open-ish

[shadowedheart]

Who: Riku and others
Where: Around Verens
When: Middle of the month
Format: [ like this ]
open-ish
Summary: Just a gloomy gus needing some fresh air. Closed prompts will be top-leveled, open prompts free to anyone.


( TREE OF MEMORIES )
[ This place isn't anywhere that Riku has been before, though he's heard of it, somewhat. It's basically a tree that holds petals of memories from all those who come near it... or who inhabit the island... one of the two? Maybe both? Regardless, he's here, feeling the need to just get out and away from everything and everyone and he's made sure to keep himself relatively bundled up lest he end up sick again.

When a breeze gently drifts by, crisp and cool and allowing strands of silver to blow around his face, Riku catches sight of a drifting petal that falls from the tree and, perhaps without even realizing so, he holds his hand out and allows the petal to land in his palm.

The memory that it contains is one that seems almost ironic considering current circumstances of people within his life. It's distorted, perhaps a bit scratchy in a way, but it shows a sleeping Sora encased in what looks like a bubble. Standing outside that bubble and staring to the sleeping Sora is Riku, dressed in black and donning the blindfold much as he still does within this world. Off to the side, Naminé is there, sitting at a long table and seemingly sketching in a book, though she doesn't seem to address Riku within the memory. Gently, he reaches out with a gloved hand and presses it to the front of the bubble and the strongest emotion that can be felt even with watching this memory unfold... is grief.

It figures this memory would show itself now of all times and, to be honest, he almost finds it funny, as if a silent punishment personally dished out for him. Well-played, Tree of Memories.

Riku, of course, tries to brush off the memory and any feelings that might be attached to it. Though one can't exactly deny that the air around him seems a lot more chillier than anywhere else near the tree. ]


( IT'S RAINING, IT'S POURING )
[ What had started out as something that should have taken maybe ten minutes at most has turned into a good thirty minutes standing outside the tea shop in the pouring rain.

The weather hasn't been the greatest as of late and yet Riku thought he could pick up this box of tea for Cloud and be out of here before it started to come down like it is now. How wrong he apparently was. Thankfully, he's standing under the awning of the shop, arms crossed, blindfold on, finger tapping against the box of tea he holds. The rain doesn't seem to be letting up anytime soon and the shop has closed, leaving Riku out here in the damp without an umbrella. He sighs, head lolling to the side as he shifts his weight to one leg, contemplating the thought of just sucking it up and walking back to Cloud's in this weather. ]

It's never going to stop...

[ Maybe you're stuck under here with him. Maybe you're passing by. Maybe you have an umbrella to lend to him. Or maybe you're out enjoying the rain. Whatever the case, Riku's not looking too happy... and the frost that's come to coat the tips of his shoes is a little bit of a hint to that. ]

Comments

for auron

[shadowedheart]

[ Today is one of those days where Riku is hanging around Cloud's place. Being around a crystallized Sora is somewhat of a sore spot for him considering the point in time that he's been pulled from and so, it's partially why he's here. The other part? Well, he's still not exactly chummy with the others back at the so-called KH Clubhouse.

So, Riku is here, bundled in layers of Cloud's sweaters and a warm scarf wrapped around his neck, curled up on the couch while scribbling in a journal. People seem to be getting sick as of late and since he's already dealt with that last month, he'd rather skip an encore performance. Hence, the many upon many sweaters this boy from Destiny Islands has on.

He typically keeps to himself while here which is why he's on the couch by himself... or at least he thought he was until he peers over the top of the journal and notices two eyes and a wet nose staring to him over his knees. It's Fenrir. ]

I don't have any treats if that's what you're looking for...

[nofarplaneyet]

He just wants attention.

[This is from Auron, who has entered the house from the outdoors, finishing a bit of a workout. He hangs up his katana on the wall to join its rather spiky friend Masamune.

Cloud had told him that he'd kinda hit it off with Riku better and that he just needed a place to be sometimes. Auron didn't mind that; they'd had Snow crash at their house for a bit as he went through more than a few things.

But they hadn't really talked a lot. Despite the workout, it's still cold outside and Auron felt the chill in his bones.]

I'm going to make some hot chocolate. You want any?

[shadowedheart]

[ Riku glances over in the direction of the voice.

Auron.

The man that also lives here with Cloud and that he's had a run-in before back when he first arrived. Their... initial meeting with one another hadn't exactly gone as smoothly as it could have... then again, really, none of his first meetings had gone that well with anyone. However, Riku keeps his distance around the other man, keeps it civil, and shows no disrespect towards him while he's here.

So, to be offered hot chocolate, he looks back to his journal with a brief glance to Fenrir still staring at him over his knees. ]

No thanks. More for you.

It's Raining

[madcuriosity]

[Alice was walking home early from her music lessons, her instructors all having come down with whatever it was going around. She spotted the familiar figure under an awning and hurried over to him. Only to realize she never learned his name.]

Ah sir, you really shouldn't be out in the weather like this, you'll get sick!

[shadowedheart]

[ He doesn't even need to look over in her direction to know who it is, the voice alone is enough to give her away.

Alice.

Turning to look away from her, arms remain crossed while his finger stops tapping at the box of tea. It's not that he wishes to come off cold to her it's just... complicated with her. ]

It's fine. I've already been sick.

[ And he didn't enjoy a single moment of it... ]

[madcuriosity]

[She frowned at his being so standoffish. Well, that was quite rude, wasn't it? What had she ever done to him?]

Would you like me to walk you home? That way you needn't stay here all day.

tree of memories

[princesswhatshername]

Riku?

[A gentle, familiar squeak comes up behind him. Minnie hadn't meant to intrude or spy, but once the memory began to play, how could she dare interrupt? At least she looks guilty about it.]

[shadowedheart]

[ Recognizing that voice, Riku glances over his shoulder and sees the Princess there. Had she... seen that? The guilty expression she seems to wear more or less confirms that and Riku glances down as he allows the petal to drift away from his palm. ]

You saw that?

[princesswhatshername]

[She glances away.]

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to see what was yours...

Tree of Memories

[brokenlight]

[Goten's mentioned the Tree of Memories beforehand, but given how the other didn't exactly seem excited about it, he didn't ask to come. However, he's out exploring again when he sees Riku.

And coming closer, he sees that memory.

He's quiet as he approaches Riku, a gentle hand tapping against his shoulder.]

Riku.

[shadowedheart]

[ The touch to his shoulder is gentle in a way that he's not all that accustomed to and yet, he doesn't tense, doesn't pull away. Instead, he allows his eyes to fall shut behind his blindfold before he turns his head back just enough to look over his shoulder at the blond. ]

It's ironic, I know.

[brokenlight]

[Ven draws his hand back, staring at the tree for a moment before he looks at him.]

How recent is that?

tree of memories

[whiteknightmare]

[ One of the ways that Suzaku has trained himself, part of the quick reflexes and all, is paying attention to his surroundings. So he spots the other teenager's reaction to the pod, and then the intent ignoring it.

For his own part, Suzaku stays some distance away from the Tree. He's pretty sure the things that it can show, not many people want to witness. Still. ]

Hey, are you all right?

[ He waves a hand, indicating the lower temperature of the air around them. ]

There's a way to get these effects limited, you know.

[ That's why gravity isn't playing merry havoc around Suzaku himself. The first weeks were tough. ]

[shadowedheart]

[ Riku hadn't really expected to run into anyone else while here and so when he hears a voice address him, one that he finds to be unfamiliar, he glances over his shoulder to see who it is that's speaking to him.

No, he doesn't know this guy, so he was right in assuming that. ]

I'm fine.

[ Sort of. ]

[whiteknightmare]

All right.

[ Look, he can tell it's not exactly true, but it's not like he can do much. Besides... ]

You know that there are ways to keep control over the effects that emotions have, right? It takes some practice, but it's pretty rewarding.

Its raining it's pouring

[innermonologues]

[ Squall was wandering on by in the market area, going to pick up some cat treats for Warrior. Maybe even some toys for his new chocobo chick. He wasn't really sure what a little chick would like to play with, but he'd figure something out.

He's been in quite a mood since Sora's got crystallized and only made short visits as of late to tell Sora how his day has been. With an umbrella over his head, ( Honestly he wasn't really dressed for the rain with his attire of his usual pants and a tank top, but Squall was weird ) and a chocobo chick perched on his shoulder, he was walking by until he spotted Riku. Squinting through the rain he frowned thoughtfully. ]

Riku?

[shadowedheart]

[ This is probably the last person he wants to see if he's to be completely honest with himself and if not for the blindfold covering his eyes, Squall might catch Riku glaring at him with those blue-green eyes of his. Of course, with how they seem to be piercing the other, maybe he doesn't need to see it to feel it.

He makes no signs of movement, arms still crossed, leaning there under the awning, finger still tapping at the box of tea he holds.

Rather than say anything to Squall, he just stands there... in silence... staring at him through the rain. ]

rain!

[bustedstrings]

[ Penny had made a promise to her friends to run errands today, even if they were worried about her undergoing some sort of malfunction from the pouring rain. to put their minds at ease, she's dressed accordingly for the weather - a rain coat, slicker pants, rubber boots, a rain hat, and an umbrella to top it all off. she probably doesn't even need the last one - she's as dry as a bone, but an android can can never be too careful!

she also looks incredibly dorky, but Penny has never been one to care about that. she gives her umbrella a short twirl as she passes by the tea shop, pausing when she sees someone apparently trapped under the awning, looking pretty displeased. ]

I'm sure it will stop eventually! I don't think it could rain forever.

[ then again, maybe it could! there are still plenty of things about this world that Penny doesn't know yet, but she's more interested in why this person is standing outside of a closed shop. ]

Are you waiting for someone?

[shadowedheart]

[ Arms still remain crossed as he stands there under the awning. To be honest, he doesn't even notice Penny approaching him at first before she speaks up and, with a slight turn of his head, he looks to her with a slow blink of his eyes behind his blindfold.

Well, at least she's dressed for this weather? ]

I'm waiting for the rain to stop.

[ As he doesn't want to risk getting the box of tea wet when he's come out all this way for it. ]

Hey there

[boundbynaught]

[It's been a week since Riku and Arden had a major encounter. At this point Riku could be anywhere in Verens and Arden wouldn't be surprised, knowing now that Riku could either be within a few feet of Sora's crystal form daring anyone else to get close... or completely avoiding the house, depending on his mood.

So what's his mood like today? Completely distant, or reaching closer? Arden has no idea, but it's after work and he exits a Corridor onto the top of Sweet Pies, using that scent power to try to find large patches of Darkness. Only after that can he try to narrow down the specific brand of Darkness that is Riku, the incredibly familiar and yet transformed smell. One of those things that is so hard for him to disassociate from, but necessity keeps demanding he does.

Sora's still a crystal, so he's making it his duty to keep tabs on Sora's best friend, regardless of what they currently are.

8)

[shadowedheart]

[ The gentle drizzling of rain doesn't seem to bother the silver-haired teen much and it's why he's "out and about" for the time being. Today is one of those moods where he doesn't want to be around the house and so, he's within the city, checking out... a few things.

For the moment, Riku can be found standing outside a toy shop and staring into the window at the various things they have on display. Clearly he's "too old" for anything in here and yet his eyes keep drifting towards a brown little bear with a yellow ribbon tied around its neck, just sitting there in a little wooden rocking chair... beside a paper theater with paper dolls. ]

Tree

[lighthousekeeper]

Riku...?

[Ion just so happened upon the young man in the aftermath of the memory. Her breath becomes visible as she approaches him, yet she isn't surprised. She tends to avoid the tree when she can, and Riku probably stumbled across one of the reasons why. The tree isn't exactly nice to those with difficult memories.]

Were you...looking to remember something? [It is a little weird to say that when he's still blindfolded.] If it's making you sad, maybe it's best if you don't come back here.

[shadowedheart]

[ At first, Riku isn't so sure just who exactly is addressing him (and by his name), but when he comes to see Ion with a glance over his shoulder, he recalls the girl he had encountered that one day he had been acting as a guard dog of sorts around crystallized Sora. ]

I wasn't looking for anything in particular.

[ Although... can he honestly say such a thing with how much he seems to enjoy punishing himself? ]

I just wanted to see this tree I've heard about.

March 29th

[boundbynaught]

[It'd been over a week after Arden contacted Zenyatta with no response that he started to worry. At first, he had simply thought his teacher was busy... but what nagged at Arden was how Zenyatta had seemed the one offering for them to meet. Another week went by and Arden finally decided to go by The Wall. He hadn't been there in a long time - hadn't had any need to.

The last several people he was remotely close enough to that subsequently disappeared were either living in their house - such as when Kairi disappeared - or the people around him were the ones closer to them in the first place so Arden heard about the disappearance verbally at some point. In all of those situations, Arden was never upset himself; he was more upset for his friends' sake. Losing Kairi, Axel, Aqua, Roxas's girlfriend, Usagi's friends and boyfriend and cat... all of those people hadn't been close to Arden himself. Arden had spent more personally energy and emotion helping Sora through the death of his wyvern than all of those people combined.

Ironically, the most recent disappearance that seriously impacted Arden was Riku's.

Losing Nahyuta - long before Riku - was the closest Arden came to being upset, but then it was more of a frustration. He'd only just started meditation training with his two mentors, the other being Zenyatta. And now he was gone as well, confirmed The Wall.

Between the two weeks of not really knowing what had happened to Zenyatta - there was no mention of his disappearance on the Amulet - and then the eventual confirmation, by the time an announcement went up about Cloud by Auron, Arden wasn't looking at the Amulet closely enough to notice it right away. He was in a sulky mood he hadn't felt since arriving in Verens and taking up baking. Even cooking wasn't improving his situation, nor could Castor console him. He hadn't felt this kind of loss before, didn't know how to process it, and his only other source of calming down... all that did was remind him of his lost mentor.

And yet he kept chiding himself because he was supposed to be the one keeping cool. Usagi was upset, Roxas and Ventus were upset, Riku and Squall were upset, Izana was upset and strangers were staying with them because of it - all of that, and Sora wasn't around to help his friends calm down. He was exhausted after three and a half weeks of this.

Finally, he took to the backyard and stood there - debating between mediation and putting on his Dark Mode costume to make something explode out of frustration.]

[shadowedheart]

[ It's been difficult being here, especially with Sora in the state he's currently in. It's a reminder, he's sure of it by now, of the sort of punishment that he deserves for everything that he's done. Because why else would this happen... again? Why else would he leave a point in time when Sora has slept for close to a year now, only to see him for about a month... until he falls back into another slumber.

It's punishment, Riku is sure of this, and he honestly can't say that he doesn't deserve it.

But to hear now about Cloud, the blond swordsman who hailed from their world and harbored a darkness of his own that he seemed to struggle with... or at the very least understood how one struggled with it... Riku had taken a shining to him, held a quiet sort of fondness and even hung around the house he shared with Auron when he just... needed to get away from here and be in his own thoughts, his own darkness.

And now that's gone. That person, even if he wasn't so close to him as Sora or Auron might be... that person who understood the darkness in ways that Sora doesn't... that's gone now and Riku isn't sure how to feel about any of it.

To find Arden standing in the backyard, well, he hadn't exactly been looking for him and yet... maybe he had been, unconsciously. The sort of relationship between them as of late is... different. It's not difficult, still complicated, but not by any means mended and as strong as it could be. Riku had addressed the other by his name, the name he chose for himself, and allowed him to more or less be there when he confided his frustrations regarding Squall and... all of that... to the other.

So while he and Arden may not share any special sort of bond (yet), he's still someone who understands... on some level at least.

That's why he stands there a little ways back, blindfold as always on, sunk into a jacket that is a little big on him and clearly not his own; it was Cloud's. But he watches Arden, wondering what it is that he's doing out here and if it has anything to do with another name that seemed to be up on the wall as he went to look shortly after his conversation with Auron regarding this so-called "Wall of Names" that people appear on.

Zenyatta.

A name that Arden had mentioned to him once and while Riku didn't know the person, he knew enough that they seemed to help him with his more difficult moments and for them to be gone now... perhaps he feels a sense of loss or confusion... perhaps even apprehension regarding his own emotions and darkness now. ]

I guess this is normal, right?

[ He speaks up then, but still keeps his distance. ]

For people to just disappear from here within the blink of an eye.