Number VIII

Affiliated with Citta Alveare Apartment C-2 Wooden Chakrams and three fireballs a day

[saltatusflamma-blog]

“....this city can go from zero to chaos and back at a moment’s notice, huh? Geez...how do Roxas and Xion put up with it?”

[saltatusflamma-blog]

“Alright, I’ll just run out to the store and grab some things, then I can-”

“....on second thought. I’ll just stay home.”

[puellalux-deactivated20151109]

Xion found the man’s protectiveness of her amusing, in a way. Though it was true that he was of the few she considered herself fond of, the fact that he made such sunny gestures towards her still often left her in a state of muted wonderment. Resting her small palms atop the general’s short, thick hair and her chin atop her hands, Xion lazily watched the crowd blur by. 

In truth, Xion held no vested interest in the glory or riches that were said to accompany the completion of this trial— no, it was simply the mystery of it, and to keep her eyes carefully locked on the people she so loved to scrutinize. Speaking of which…

At that moment, a familiar flame-haired man stepped out in front of them, his careful, leering green eyes fixated on them with every ounce of vehement denial he could muster. Naturally, Axel had come to stop her from doing things she’d chosen to do. Typical, wasn’t it? Xion made no move past irritably frowning at him until he’d dared to insult her companion, the tiny female bristling at the redhead’s words more than she should have shown.

“A bold accusation coming from someone like you. What was your name again, anyway? Flurry… eight… something like that?” Her voice was low, frigid— her words were ice, cold and stinging to counter his normally fiery temperament.

She seemed to physically recoil when she saw him, drawing back with an angry, alarmed expression on her face. Why had he followed her? Why did he even care? The questions were endless, and she cared not for Axel’s reasoning, but she would not have him question her allegiances. She was not of his ilk any longer. 

“If your grand scheme is to keep me from doing as I please, your efforts don’t mean much. I’ll come for you when I’m ready, after I’m done playing with the other one.”

[guillotineofnoxus]

The Noxian couldn’t quite help himself when it came to the small little acts of affection he offered the child. Despite the obvious gap in age, she had been his companion in darker times in this city, and thus he found himself doing what he could to look after her own well-being. Of course, it didn’t hurt that she held a resemblance to another girl he held affection to in his childhood, though the resemblance wasn’t necessarily spot on-

Ah, and then there was this boy.

He didn’t offer the other one the courtesy of a reaction to such a name. He had been called many a foul name before, and thug ranked quite low on the list in terms of actual irritation. He was an upstart, apparently seeking to prevent Xion from spending time with the Noxian. Curious. Did he have some relation to Xehanort and the Masked boy that worked with them before? A curious notion, considering they seemed to share the same taste in clothing.

However, Xion’s reaction made it very clear that she did not want to waste time on him, and that’s where Darius’ curiosity ended. Whatever the male was to her, it was nothing she cared to dealt with. Taking that from her as a silent acknowledgment that he needed to simply keep moving, he did just that, walking past the redheaded boy.

“Clearly, boy, you’re not wanted.”

It wasn’t a phrase said in anger, or spite, but rather a simple matter of fact tone. He didn’t care what their previous relationship might have been, but Xion no longer wanted to deal with him. So, with a small frown upon his face, he kept on moving toward their destination, the dungeon that Xion had become so fixated upon.

saltatusflamma

[saltatusflamma-blog]

Xion’s words stung, each syllable driving a spike of ice into his chest. He knew he shouldn’t take it to heart, for lack of a better term, but the fact that her words held such venom, such undisguised loathing, cut him deeper than any weapon could. She’d come for him when she was ready? No...that wasn’t acceptable. He’d already broken his promise once, and he’d be damned if he was going to break it again.

The brutish man’s dismissal was frustrating, but it was manageable. He was used to being disregarded and underestimated. Gritting his teeth, the Nobody continued to stalk after the mis-matched pair. Summoning his weapons to his hands in a flash of flames, Axel began to spin them on his fingers, more out of habit than aggression.

“The name is Axel, not ‘boy’. A-X-E-L. Memorize it. And if you’re taking Xion in there, I’m going with you...whether you like it or not.”

He wasn’t going to leave her again. Not when he finally had the chance to make everything up to her.

puellalux

[puellalux-deactivated20151109]

“Nah… I think I’m good.”

Her vehement refusal of his words came cold and sudden, like an icy wind. She took no time to consider them, knowing full well that any of his friendly blathering meant very little in the scheme of things. She simply canted her head, that distant, yellow gaze fixated on some point in the middle distance, not really looking at his face. Even with her…. disposition, something painful blossomed in her stomach when she looked at him.

“I don’t have any reason to keep you or him around until it’s to see your faces when I flood this awful place with heartless.”

[saltatusflamma-blog]

“Flood it with...Heartless?”

That only confirmed his suspicions...Xion really had been taken by the darkness...was this Xemnas’ doing? Or maybe...no, he didn’t have time to speculate about the cause. All that mattered was that his friend was standing in front of him, talking about things that, in the past, she would never have even considered.  Taking a step closer, Axel extended a hand towards the girl slowly.

“Xion, please...this isn’t the real you. You and me...this isn’t how we are. We’re friends, right? Don’t let whatever darkness has forced its way into you push us apart.”

[puellalux-deactivated20151109]

guillotineofnoxus

“Darius.”

More often than not, the ex-nobody’s expression wavered between passive and irritable, but on this particular day, her bright eyes held some measure of intrigue. Curious was her face today, a genuinely not-present eagerness upon her features that rarely surfaced unless she found something that caught her fancy.

“The city’s quite alive right now, wouldn’t you say?” Came her question to the general, glancing up at him with a restless gleam in her eyes. “Care to explore the cause?” 

She knew he would understand her meaning. After all, if there was anyone she’d want with with her during her moment of dark intrigue, it was the ever stone-faced man before her.

[guillotineofnoxus]

The soldier held his particularly distasteful gaze upon the dungeon that had appeared, watching as more and more adventurers went to take their chance within its depths for a chance at treasure and glory. Darius held no such desire, content in not testing his admittedly poor luck when it came to such situations. Caution could go a long way, and he was starting to understand that again. That was until a girl whom he had become somewhat protective of, appeared.

“Xion?”

It was odd, seeing the girl with actual interest upon her expression. Usually, they shared the same bitter resentment toward the city and its residents, and though his mood toward it all had lightened somewhat, he hadn’t expected much change in her. This little test of courage that was presented before them seemed to have offered just that.

So without another word, the large male, grabbing the female by the back of the hood with his free hand, lifted her up atop of his shoulders. It was more of a sentimental action rather than out of caution, for he knew well enough that she could handle herself. Without a word of confirmation, he began marching off in the direction of their destination…

@saltatusflamma

[saltatusflamma-blog]

Axel had spent the better part of the day just scouting around the city, finding all the darkest nooks and crannies that the place had to offer. Quite frankly, with some of the things he’d seen he was almost starting to miss The World That Never Was...

His reasons were pretty simple, honestly. He was trying to find all the places that Xion, in her current state, would be likely to go and try to blend in or hide from people. He’d sworn to always be there to bring her back, and the first step to that was being able to find her...not that today had lead him to being able to do so, so it was basically a waste of time.

However, as the day wore on...something interesting came to pass. A structure was raised in the middle of a busy sector, and people from all over the city were crowding around in the hopes of ‘conquering’ it. He didn’t pretend to understand it, honestly....but with that many people in one place, he thought that he’d have a good chance of running into someone that he’d recognize, or at least learn a few new faces.

He never dreamed that he would see Xion of all people being carried through the crowd, and on the back of some kind of ape-man that looked like he could give Lexaeus a run for his money. Frowning darkly, Axel quickly shoved his way through the crowd to stand in front of the man and the Nobody he was carrying.

“Hey...You’re not thinking of going in there alone with that thug, are you Xion? This place is really dangerous, didn’t you hear?”

puellalux

[asbrightandbrief]

There’s a blink of surprise in response to the sudden head poke, as if this was the first time Axel had ever done it. But Roxas doesn’t really think of it that way, doesn’t get annoyed or confused. He just shakes his head and accepts that that’s just how things are. How they always have been. “Hey, I’m not cocky!” that was probably a lie, but he’s going to try to push Axel anyways in some attempt to prove his point. Roxas does find himself slightly peeved at the “it’s not like you figured it out on your own” bit, but tries not to let it show. “It’s not like I had ever made ice cream before, so how was I supposed to figure it out without asking?” he’ll leave it at that; best to leave some memories buried. It wasn’t like he could be completely honest anymore, anyways— Then there’s the…Xion comment, and it’s as if a dark cloud has literally descended over Roxas. He slumps subtly, turning his eyes to the side.

“I don’t think…Xion wants to make ice cream.” but Axel knew she was here…how much did he know beyond that? Roxas bites the inside of his cheek, eyes darkening broodily as he focuses on the ground. His next statement it more or less mumbled.   “…and without all three of us, it isn’t quite the same is it—” 

[saltatusflamma-blog]

“Roxas...it’s okay. I already know about her...”

Placing his hand on his friends shoulder, Axel gave a sad smile and a small nod. He’d already run into Xion...and he’d seen what had happened to her. But...

“...I’m not giving up on her, Roxas. It’s the least I owe her after I broke my promise to her. I’m going to do what I said...I’m going to bring her back. I thought...maybe if I could jog her memories of all the good times we had, it might help.”

[asbrightandbrief]

It was strange, being the one who actually had to teach for once. It was a pretty good feeling that managed to tug a tiny, subtle smile from his lips. Roxas pulls out his cellphone, twirls it nonchalantly around his finger by the Knight piece keychain. 

“You can use this thing to figure out how to make stuff. You can use it to figure out a lot of things.” It was…kind of a backhanded comment without meaning to be. Roxas wouldn't have to ask Axel for anything again, would he? The boy pulls up a search engine web page before image searching sea-salt ice cream. Dozens of images depicting the treat and people eating it appear, and he shows it to Axel. “See?”  Then, he searches ‘sea-salt ice cream recipe’, and displays that instead. “This is the one that fits the taste best. I think it’s the type of eggs you use.” 

[saltatusflamma-blog]

Taking the phone and marveling at it for a moment, Axel reached out to lightly poke Roxas in the middle of his forehead.

“Man, this thing is cool...it’s like a smaller version of a computer...but don’t go getting cocky on me, partner. It’s not like you figured it out on your own.”

Staring at the recipe, Axel took a moment before grinning and handing the phone back to his friend, tapping his temple with one finger.

”There, now I've got the recipe right up here and we can make as much as we want. You, me...and Xion.”

[juvilation-blog]

☂ { there is an ice cream parlor that recently opened up that sells it to those who have the intention to share it and those with the intent to share only! the owner wears robes like you and says it’s best enjoyed with a friend! juvia took euphie-chan there! would you like her to treat you as well? }

[saltatusflamma-blog]

“As if you've even got to ask if I’m going to share it...sea-salt ice cream tastes best if you’re sharing it with friends. I’m guessing you’re Juvia, yeah? If that’s the case...then yeah, lead the way.”

Robes like him, huh? There weren't many people he could think of in the organization that would take the time to set something like that up...maybe it was Lea? He sort of doubted that Xion, in the state she was in, was going to run a place like that. And Roxas...well, he was Roxas. Quietly, under his breath he made a promise to himself, hand placed over his non-existent heart.

“Xion...Roxas...I’ll find a way to put things right.”

[asbrightandbrief]

“There isn’t. You have to make it yourself.” you could say he was salty about it.

[saltatusflamma-blog]

“Ar you serious?! How the heck are we supposed to make that kind of stuff? It’s not like we were figuring out the recipe while we were eating it.”

[skysplittingstalwart]

The gods smiled upon Axel that day, for Lexaeus remained unaware of what had occurred after his death at the hands of Riku within the lower levels of Castle Oblivion. The boy’s betrayal remained unknown to him, but the aura of distrust the considerably larger nobody exuded made it very clear that he had suspicions concerning the events in the higher levels of the castle. However, suspicions without evidence were not enough for him to act on, and thus Axel was safe. For now.

"Number Eight. Curious to see you here, considering the presence of your former self."

[saltatusflamma-blog]

He was talking, that was a good sign, If he’d known of Axel’s betrayal then there’d likely be a lot less of that and a lot more of wooden weapon on redhead violence. Letting out a slight sigh and relaxing his shoulders, Axel shook his head at the larger Nobody and shrugged.

“Yeah, I ran into him already...trust me, I’m just as confused as anybody else. Fact of the matter is, I’m here now. Anyways...can you not drop the number stuff still, man? It’s Axel. A-X-E-L. Commit it to memory.”

[saltatusflamma-blog]

"...I wonder if anywhere around here sells sea-salt ice cream..."

[saltatusflamma-blog]

"Man, this city is crowded. I mean, Nobodies are one thing, but this place is chock full of actual people. Sheesh, Xemnas would be losing his mind if he was in a place this full of hearts..."

[puellalux-deactivated20151109]

"Ahhh, so split up beings do count when it comes to the city’s rules! How interesting!”

Xion greeted her former best friend with a hauntingly warm demeanor, giving him a cheerful smile and staring him down with the golden abyss of her gaze. The dainty wave she gave him matched not the searing quality of her words, her wind-chime voice mismatched with the dripping malice it contained.

"Hi there, Axel," she continued, making sure each word stung as much as it could. "It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? How’s it feel knowing the ‘other’ you is running around with his heart while you’re still as void as ever? Funny how that works, isn’t it?"

[saltatusflamma-blog]

"Xion, what are you..." Her eyes...as burning yellow as his were...what had happened to the girl since he'd last seen her? What darkness had taken root in her shell and was speaking with her mouth...No, this was still Xion. This wasn't just some force that was using her...no matter how much less it would have hurt for that to have been the case. The lump in his throat was swallowed down as he tried to push away the uneasy feeling of familiarity that her behavior was putting in his gut.

"...yeah, I ran into him already. It's strange, seeing my other self...but that's not important right now. Xion...listen. I'm sorry. I made a promise to you that I wasn't able to keep...but I want to keep it now. Let's stay together...all three of us, alright? You, me, and Roxas."

[saltatusflamma-blog]

skysplittingstalwart started following you

Oh. Oh no. Of all the people to run into in this place, it had to be Lexaeus. Chuckling nervously, Axel raised a hand to wave to the towering Nobody in front of him. Did he know about everything that had happened in the Castle? Did he know that he'd triple-crossed them all? If he did...well there wasn't going to be much of a conversation going on.

"Heeeey...Lexaeus...fancy meeting you here!"

[akeyofserendipity]

Roxas looks up, not immediately startled by the voice for how familiar it was. What he does become surprised by however, is the facial markings Lea wore—Roxas had just assumed that becoming whole again, he no longer needed them. And then, what was with that question? "Vacation time?" what the— Cue furious blinking as he stands, places his hands on his hips and tilts his head upwards to give his friend a confused look.

"Did you hit your head or something?" a weak laugh, "This isn’t exactly my idea of a vacation." It wasn’t as if Roxas really knew what a vacation was for normal people, though—to him, it involved time with your friends, something that really hadn’t happened despite Lea and Xion both being present. He sighs and shakes his head, though something does seem really off about this.  Shoulders lax, and he decides not to focus on it too much. Roxas had a lot on his mind to begin with. He points at Lea’s cheeks.

"Anyways, what’s with the face paint? Decided you missed it?"

[saltatusflamma-blog]

"Hit my head...? I should be asking you that, partner. I've always had these. Come on man, if I had a heart, you'd be breaking it right now."

Scowling slightly at his friend, Axel leaned forwards to look the boy in the eyes before reaching out and ruffling his hair with one hand. Yep, this was definitely the same old scatter-brained Roxas that he remembered. Even the dopey expressions were the same. It gave him a measure of peace, knowing that he was there, knowing that he 'existed'...just the knowledge was enough for the scowl on his lips to break and give way to a smile.

[flurryofdancingflames]

"I mean hey, I could say the same to you, huh? I agree that this is pretty crazy, but to be perfectly honest, stranger things have happened in this city, despite how crazy that sounds.” It was true, the unthinkable was happening in the city seemingly every day. Apparently, anything goes in Hive City. 

He closes his eyes briefly, a smirk manifesting itself on his face, giving the other a slight nod. “Uh huh, that’s exactly what I’m saying. I know it’s hard to believe, but I can’t say I really blame you if you don’t believe me that I really am Lea. Well, anyway, you just get here?”

[saltatusflamma-blog]

"...yeah, you got me there." Sighing lightly, Axel dismissed his chakrams before standing upright once again and crossing his arms. So...this was his 'Somebody', huh...the appearance certainly matched up but...why did they look almost exactly alike while Sora and Roxas looked so different? It wasn't important, but that nagging curiosity was going to linger. Letting out a chuckle and matching his other's smirk, Axel uncrossed his arms to give an exaggerated shrug.

"Yeah, I just got here. Last thing I remember, I had just sent Sora off to rescue Kairi, and I...well I woke up here."

[saltatusflamma-blog]

akeyofserendipity started following you

The third member of the trio. His best friend. The one he'd done everything in his power to see again. He'd failed, over and over and over...and in the end, it took his own destruction to see his friend again, even if only for a little while. Now, here they stood once again, and a smile spread across Axel's face as he looked to the blonde boy.

"Geez, Roxas...you should've told me that being destroyed got you landed somewhere like this. This play is way livelier than that stuffy old castle. Hogging all the vacation time to yourself, huh?"