First Breeze

[salvagedlight]

We have a little situation on our paws, kupo, and we were hoping one of you guys could help us out.

[The speaker is a moogle, one that appears to be fairly high up if the flashes of picture over the communicator are anything to judge by. Well, moogles can fly, after all, but this one seems to be on the roofs of the second district.]

Don't worry, kupo, it's not anything bad! It's just something that needs to be taken care of - see, there's this tunnel between the second and third districts that's nice and high up and we wanted to put some mechanics in it, but Momo came up here to check it out and she found something we didn't expect.

[It's at that point that the moogle reaches its destination, which is indeed a square little entrance over the general shops in the Second District, not big enough for an adult to walk down without hunching over a lot and about just as wide. The moogle shines some sort of dim light ahead of himself, wings humming a bit as he starts down the tunnel - and about ten feet in, there's the obstruction. Ven is laying on the floor, dead asleep and face partially obstructed, curled around his Hebby Repp which is acting as a pillow for him but is also using him as a pillow in return. Neither of them react to the moogle or the light he brought with him, though it probably helps that the moogle doesn't make any noise or try to wake him. Instead he just gets a good shot of the sleeping duo before reversing course and backing out of the tunnel, back to the roofs.]

Does he belong to anyone, kupo? We've seen him around a couple of times, but ever since the first couple of days he's run off whenever he's seen one of us!

Comments

[hiptobe_eraqus]

[Eraqus stumbled, not quite able to avoid the extra fireballs but doing his best to carry on anyway. Kura kept hissing and screeching, attempting to follow while keeping under the safety of his robe.]

[Lucky that Aqua was there, or else Ven would have been able to escape completely...it looked like he was still attempting, though. Eraqus finally got out of the tunnel, still in pain, but focused enough to mentally call back his Keyblade glider in case he needed to use it. It would be able to keep up with Ventus's natural gliding ability, at least.]

Ventus, STOP!

[wavesinherheart]

[It's nowhere near the grip that Aqua would like to have, that's for certain. But given the other options, she'll take it, and she hangs on with a perseverance born of the fact that she doesn't much care for the other option that presents itself.

She might well need to apologize herself, depending on how things end up going, but for now she simply does her best to keep her grip. She can do her best to keep him from flying off, but the rest is quite entirely out of her hands for the time being.]

[salvagedlight]

NO! [And... yeah, he'll apologize for this later, but good luck holding on through this, Aqua, because Ven pulls a barrel roll. He twists his torso around in midair, the rest of his body following behind, spinning completely as he continues to plummet because Aqua you know you DO weigh more than he does. He feels his foot break free of her grasp and kicks off the roof with his other foot to gain some altitude again - he's still only thinking getoutoftheregetoutoftheregetoutofthere]

[hiptobe_eraqus]

[Eraqus managed to get on board his own glider after Ven and Aqua have already taken off. Kura jumped up to the front of the glider, screeching at the escaping Ven for throwing spells at them. He took off, intending to catch up to Ven...at least, until Aqua lost her grip and fell.]

[He gave a yell, and immediately steered the glider down and under Aqua's path of descent. Eraqus managed to catch her not far from the ground, one arm still on the glider and the other out to grab her. Ven might get away, but he absolutely couldn't let Aqua get hurt.]

[This really was going to hurt in the morning...]

[shadearchivist]

[From his vantage point on the edge of the roof, Ienzo was able to see...well, more or less everything, though he lacked the reaction to actually be of help. The one thing that's quite clear is that the person who he thought was Roxas isn't.]

[Ienzo hopped down off the building and hurried towards the pair with the glider.]

Are you injured? Do you need assistance?

[He also wanted to know what on earth was going on, but it didn't look like explanations were in order.]

[raisethemoon]

ENOUGH!

[Luna had initially hung back when she saw that the two humans were dealing with the situation. They seemed to know the boy, after all. She'd folded her wings to dive for Aqua when the woman dropped, but now that she'd been caught the princess snapped them open again, rising up in front of Ventus. She saw that light burst earlier, and her horn is already trailing little wisps of shadow to shield herself if need be, but for now she merely catches him in her pale blue aura.]

We know not why thou flee, child, but thou must NOT drop others from such a height! Lady Aqua sought only to help, and she cannot fly as thou canst!

[salvagedlight]

[Ven would have apologized to Aqua later, but he also trusted Aqua to save herself. She's a master, after all, and they weren't that far above the roofs - the ground, yeah, but the roofs? They've both fallen farther than that just in training. So he's off like a streak at his fastest speed, Wheeler scrambling along behind him on the roofs, when- WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT. All of a sudden Ven was surrounded by sparkly-shiny blue air that jerked him to a stop as sudden as if he'd hit a boulder or something else just as hard. It's a sudden stop for sure but it just FEELS like a jolt to the skull to him, causing him to yell in surprise and a little pain at that.] OW! What- What is this?! Let me go!

[wavesinherheart]

[Left to her own devices, she certainly would have saved herself, although it was distinctly more difficult without either her keyblade or her armor. But she'd have managed, one way or the other. Not to say that she wasn't thankful for her Master's assistance, as uncomfortable as it was to be suddenly jerked to a stop shortly above the ground. Still, a rescue was a rescue and she couldn't really complain about that.

It isn't until she's actually settled on the back of her Master's glider that she has time to look up again, and by that time Ven isn't so much gliding away as he is caught in... some sort of force field? Honestly, she's not sure and so she turns to Ienzo instead of trying to figure out what's going on with Ven.]

We'll be fine. But thank you for your concern.

[dork_of_keys]

[Sora had been hanging back up to this point, just watching from an adjacent rooftop. If he'd considered prying a little bit more, he might have found out what was going on here. While talking to Eraqus, he'd gotten a sense that there was something the man had done that he regretted. Watching these events unfold, he guesses it has something to do with this boy. Funny, looking at the boy gives him a brief flash of a memory, of something he used to think he had just imagined. Now isn't really the time to try to piece bits of info together, though. There's a misunderstanding to sort out. If he can figure out where he's needed. He's torn between helping Eraqus and Aqua or helping Luna. It seems like the Princess had things under control, but if the boy fires off that Faith spell again, she could really be hurt. And Ienzo is helping the others.

Well that makes his mind up. It looks like Eraqus and Aqua will be okay, if a bit banged up. Luna might have a handle on things now, but would that last? Sora moves as close as he can get, ready to try to help if it's needed.]

[hiptobe_eraqus]

[Eraqus definitely looked worse off than Aqua did, with a lot of singed skin on his arms and face, and what looked like burns on his robe. But he wasn't going to worry about that until they'd dealt with this first.]

Not at the moment, thank you.

[Looking up, he realized that Luna had already stepped in and prevented Ven from escaping. Sora looked like he was ready to step in should anything go wrong, too. He really hoped that their help wouldn't get them hurt here as well, because he had to take the chance to talk to him now that he had it. He glanced to Aqua, then flew the glider back up to Ven's level.]

Ventus, please stop! No one else here needs to be hurt!

[shadearchivist]

[Ienzo inclined his head to them and decided to hang back. He begged to differ regarding needing help, but clearly what was going on was more important to them than their health at the moment. He took the time to look around; if Namine and Even were similarly confused about who the boy was, the might be on the way as well. Even, of course, could handle himself, but Namine could not. Ienzo turned to Lea, who was running around in agitated circles and barking.]

Lea, help me keep an eye out for Namine.

[The meow wow trotted over and took up watch at Ienzo's side. He hoped that if Namine did decide to come, she'd bring someone along to help her.]

[salvagedlight]

Except me, right?! I'm not going to stay here for you to try to destroy me again just for being what I am! [Ven was definitely struggling in Luna's grip - no, a talking flying shadow-pony didn't freak him out, he'd seen weirder on his journey and had other things on his mind at the moment anyway. The hold was magical so he couldn't really do much against it, but he was putting every muscle he could into fighting to get free, and the air around him was starting to glow a little as his magical power started to build up again - if people weren't lucky, Salvation might be next on the list.] You locked me up and lied to me and when I found out the truth you tried to kill me! I'm not just going to let you do it this time!

[skysmirror]

[Xion had halted her approach when she'd seen Eraqus attempt to wake 'Roxas' up, though she was very confused as to how he seemed to know her friend. Then there'd been a flash of light like nothing she'd ever seen Roxas use, and then Eraqus was using the wrong name...or was he, because this boy seemed to know him.

It was all so confusing, but Xion still hurried after the boy who resembled her best friend in face and voice. She hesitated briefly when Aqua fell, but, seeing her and Eraqus safe with Ienzo to help, picked up speed once again. Just as she was beginning to run out of rooftop, Luna caught up and put a stop to...Ven's? escape.

For a moment, she breathes a sigh of relief. Then, the boy starts to speak. At first she goes pale, then her eyes narrow in what she thinks must be something like anger. She'd thought Master Eraqus stern, and suspicious of her, true, but something like that...If she had her hood down, he'd see her glaring at him. As it, her voice implies enough.]

Is that true?!

[dork_of_keys]

Of course it wasn't that simple. Of course. Ventus, if Sora had heard his name right, seemed to have a legitimate reason for fleeing. Yet, it really did seem like Eraqus just wanted to talk. Therefore, Sora was torn.

And apparently this was just as much a surprise to Xion as it was to him. He still hadn't gotten the chance to talk to her, but that was neither here nor there. Ventus first. But what to do? Luna seemed to have him pretty securely, so getting a hold of him shouldn't be difficult. There was no denying that what he said should be considered too. Had Eraqus really tried to kill after he had learned some horrible truth? If so, it might explain the air of regret around the old master. The situation couldn't be resolved if Ventus kept running away, but for that they needed to talk and he seemed to be too panicked to hear anyone out.

Maybe it would be better to let him go for now. Let him calm down and try talking to him privately over the communicator. It would be better than having someone get hurt. It wasn't like he could skip out off the world entirely yet.

Sora worked his way over to the rooftop nearest where Luna held him, hopefully to be heard better, "Luna, let him go for now! We're not going to get anything settled with him all panicked!"

[hiptobe_eraqus]

No, Ventus, I...I'm not going to harm you...

[Eraqus's shoulders slumped, and he leaned forward on the glider, looking defeated. He suddenly felt very old and tired...and probably looked it, too. The last thing he would have wanted was for this to come out in front of people that weren't his students, but there wasn't any way around that now. He would just have to deal with the consequences. But that first meant calming Ven down, somehow...]

Ventus...I was wrong. I should not have raised my Keyblade against you. I acted out of fear and anger, and paid dearly for it.

[He had thought that maybe ending up here, with some of his students, would give him a second chance to set things right. But, despite having no control over it, maybe it would have been better if he'd never come at all. Maybe his chance for that really had passed...]

I am sorry. Please stop.

[raisethemoon]

[Luna's eyes widened, then narrowed at Ven's outburst, and the magical aura around him shimmered as she carefully pulled him closer to herself, away from Master Eraqus. The man had seemed decent enough in her short acquaintance with him, and his manner now was not violent, but she could not simply disregard such a serious charge.]

INDEED, Master Eraqus, we would hear thy explanation.

[Her ears flicked and she turned to look down at where Sora was yelling at her. But she hardly missed Eraqus's apology. Not at all a justification or denial of his crime...yet her face softened a little as she looked at him. She knew what it was to be feared.

Turning her head away, she spoke quietly to Ven.]

Do as thou wilt, child. But know, whatever happens, thou needst not sleep in the streets. [And the light from her horn faded as she released her hold on him.]

[colorbymemory]

[Fortunately, the Corridors of Darkness are good for circumventing Nightmare attacks. Unfortunately, Namine isn't very good at working with them. An attempt to get to the Second District lands her in the First, forcing to run for the doors to her intended destination and try to avoid attacks by several packs of Nightmares.

By the time she arrives where Ienzo is standing with Aqua, she's a little mussed-looking and has a scrape or two, and the Potion bottle is empty. She seems to be late, too, since she gets there just as Luna releases...the boy who isn't Roxas.

She should have known. Through his connection to Sora, she can always sense Roxas, and this boy is different somehow. There's something familiar, yes, but he's not Roxas.]

Ienzo, what...?

[wavesinherheart]

[For her part, Aqua simply remains quiet. There's nothing else for her to say at the moment and for all that she shared Eraqus' wish that the whole thing had come to light somewhere a little more private there's nothing for it now. All she can do is sit and hope that Ven is willing to listen.

It's out of her hands now, and so she'll speak again when there's something she feels she can actually address.

[salvagedlight]

[Now that Luna wasn't holding him up, Ven had nowhere to go but down. Too bad the "up" direction of Gliding was only turned on in Neverland. But he was a creature of the air, so the fall down to street level didn't hurt him - he let gravity take him again, banking to come to a running halt in front of one of the shops, but still looking at Eraqus with confusion and hurt. He also mostly unconsciously chose to stay closer to Luna at the moment - if she could just stop him from flying away, which was honestly the best explanation he had for why he was held up in midair for awhile, then in theory she'd be able to stop Eraqus from attacking him again. Even though the Master did seem very... sad...]

I wasn't sleeping in the streets... [His words are mumbled as a faint flush spreads over his face because wow, that's a lot of people - when did they all get there? Who are all of them? A couple of them look familiar, a little, but- there were other things to concentrate on for the moment, and he raised his gaze to meet his Master's, still looking- betrayed is the only word for it.] You knew. You always knew. That's why you never let me go anywhere, that's why you never taught me how. You never wanted me to know anything about myself and when I found out, you- You even attacked Terra! You said he'd have to "share my fate" because he was just trying to protect me! You...

You weren't wrong. [His hands clenched into fists, but Ven was mostly keeping calm and steady.] But you didn't know everything and it- it was my decision to make, not yours.

[shadearchivist]

[Ienzo headed over to Namine. She didn't look too scraped up, but it was best to take care of things immediately. He murmured a cura spell before glancing back at whatever chaos was unfolding nearby.]

As far as I can tell, that boy is called Ventus. I don't know who he is, but it seems as if that man, Eraqus, was keeping him imprisoned for some reason. He's just apologized for it, and he seems remorseful, though we're waiting on an explanation.

[raisethemoon]

[Luna gasped in shock as Ventus dropped out of her grip. He'd been flying, why on earth wasn't he still? Instantly, she folded her wings and dived after him, but he seemed to regain control again upon landing, so she banked sharply as well to land near him. Her ears were still flattened in distress as she looked around at all the people - where had they come from? She'd been so caught up in everything, she hadn't realized such a crowd had gathered.

Luna knew that she perhaps had no place in this quarrel; after all, she had no idea what sort of history these two shared. Were they family, perhaps? Who was this Terra? But she stood her ground nonetheless. Ventus needed support, and she was most certainly involved now.]

[dork_of_keys]

[Sora hadn't really noticed how many people had gathered either. But he knows most of them and for some he can sort of see why they'd showed up. Ventus does have an awful lot in common with Roxas in terms of voice and appearance. He just wants to make sure there isn't any violence. At least... unnecessary violence. Now would be a really shitty time for Nightmares to show up. Actually...]

Hey guys? I know there's a lot we need to talk out, but maybe we ought to get inside somewhere for that. The Nightmares aren't really going to care that we have stuff to sort out.

[Part of the reason Sora had suggested letting Ventus go, besides his stated reason, was that he'd noticed the tiny trails of darkness from Luna's horn. If he was understanding that right, she was ready defend herself if Ventus fired off another spell. He doesn't doubt that she has the power to defend herself, but he's gotten some clues about how Eraqus feels about darkness. All Hell might have broken loose if it had come to that. The same problem could arise if they faced a Nightmare attack right now.]

[hiptobe_eraqus]

I only did what I believed to be right, not what I wanted. To protect the worlds, to prevent an end to everything. I thought, perhaps, I could make up for my failure to stop Xehanort when I first knew...

[But even if it was to protect all of the worlds from darkness, what good was that if he succumbed to darkness himself? He leaned heavily on the glider as it descended, having to support his head with one arm now.]

But still, I failed again. And there is nothing I can say or do now to make things right.

[Suddenly, Kura popped out from behind his master and began screeching and chattering at Ven, as if it had decided to step in and say all the things that Eraqus refused to now...that he'd realized all of this too late before losing his life. Or, maybe, it was just still angry about being attacked. While Eraqus didn't know exactly what the Spirit was trying to say, he had a good enough idea, and quietly chided it.]

No. That undoes nothing.

[He heard some of Sora's warning, and it made sense, but he couldn't respond to it just now. Perhaps the injury was just catching up with him, but he didn't want to move too much right now.]

[skysmirror]

[Seeing that the conversation had moved to the ground, Xion started climbing down from the rooftop--a little bit more difficult than jumping up. By the time she got there, the situation seemed to have calmed a bit. She would have spoken up in agreement with Sora, but it appeared that some things needed to be said now. And, well, Eraqus looked kind of tired in the way Axel had the last time he'd come to get her.

So, she waits and listens, feeling somewhat like an intruder, but now that she's here, she might as well see this through.]

[wavesinherheart]

[Aqua couldn't do much about the fact that there was still so much to discuss. Honestly, she half expected that she'd need to speak up at some point, especially if the conversation managed to drift away from simply being what had happened between Ven and her Master. Not now, certainly, but by the sound of things, there might just be something she could take care of, if neither of the two of them cared to move elsewhere.

She doesn't interrupt them. There's no guarantee that things well get rolling again if she does, so instead she addresses her answer more at Sora.]

If the Nightmares show up then we-- then I --can deal with them.

[As nice as having help in any sort of fight that ensues would be she isn't going to ask people she barely knows to help. Not when there's already been such a mess of various things put out on display.]