A day in the life

[pullsheavendown]

Who: Roxas and ??? OPEN LOG-action-style or prose are both welcome, I'll match your preference
When: Sunday January 30, all day
Where: See below cut for locations breakdown
Summary: A working-class Nobody is something to be

Comments

lmao that face...is almost TOO happy

[pullsheavendown]

Time to pick up stuff for dinner. What to make, though? Roxas did want to push himself, to improve, but he didn't want to get too experimental when he was cooking for other people. He could deal with his own failed experiments, but Joe and Namine shouldn't have to suffer. Some kind of pasta, maybe? Hmm...

The sound of his own name brought him out of his reverie and he stopped, turning in place to see who was there. Sora--of course. It had been a while since they'd talked, aside from the other day. It made sense that he wouldn't get away with not hearing from him for much longer.

He was a little surprised to find out he didn't mind so much.

"Hey," he said as Sora dashed up to him. "Going somewhere?"

I'm not even a Beatles fan really, it just came to mind

[pullsheavendown]

Roxas gave him a half smile in return, which was half a smile more than Sora usually got from him. He still didn't feel at ease in his other half's presence, but it wasn't as difficult as it used to be. That would have to count for something.

"Not really." He shook his head. "Going to the grocery store. I have to cook tonight and we don't have a lot at home."

This was good, right? Talking about inconsequential things. It was more unlikely to go wrong.

DARKNESS DARKNESS DARKNESS

[theprobator]

How did that text from Baldy read again? "Should you find him alone again, contact me immediately."?

The night had been shaping up to be a quiet one, where Vanitas fine-tuned his abilities in the Darkness, slowly lurching toward back his once top-notch strength before the Pull had claimed him. But once he spotted Roxas doing about the same level of wandering and fighting, Vanitas started to think the evening might get interesting.

He needed a way to keep Ventus Junior in one spot that didn't involve sticking his neck on the line-- at least, he didn't want a fight just yet. He did, however, have a small army of Floods at his disposal. They could keep the kid fighting and maybe put him on edge for a few minutes while Vanitas kept out of sight, and pulled out his NV to shoot Xehanort a quick message.

Enjoy your new blue playmates, Roxas. They're a little bigger than the last Flood that tracked him down mistakenly.

[pullsheavendown]

What the-where had these come from? He'd been fighting the usual assortment of darkness monsters, nothing too heavy, with no Heartless or Nobodies to be seen yet when all of a sudden these little blue things rose up, like the one that Vanitas had sent after Sora before it had found him instead.

They were bigger, though. But just as twitchy.

Did that mean Vanitas was nearby? A quick look around didn't turn him up, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. If he was creating more Unversed, he might well have set them loose on the city, but it would make for an awfully big coincidence if they found Roxas and Vanitas didn't.

Whatever. It didn't matter. The result was the same either way. Roxas gripped a Keyblade in each hand and went to work.

[caliginose]

One of the many benefits to utilizing darkness properly: ease of travel.

Xehanort did spend a few minutes preparing before he departs. He had been in the midst of the last few adjusting to the equipment now spread over the entirety of his basement and it would not have been wise to leave it as it was. Things had progressed much too far for him to allow for any troubles. And he had no doubt that Vanitas would keep the boy in question occupied for as long as necessary.

But he didn't dawdle, no. A portal allowed him to arrive on the scene seconds after he left his home, his arms tucked against the small of his back, as always. He stepped out of the swirling mass and onto the dirt next to Vanitas and gave him an acknowledging nod.

"Thank you for the prompt message. Watch the perimeter, if you will. I would prefer to avoid interruption."

Then, calm as you please, Xehanort strode out into the open, making his way toward the very obvious sounds of battle.

[pullsheavendown]

These things were simultaneously not that tough and really annoying, Roxas reflected as his Keyblades sliced through another Flood, dashing it back to nothingness. They weren't so weak that he could afford to stand there and shrug off their attacks, but at no point did he feel like he was in actual danger. He wasn't even winded. But they had numbers on their side. What made him such an attractive target? He couldn't be the only one walking the dark tonight.

Another thought crystallized in his mind as he tore apart yet another one. They weren't attacking him because they wanted to destroy him.

They were attacking him to keep him there.

Footsteps were a soft sound, hardly audible to someone who wasn't paying attention. But as Roxas whirled around to face the opposite direction, they practically echoed in his ears.

Xehanort.