Heya! I'm Maqui. NORA's resident mechanic. Got some junk lyin' around? I can take that off your hands. Hehe~ I'm gonna be a hero one day! Just you wait! [ Between XIII and XIII-2 ]
[ Twenty-four years old ]
It was seven in the morning. Maqui was never awake at seven in the morning.
His lack of explanation was odd, and it was clear he had something up his sleeves. If he had sleeves. The red-head sighs as she makes her way around the bar-top counter and into the kitchen, finding a comfortable place to lean back and observe the other. “Morning. … what are you doing?” Words spoken as bluntly as her eagerness to figure out what exactly he was hiding. And well, what exactly was he doing at the stove.
“What’s it look like? Cooking breakfast of ‘course.” Not the answer she wanted. And he knew that. The blonde turns, grin plastered across his face as his oceanic hues meet her gemstone ones. “Maq.” Her very disapproving tone and look is enough to send him chuckling, eyes glistening with the same humor.
“Thought I’d do somethin’ nice for once.” His focus turns back to his task at hand. He struggles picking up the pan for a moment before easily sliding a decent looking omelette onto a porcelain plate. Merely inches away sat another omelette -- or at least what resembled an omelette, though the pile was much too large to be just one attempt. “You’re just in time too.” The boy grins, picking up the warm omelette platter as he makes his way to the counter she leaned against. He picks up a fork from a nearby rack and holds it out to her, grin never faltering as he does so.
The red-head takes the offered fork, eyes slightly widened in wonder and surprise. Maqui watches as she looks from him, to the plate, and to him again. “C’mon Sora, you trust me don’t ya?” His warm grin falls into a puppy pout, and it manages to soften her tensed form. With a deliberate sigh, she breaks off a small chunk of the dish with the fork and proceeds to take a bite. She chews, eyes wandering away in thought, then returning to meet his own. It’s clear that his searching eyes are waiting for a response, a good or bad reaction. And the thought brings up an idea in the woman’s mind. She looks back down at the omelette, its contents now beginning to spill out of its eggy shell. The fork pokes about as she mutters softly, “There’s mushroom in here …” She trails off, eyes locked on the dish, but she can already feel the boy’s distress.
Shimmering marines suddenly become filled with dread. Did she dislike the ingredient? He wasn’t-- He didn’t know. “I-- ..” Searching for words, but his focus is on the mistake. How could he not know? Her head raises, but he’s too distracted to see the teasing smile upon her face. She takes a step closer, arms held out, and he looks up to meet her laughing mismatched hues.
“What?”
“Just teasing, Maq.”
Her arms gently wound about his neck, pulling him closer, into a warm calming embrace. Can she hear the beat of his heart? His face nuzzles into the crook of her neck as his smile returns. His own arms wound about her waist with a sure and self-reassuring squeeze.
Serah placed the phone down. Questions raced through her mind. Had Maqui changed in away way? Would he look any different? Why did he leave in the first place?
She walked outside her room and sat at the couch in NORA house—Her room was already inside the café anyway. She walked up to the kitchen and poured herself some pineapple juice while she waited. It was a pretty hot day, she needed to cool herself down a bit. The she sat back down on the couch and waited, anxious of seeing her old friend again.
NORA House. Hadn't changed much over the years. As military boots shifted in the soft sand, a bare arm moved to block sunlight out of his eyes. Signature goggles hung at his neck as he made the first step onto the building's wooden porch. Their sign creaked eerily above him -- out of maintenance? It had been a few years after all ... He doubted anyone else would have bothered to give the sign it's regular yearly check.
"Uh -- Serah?" The room lacked it's own lighting, resorting to the sun's rays for light instead. Familiar pink curls and shimmering eyes found him as he stepped through the open threshold. "Oh hey." And instantly his own smile returned to him. Just the sight of a friendly face enough to lessen the heaviness in his chest. Thumps of boot against wood resounded through the fairly empty room as he made his way to the couch. Curious ceruleans eye the cup in her hands and then move to her attire. He scans the clothing for a moment, eyes lingering a few extra seconds on the design of her boots, then return to holding her gaze. What's with the outfit? He wants to ask, but the blonde holds his tongue. His childish smile melts into a more serious expression as he stands in front of her. As much as he wants to simply laugh off the situation and joke around like his old self, something feels very different. The unknown paralyzes him as he stands, shoulders slouched, and his marine hues become saddened with realization.
As the pair makes it to the door at the end of the hall, the boy lets out a teasing chuckle. “I win again!” He shouts playfully. A hand falls on the handle and he pushes through the threshold in a single movement. Dull light falls through but footsteps echo louder than before.
The girl follows, gently shutting the door behind her with a huff. Miniature puddles of water create a trail down the metal staircase to the blonde below. The boy tears off his signature pair of goggles, creating a mist in the process. He shakes excess water off the goggles and places it away on a shelf, adding to the mess already there.
Clanks follow as the girl makes her way down the staircase, a sigh leaving her lips. “You’re such a kid sometimes.” Words spoken soft, but not unheard by the young man. He chuckles weakly in response, a hint of hurt breaks across his face but he quickly turns away. “I’ll uh— I’ll go get some towels.” The walk to the washroom is not far, but he announces the action, attempting to cover up his slip up. And she watches his back as he trots into the room, confusion seeping into emerald and sapphire orbs. A shake of the head shakes the thoughts away as she begins to rid herself of restricting and fairly soaked through shoes. Unfortunately the pair hadn’t checked the weather before leaving for their trip. Water continued to drip from her clothing. A slightly wind blew through, chilling her exposed shoulders. But as she finished stripping off her shoes, he came back with bland white towels. She only caught a glimpse of his ever playful grin before her vision was blocked by a towel covering her head.
“Maqui!” She tore the fabric off her head, crimson strains flying every-which-way as she did so. A tangled mess that he dared to place a still wet hand on top. Enraged gemstone hues glared up at the blonde. But she would retain her instinctive reaction. He meant no real harm, she knew that much. With the hand now removed, she took a breath and decided to take revenge.
As quick as lightning, the towel from around his neck was stolen away, a slight towel burn left lingering on the side of his neck. He winced at the sharp sting before realizing what had happened. “H-Hey!” His companion had let the towel fall onto the floor and used it for her own purposes. She sat upon the towel he had intended to use, her own towel wrapped around her shoulders. The blonde boy is struck speechless, only an exasperated chuckling in response after a moment’s pause. He strips off soaked combat boots and discards them next to her own pair of shoes before returning to where his towel was being used as a carpet.
“Geez, Sora.” Sparkling ceruleans look down from his standing position, hands on his hips. “Now I’m gonna be cold, ya’know?” He pouts, a glint shining in his eyes as he holds her gaze. The intensity becomes almost unbearable. Then she takes his hand and pulls him towards her. Sincere soft tug. One simple motion catalysts a chain of smooth movements. He takes a careful step and instead of sitting next to her, decides to follow through with his own preference. The blonde sits behind her, taking the girl into a cradle like position between his arms. He mumbles blurred words as a chin is placed upon her shoulder, marine hues hidden behind lids. A gentle squeeze and a soft smile in return. The pair stay unmoving, actions speaking much louder than words.
A twist of fate had left Xion to a point where she was simply alone. She’d woke two years after an event which she didn’t remember happening. At first, she hadn’t even realized how long she’d been sleeping, but after a while the news sank in. Everything was different, the world’s she remembered hadn’t even seen the Organization. True that the Organization usually didn’t interact with locals, it still wallowed Xion’s hope even more. She didn’t have friends anymore, she didn’t have Axel, or even that blond kid that continued to appear in her dreams. This past month had been spent searching with no results. Those worlds had been familiar though. This one she aimed for? This one was not.
A wispy portal consistent of black and violet shadows appeared behind what seemed to be a bar and through it came a newly clothed Xion. Instead of that old black coat, she’d invested in a pair of blue jeans and a black t-shirt. She’d grown a bit, only to that of a 16 year-old, her height had gone up a few inches and a few more curves were there. Her face was a childish as ever. The only reason for the new outfit was to maintain a neutral attire. She didn’t want to draw attention when she knew she had no-one to back her up. It was more of a note that she was moving on. Perhaps to forget that she was part of Organization XIII, to try and halt her search.
As the portal closed behind her, she noticed the beach-like setting. Instantly a smile formed on her lips. This girl loved beaches, it wasn’t really a sure reason as to why, but she knew she did. They gave her a sense of security. Slowly, the girl made her way around to the front of the building, taking a moment to look over the name. The rain kept her from staying out too long as she wandered in. The dinging of a bell notifying any employee’s inside. Her oceanic hues scanned over to the blond patron. Offering him a smile she took a seat at one of the tables, pretending to look over the menu. Truth was, she just wanted to get the male talking, to get the intel on wherever she’d wound up this time “Hello there.” was all she offered for the time being.
The blonde's ears perked up at the sound of bells. Someone had arrived? His cerulean eyes look up in curiosity. What kind of person would leave home in this downpour? Light sapphire glance over the figure of the newcomer, clearly drenched from the rain. Blonde brows furrow, attempting to remember if this person had visited before or not, but her words quickly snap him out of his short daze.
"Ah-- hello!" He quickly straightens up from his lazed posture and smiles sheepishly. "Welcome to the cafe! -- NORA cafe, that is." Maqui quickly adds on, in an attempt to be more formal. An individual could wear the part, kinda, but speaking was a different matter. He could never be as perky or smooth as his other co-workers. A slight frown forms on his lips as the previous thought crosses his mind. Bare hands pat down the waiter's outfit he wore, somewhat nervous. This girl wasn't a regular after all. He had to get their attention so they'd become regulars ya'know? Or at least, that's what Lebreau always told him.
Light sapphire hues flash towards his best friend and his guest, somewhat nervously. They had glanced over at the sound of the bell, but quickly resumed conversation. A soft jazz played throughout the cafe, melting harmoniously with the sound of raindrops and thunder. Maqui quickly turns his attention back to his customer and notices the dripping of water. She had been drenched in the rain, how could he forget?! As she examines the menu, Maqui takes the opportunity to fetch a clean white towel from a shelf nearby. "Some weather huh?" He nervously laughs while offering the cloth. "So uh, what can I get you started with?"
From morning till afternoon, nothing but rain, rain, and more rain! Not that rain was bad. Serah would tell him how great the rain was for the plants and soil. How it was the 'essence of life'. Pfff. But Serah was smart, he couldn't deny that. After all, she was going to University in Eden next year! How great was that?
The blonde boy slumps over the bar counter, allowing his head to rest on intertwining arms. And because it rained all day, the beach looked so gloomy. Most civilians stayed indoors during this weather. Not Maqui. He had to work shift at NORA cafe because he had skipped earlier that week. Just the thought of Lebreau's face the next day brought a shiver up his spine. He had forgot the time! Honest!
A heavy sigh leaves his lips, bored expression plastered on his face. He turns a moment to glance over at Yuj, his best friend, who was currently talking to a girl form school. 'Don't mess things up this time, Maq.' He said. Pfff, whatever. That other girl had wack written all over her. He did the blue-haired NORA member a favor.
"Ugh." The blonde grunts to himself. He couldn't listen to music either, cause despite the terrible weather, some people actually bothered to come by. The boy heaves another sigh and stares out at the ocean.
“Fufufu,” the flying moogle giggled as his slanted eyes watched the blond mechanic fall onto his bottom. The accusing arm that the youth pointed to the moogle slightly annoyed said moogle. “I have a name, kupo! And it’s Mog, kupo!” and with that, he proceeded to thwack the blond’s head with its wand.
"Ow!" His head bobs forward from the impact. A gloved hand instantly comes up to hold the forming bump on his head. "You didn't hafta hit me!" Blonde brows furrow and a small pout forms on his face. "Fine, Mog. What'd ya want anyways?"
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