ventus and you!
What: A confused gander about the city, upon arrival.
Where: Twilight Town
When: Midday
Warnings: Worries and clones.

Ventus is lost...and slightly troubled by the going's on around him, the information he's been given, what he's seen and the holes that still remain. His whole life, a dream?

No, that wasn't quite right. He was stuck

Comments

[hellofashow]

Axel spends a lot of his time just wandering the streets of Twilight Town. Admiring the red sunset, chatting it up with the moogles that lived there, investigating all the nooks and crannies... and eventually settling down for ice cream, with or without (but preferably with) his buddies. Today, he was alone, dressed in an outfit eerily similar to what Lea wore, though more grown up. An orange shirt, his scarf, some black jeans and sneakers. His coat is slung over his shoulder and his other hand is holding ice cream. He's not wearing his mask, but it's on his head.

Then he spots a very familiar head of spiky blond hair, and he stops, then calls out. "Roxas! I thought you couldn't come today!"

[dualstance]

At first he just stares, unsure of how to react to this sudden start over. The shock of seeing someone who looks like him and that they possess a Keyblade still coursing through him. And now said person wanting to make some kind of peace, even after the way he "greeted" him.

Eyes gaze into identical blue, not knowing what he's looking for but he still tries to look for something. And maybe he finds what he's looking for because he dismisses his own Keyblade, putting away his gear. Though he's hesitant to take Ventus' hand, the feel of Axel's on his shoulder is a small comfort- to know that he isn't facing this thing alone for once.

And after some more seconds, he places his hand in Ventus' for the offered handshake, firm but not tight in anger.

"It's.. nice to meet you too." There's still some uncertainty in his voice, eyes still questioning about the whole situation, but at least the desire to beat down the supposed imposter is gone.

A weak chuckle. "This is so weird."

[hellofashow]

Axel's grip has relaxed a bit. Instead of holding Roxas back, he's giving him comfort. He was, right now, the only concrete, understandable tie between these boys. He was both of their friends. Other than that? Not a soul present knew what the heck was going on.

The red-headed nobody grins, pleased that they aren't maiming each other. "It is pretty weird. But weird is normal for us, isn't it?"

[endtome]

A small breath of relief, and Ventus smiles. That's much more like it. No accusations being thrown around, no unexplained hostility- though that hadn't really needed an explanation. Axel's expression and words even get a laugh, as he lets go of Roxas' hand and steps back slightly, giving the other blond his space.

"You can say that again." He'd like to ask Roxas more about the keyblade, as well as a few other things. But right now, he doesn't know if it's something that Roxas will even answer- or if talking about it in front of Axel is such a good idea. So his mind goes to other venues.

"You said you hadn't seen me for ten years, right?" A look to Axel, confused. "But I would've come back to Radiant Garden sometime."

[dualstance]

Once Ventus steps back, Roxas breathes a little easier. The entire thing still weirds him out, but if no one knows anything about it then there wouldn't be a point in continuing to being angry with the other blond. Though the question still stands for him and he wonders if there's anybody out there that knows the answer.

Probably not.

But now he just has a look of questioning at what Ventus says. So he and Axel have met before? Since when? Years it seems like, years he doesn't know about. Didn't help that he can't even remember the past year, the real past year and not the fabricated one.

"Radiant Garden? Where's that? I don't remember--" He cuts off, knowing that Axel could fill in the blanks.

[hellofashow]

For once, Axel "feels" legitimately sad that he doesn't have the answers. They're both confused, worried, concerned. That much is obvious. And this time? The normally know-it-all Nobody doesn't have a single clue why these two could be twins. Or why he didn't put it together sooner.

Axel looks down at the questions. There was a reason he didn't talk about his past. It was over and done with, and traumatic to boot. But now his past was here, confronting him, so did he really have a choice?

He looks up, then gestures to the clock tower. "Tell you guys what. Let's get some ice cream and head up to the tower, and I'll tell you about Radiant Garden, and what happened to it."

And to him. He starts walking towards the station, waving for them to follow. "C'mon."

[endtome]

Ice cream. It's not like he'll ever say no to the tasty treat- but more important is the explanation. Some filler on what he's missed, or what he'll see later on, just to give this situation at least a little more clarity.

"I'm up for it....Roxas?" He looks back to the blond uncertainly, waiting to see if he'll join them. At least then, he won't be the only one in the dark.

More than that, with the shock settling down, he's desperate to know a little more about Roxas. Maybe they could even be friends, if Roxas' expression had any indication of returning his worry with something akin to a smile.

[dualstance]

Roxas can never say no to having ice cream, especially if it's sea-salt and considering what just went on, having one those sounds like a good idea. Going to the clocktower is a plus as that is the only place he really feels comfortable sitting at whenever they have talks like this. That one time with Sora- he only went along because his Somebody asked.

Besides, hearing some more about Axel and maybe about this Ventus will help him find some answers.

He nods, ready to follow them towards the clocktower. "Yeah, lead the way."

This would be the first time he's ever heard about Axel's past, so he's curious. But there must've been a reason why the redhead never told him, other than him not asking, right? He just hopes it isn't too bad.

[hellofashow]

Axel nods and leads the way to the clocktower, biting his lip as he goes, thinking hard. What to say, what, if anything, to leave out... where to begin... The stairs, which normally seem so high, don't take nearly long enough to climb. He wants more time to think. But as he sits down and dreams up ice cream for the three of them, he realizes he can't really stall any more

[endtome]

Ventus sits as well, not at all bothered by the height. It's reminiscent of another place he used to sit, with other friends... and now he's sitting with Axel and Roxas, a friend and a giant question mark in his life. If not for how calm Roxas appears to be, eager and curious over Axel's tale, Ven may even feel intimidated by the prospect of sitting next to him

[dualstance]

Even though he's been here numerous times, eaten the salty-sweet treat three times that, he can't seem to focus on either the view that he so admires nor the ice cream that he adores. Instead, after the initial lick, he's paying attention to what his best friend is saying, nothing else mattered at that moment than Axel's tale. He didn't notice that his is slowly melting, drips getting on his fingers

[hellofashow]

"Your ice cream is melting," the older Nobody remarks to Roxas, trying to diffuse the situation a little.

Axel swallows a little, pushing the memories back into their little box, to forget the sadness of being left alone with nothing but monsters and the pain of those same monsters ripping him to shreds. How much it had hurt him to see his then best friend covered in darkness.

"Don't worry about me, Lea! Just go! Run--!"

How he'd run all the way home, kicking at the Darkness a he went, only to find the house ransacked... and completely empty. His parents, gone. He never knew what happened to them, but he could guess.

Axel then turns to Ventus, offering only a shrug. "I don't know. I didn't see any more keyblade wielders after you left. I don't know what happened, or even why those creatures appeared. All I know is that they did, and my homeworld became their base. But don't make those sad faces. It was a long time ago. In the past."

[endtome]

Ventus puts his free hand to his chest, clutching it tightly. It's in the past. It hurts.

"It might be your past, but it's my future." And he can't imagine what else he could've been doing that was more important than saving a world-- and his friends.

But then-- Roxas has a point as well. What was the future like, if a world as light, peaceful, protected as Radiant Garden could fall? He was probably really busy with other things, trying to save other worlds-- maybe even the universe.

Maybe, in the far, far future, he even figured out how to save them all. Roxas, Axel, Radiant Gardens--

Sora.

...Huh. He shakes his head and takes a bite of his ice cream, brow furrowed. Sora...

[dualstance]

Axel's words doesn't register right away, the story still on his mind. But when he does he tries to finish what's left of it, which by this time isn't much but better than to have wasted the whole thing. Plus it gives him the chance to gather his thoughts, to really take everything in and then figure out the rest if possible

[hellofashow]

Axel doesn't know. He isn't sure he wants to know, for someone like Ventus to forgo saving the worlds. Something must have happened. Something terrible.

The Nobody chews on the wooden stick, splintering it a bit in his mouth.

"I know. The past is important. But it's not a place to dwell in." He shakes his head, "I'm sorry, that I don't know what happened between when you left Radiant Garden and now, Ventus."

He reminded him so much of Sora... why WAS that? What was the connection? The more he thought about it, the more perplexed he became. A link between Sora, Roxas and Ven.... there had to be one. As for feeling like the odd one out, Axel was feeling that in spades. Two boys with the same face and some link that he can't place, but that certainly runs deep... Who was Axel in all this?

A bystander?