re_alignment | Number I : The First Day [video]

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kingdom hearts | axel

Number I : The First Day [video]

[Axel wasn't sure what had surprised him more upon first opening his eyes; the fact the he wasn't looking up at Sora's sad-eyed, spikey-haired face silouetted against the backdrop of swirling colors that made up the scenery of Betwixt and Between, or the fact that he was still around to be looking at anything at all. He'd already been fading after that last attack, and he'd used the last of his energy to open the portal to The World That Never Was for Sora. He should be gone, faded back into the Nothingness that had formed him.

Instead, he was laying on something heard, looking up at a dark, metal ceiling and a... robot? What the hell?

The robot (who he noticed seemed sort of out of it, though who knew, maybe that was just how robots were) gave him a basic explanation of his situation and showed him to his room. A room that was obviously meant for robots, or at least beings, of a similar scale to the robot itself. Which left Axel in a bit of a predicament.

It took a bit of fiddling, but eventually he got the small communications device he'd been given to work. So hey there, Haven. Have an unfamiliar face bearing two small, purple, reverse-teardrop-shaped markings on it and framed by very spiky red hair.]

...There, think that's got it. Anyway, hey there. The name's Axel. Got it memorized?

Was just wondering... is there any place around here where a guy could get an actual human-sized bed? Or just a mattress? Or even just a sleeping bag or a hammock or something? Cause you know, nice as it is to get a free room, giant metal beds that I can't actually reach without teleporting or climbing really aren't my thing.

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[Axel can't help but smile at Ven's enthusiasm.]

Good to see you too. After all, twelve years is a long time to wait for the chance at a rematch.

[The smirky grin shows that he's mostly kidding, though he certainly wouldn't be opposed to some friendly sparring at some point. Probably not today though.

The grin fades into a softer smile.]

Almost as long as it's been since the last time anyone called me Lea.

[Kinda nice, to hear his human name again, even if it didn't really belong to him any more.]

[He laughs.]

Maybe you'll have a chance this time.

[The boy tilts his head. It's a story he's still curious about, but he won't force it from the Nobody. Besides, he'd just got here.]

Really? ...which name do you want me to call you?

Heh, maybe. Either way, I think you'll like my new 'toys'. And I'd like a chance to see what your real keyblade can do sometime.

[Axel knows he'll have to explain things to Ventus at some point. He'd briefly considered trying to evade the subject indefinitely on the way over, but had discarded the idea fairly quickly. For one thing, Ventus was smart enough to eventually notice that something was up all on his own. And for another, he remembered clearly what trouble trying to hide the truth from Roxas had caused.

No. Clearly Ventus would have to be told about who and what he was now. Best to attend to practical concerns first, though.]

I've been Axel for over a decade now, so I guess that that's the name I'm used to. [slight pause] I don't mid if you still want to call me Lea, though. Kinda nice to be called that, even if it doesn't really fit any more.

[Slightly longer pause] ...Which is something that kinda needs explaining, I guess. But first, how about we secure me a room and some food? Because even without counting being randomly dropped into a world populated by giant robots that turn into cars and things, things have been kind of crazy for me for the past week or so, and it's reaching the point where I'd cheerfully kill for a comfortable bed and a sea-salt ice cream. Or hell, whatever kind of food is around; I'm not about to be picky.

[Because while whatever had brought him here had restored him from his near-death state, it hadn't done all that much to erase the general exhaustion brought on by being on the run from the Organization for several days straight, among other things, and some of that probably showed, now that they were seeing each other face to face.

...how do you know about my Keyblade...?

[He's pretty sure he'd never said anything specific about it.

Did something happen in those years between their first meeting and the point Lea was from now? But according to him, they hadn't cross paths again since...]

If you're sure... I guess it'd be easier calling you Lea anyway.

[They're still friends, right? Ventus blinks, then smiles sheepishly, giving him a nod.]

Oh- got it. That's why we came over here, right? Let's go get you set then.

Honestly? I didn't, until you just said so. But I've had some... experience with Keyblade wielders since we last met, and I figured it was a pretty safe bet that anybody who knew enough about them to be able to fight with a toy one like you did either had one or wanted one.

Besides, if you didn't have a real one, I'd probably have to rethink the whole rematch idea. Somehow, I doubt that wooden one would stand up too well against my chakrams this time around, and I wouldn't wanna break the thing.

[Still friends indeed, if Ventus would still have him after he'd heard everything. But for the moment, there were more immediate concerns.]

Alright, then. So... how do I go about staking a claim to a room? Do I just find one that's unoccupied and put my name up on the door, or what?

You did? Was it Aqua and Terra, by any chance? Or Mickey?

[They were the only other ones that had gone through Radiant Gardens, after all. He hopes he doesn't sound too eager.]

Chakrams? Now I'm curious, but I guess the rematch can wait.

[Along with explanations. Ventus looks around, nodding.]

Pretty much. There should be enough open rooms- there aren't many people around.

Hmm... Mickey I've heard of, though we've never really met. The other two don't ring any bells, though, sorry.

The two I'm referring two are a couple kids named Roxas and Sora. They're a long story all their own, though it ties in with mine, as you'll see.

And yeah, 'fraid I wouldn't be all the much of a challenge at the moment, but I could show you one of my chakrams at least, if you want.

[Axel looks around himself.]

Right then. Let's get to that. You have a room here, by any chance?

[If so, maybe he could find one close by.]

Oh...

[He's a little disappointed to hear it. Where have Terra and Aqua gone, then? He knows they can take care of themselves, but he really wants to know how they're doing...and if he'd really be able to be there when they needed.]

So...there are more keyblade wielders out there? I always thought it was just us...aside from the masters, anyway. [And that guy with the helmet...]

Can you show me? If it's not any trouble, anyway.

[A smile tugs at his face again as he nods in response to Axel's question.]

I do- it's not much, but it's cozier than the room I have at Prima's temple.

Not for awhile, apparently. Until Roxas came along, Sora was the only one we knew about. At least the only active one. Didn't find out til later that King Mickey had one too; apparently he kept it pretty quiet for whatever reason.

As for 'Masters'... well, I've heard of some guy named Yen Sid who's supposedly a retired one, but no others. We called Sora 'Keyblade master' sometimes, but that was more referring to the fact that he was the only one around who could control a Keyblade which made him the Keyblade master by default. Don't think he's a capitol-M Master, though, if there's a distinction.

[Axel shrugs. He knows alot more about what Keyblades can do than about how their wielders like to organize themselves.

At Ven's request, though, Axel smirks a bit and reaches one arm out to the side. There is a brief swirl of gray energy tendrils around his arm before they coalesce into one of the Eternal Flames. Far from the toy throwing discs Ven likely remembers, this is clearly a real weapon, meant to deal real damage. Axel holds it so Ven can get a good look at it.]

Viola. One of the Eternal Flames; I always wield them as a pair. Quite a step up from my old discs, huh?

[When Ven has seen enough, Axel dismisses the chakram and it vanishes back to whence it came.]

...Any of the rooms near yours happen to be free? I mean, I wouldn't mind being close by, but I'm not about to kick anybody out to do it.

[Blink.] Wait, King Mickey?

[Sounds like that's news to him.]

I don't know a Sora... The only keyblade masters I know are Master Eraqus and Master Xehanort, and now Aqua...

[It hurts to think about what had happened during their test for their mark of mastery. Everything started then, didn't it?

The appearance of Axel's chakram serves as a good distraction. Ventus hadn't expected it to appear like that. It's almost like summoning a keyblade!]

-whoa!

[Yeah, that looks like it could really hurt. No wonder Axel wouldn't want to spar against a wooden keyblade with it.]

Heh, I'll say. If you had two of those back then, you might have had a better chance when we sparred!

[Straightening up, he nods towards the direction where his room is.]

Plenty. Like I said, there aren't many people around, so there are more than a few rooms open.

I know, right? When you think 'king' an anthropomorphic mouse probly isn't the first image that pops into your head. But it true. And given that his top knight is a dog with big buck-teeth and his court wizard is duck with anger issues and a speech impediment, it kinda fits.

And yeah, not surprised you don't know Sora. He'd have been about 4 when you and I met last.

[Axel chuckles at Ven's assessment of his chakram.]

If I'd had these back then, I'd have probably poked my eye out screwing around with them before we ever met. These are really not meant to be handled by a 13 year old wise-ass with delusions of granduer, which is exactly what I was back then.

[Axel nods as Ven indicates where his room is and starts in that direction.]

Alright then, let's see here...

[It doesn't take long to locate Ven's room, and then an empty one nearby. Axel pokes his head inside. It doesn't look much more furnished than his room back at the Castle That Never Was, but that can be fixed later if he wants. Right now, all he cares about is that it has a human-style bed in it.]

This one'll do.

[Axel steps back out and closes the door... before generating a small but fairly intense (if the blue-ish color is any indication) tongue of fire at the end of one finger, which he then proceeds to use to scorch his name onto the door. That accomplished, the fire fades out.]

There. Not exactly the best handwriting, but it's legible at least.

I wonder what a king was doing out there...

[Ventus laughs. It isn't too difficult to picture Lea doing something like that, even if he hadn't known him all that long back then.] Yeah, probably.

[He stands by as he watches Axel inspect his prospective room, and then subsequently defaces the door. Well, that's one way to let people know it's been claimed.]

You can do magic too? Although I don't think I've seen it used quite that way before.

No idea. He tends to do his own thing from what little I know of him, so he probly had some kind of reason.

[And hey, when Axel suggested putting his name up on the door, he was being serious. At least it'll let everybody know the room is claimed.]

Yep. Only fire-related magic though. As for not having seen it used that way before, well, when you're kind of a one trick pony magic-wise, it encourages you to get creative. You oughta see me juggle fireballs or make fire-animals sometime. Not much good for anything besides entertainment, but it's good practice for getting proper control down.

And control is the most important thing about dealing with fire magic, as I found out the hard way. I was why the Organization couldn't have nice things back when I was still getting used to my abilities. Not to mention, I went through at least half a dozen sets of scorched bedsheets from doing accidental magic in my sleep before I found some that were fire-resistant. Good thing a talent for fire-magic comes with being immune to it yourself, or I'd have given myself some very rude awakenings.

[Even though he doesn't know Mickey all that long himself, Ventus has to agree with Axel on that.]

Even if it's only fire, it's still pretty impressive. I didn't know you could use magic too...

What's the Organization?

Neither did I. Not until... well, that's getting into long story territory again.

[And not a very pleasant part of it either.]

And the Organization was the group both Luxord and I worked for. Not... exactly the nicest bunch, as you'll find out.

Before I get into that, though, I heard there was a bar around here someplace? You might be a bit underage yet, but we can still get something to eat. Long stories are always better when there's food to go with them, in my experience.

[Plus eating made a convenient cover for awkward pauses in conversations, which was a bonus.]

[Seems like everything is going to tie into whatever span of time sat between them. He nods hesitantly.]

Oh, yeah- it's out that way. Just don't expect too much of a selection for food, but it's better than nothing.

[Axel notices Ventus' hesitation and rubs the back of his neck a bit uncomfortably.]

I know, I know... I keep saying that. But unless I tell things in order, a lot of it might not make much sense. Hell, even if I do tell it in order, parts of it might not make sense; it's that kinda story. But I wanna make sure I cover everything important, and if I start jumping around, I might miss something, ya know?

[Not that there weren't a few points he'd like to miss, but it couldn't be helped.]

As for variety, neither I nor my stomach is really in much of a position to be picky at the moment. Lead on.

[He gestures for Ven to lead the way to the bar, where both food and information will be shared.]

Mm, I get it. It's still just kind of hard to believe that there's this big chunk of time between us.

[He turns to head on towards the bar then.]

It's been a little quieter around here lately, but I guess with what's been going on, everyone's been preoccupied with other things.

I know what you mean. Can't honestly say I ever really expected to see you again after all this time, but if I had, I wouldn't have expected it to be like this. Not that I'm complaining about having somebody familiar around, mind you.

[Axel follows behind Ven.]

Yeah, I've been watching some of the goings on on my little communicator thing. From what I've been able to gather, some of the robots have been acting weird? Well, weird-er anyway, considering the whole giant robot thing, but you know...

[The somewhat questioning tone of the statement about how the robots have been acting invites Ven to elaborate if he wants. Axel has no idea what the affected robots' original personalities were like, and thus is curious about these changes and how they came about.]

[He'll definitely agree to that. Ventus tosses a smile over his shoulder.]

Same here. It's nice having someone I know around, even with the time difference.

[Weird is an understatement though, concerning what all had been going on lately. The boy nods slowly as he looks frontwards again.]

Yeah...it all started when that big storm came and then that pillar appeared. Prima mentioned that he felt that something was wrong before then, but he wasn't sure what. Now...we haven't heard from any of the Firstforged, and some of the others around have changed and act really different.

Deckard suggested that they got switched somehow with an alternate version of themselves.

Hmmm... The damage I saw on the way over must have been from that storm, then. Unless the robots also had one hell of a party before I showed up, in which case, I wanna know when the next one is.

And I'm guessing that these 'Firstforged' are the ones the temples around here are for?

[It sounds like an appropriately pretentious title for someone who had a temple built in their honor.

Axel just nods at the comment that this 'Deckard' had apparently made. Axel hasn't met him yet, but from what little he's seen, it seems as sound a theory as any to him.

It's right about then that they arrive at the bar, and Axel looks around, making a small noise of approval at what he sees. He then scans above the bar itself and other likely locations for a menu of some sort, hoping to see what's available.]

[Ventus nods.]

The storm was pretty sudden. Never saw anything like it since I've been here.

But that's right. I don't know for sure how many Firstforged there are, but I've only spoken to Prima and Alpha Trion, myself.

[He trots along towards the area designated for the smaller denizens of Haven. It's kind of sad when the place is empty since he remembers the times when it's been full of both Cybertronians and humans.]

Hmmm... My guess would be as many as there are temples, given that from what I understand it's one temple per customer. Though who knows if there might be more that are just off somewhere napping or doing whatever it is giant robots do and haven't shown their faces yet?

[Axel shrugs. He'll judge these 'Firstforged' guys when he actually meets one. Currently, the whole thing feels a bit like a scam to him, but he'll need to find out more to know for sure.

As for the emptiness of the bar, Axel's actually sort of glad of it. It means they'll have a bit of privacy. Axel follows Ven over toward the area that's clearly meant for human-scaled folk, looking to secure some food and a table. Or even just seats at the bar. Long as he and Ventus could eat and talk.

Axel had some explaining to do, and most of it wasn't going to be fun.]

((OOC: Will let you decide where they sit and what they get to eat cause I have no idea what's available or how they'd go about ordering. X3))

That's a good point. In that case, there's at least...six, I think. They don't show themselves very often though, but sometimes if you try contacting them on the Link, they'll answer. ...or at least, normally they would.

[He absently fingers the white glyph that's barely visible beneath the edge of a sleeve, outlined in magenta and a little larger than it had been when he'd first arrived. It's only slightly brighter than the standard glyphs too, but that "slightly" is what's concerned him ever since the appearance of the Pillar.

The boy leads the way up a spiraling flight of stairs to the second floor that's designated for more human-sized clientele. There's plenty of empty chairs and tables aside from a few booths to choose for sitting. Ventus gestures towards the kitchen.]

Guess we can see what all we have. There should be enough in the pantry to throw something together at least.

[Most of those edibles would be canned food as found from the Junk Pile, aside from perhaps a small selection of vegetables that had been grown, and then there are eggs!]

((OOC: Haha, I hadda look it up again for a refresher but for ref! xD))

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Number I : The First Day [video]

[Forever and ever! \o/]

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