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

[brokenlight]

[He concentrates on the emotion, not once letting up the magic. His control is faulty since he's still not used to it, the wind only remaining the way it is with Ven's desire to help, to fight off this frustration of seeing Riku in this state.

The memories of his friends, their happiness and warmth strong in his mind.

Aqua's smile. Terra's jokes.

Sora's light.

The wind falters due to his surprise when Riku moves his hand towards his throat, but it picks up again; this time, happy. Like the prickling of sunlight that filters through grey clouds, bringing in the warmth of a new day, the light of a dawn.]

[shadowedheart]

[ With the blindfold shielding his eyes, it's difficult to see that Riku has allowed them to close while focusing on how warm his throat suddenly feels. It's as if he's swallowed sunshine and gentle rays of sunlight themselves drip from Ven's fingertips to his skin.

It's only after a moment and another cough or two with a couple shards of ice that seem much smaller in size that Riku finally pulls Ven's hand away from his throat but gently so; he can finally breathe a little better now.

The chill he can still feel deep within his chest but, for the moment, it seems to have receded and he no longer feels ice pushing its way through him like shards of glass. ]

You didn't have to...

[brokenlight]

I wanted to.

[Ven huffs, crossing his arms and frowns at him.]

I'd do anything to help my friends. You're no exception to that.

[shadowedheart]

[ There's a quiet sense of what feels like shame that overcomes Riku and he turns to look away from Ven, hand clutching at his arm as he does so. It's not that he doesn't appreciate the help because it was painful to have that ice be coughed up... it's still painful to have that chill wrapped around his heart and yet... it somehow feels... less now.

But... for Ven to see this... he sighs softly. ]

Thanks...

[brokenlight]

Don't thank me. It's just what friends do.

[He keeps close to Riku just in case. The wind has settled now, Ven's emotions calming down in relief at seeing Riku okay.]

I won't make you tell me what's wrong, but stop holding it all in, too. [....The words seem ironic, really. But details.]

[shadowedheart]

[ Clearing his throat, fingers gently touch at his chest before he casts a sidelong glance to Ventus, noting how close he seems to remain beside him, more than likely to ensure that an encore performance doesn't suddenly happen. ]

Don't you do the same?

[brokenlight]

[...

Ven huffs again, looking at the tree.]

I never said I didn't, but you're the one who's hurting more right now.

[shadowedheart]

[ An interesting choice of words there, Ven. Ones that Riku doesn't fail to notice. ]

So then you are hurting and trying to pretend you're not.

[ A sigh, he glances off to the tree. ]

Sounds familiar.

[brokenlight]

Am I pretending?

[A genuine question.

And another wind - natural, this time - blows and Ven reaches up, fingers brushing against a petal. At the touch, a memory appears of Ventus standing on the familiar setting of Destiny Islands, but there's another person, too.

A masked boy, dressed in an outfit Riku should be familiar with.

"Fine. Then I'll give you a reason to fight."

"What?"

"Come and find me at the one and only place to spawn the x-blade-- the Keyblade Graveyard. There you're gonna see me choke the life out of Terra and Aqua."

Ventus curls his hand around the petal, crushing it.]

[shadowedheart]

[ The image- no, the memory that unfolds before them due to the petal that Ventus catches within his hand... it's not one that Riku knows, not one of his own and instead... it belongs to Ventus.

The islands are just as he had seen before when he had been teaching Ven how to communicate through the amulets. But it's the unfamiliar figure that appears, what it is that he's wearing that catches Riku's full attention, along with the words from the exchange that follows.

But Ventus comes to crush the petal and Riku is left standing there in silence. He knows next to nothing of Ventus aside from what he's been told by the blond and yet... he can't help but somehow feel for him. ]

Was this before you came here?

[brokenlight]

[Well, this explains why Ven has now resolved not to get too close to the Tree. He knows it's a memory, an old one. It doesn't show anything too recent - he's not sure how Riku would be able to handle seeing that. Or rather, him unmasked.

Ventus shakes his head.]

No. It's an older memory.

[Before that final battle. Before he shattered his own heart along with Vanitas and the x-blade. Before he took refuge in Sora's heart.]

[shadowedheart]

[ An older memory... but how old is the question?

Riku stands there, staring to Ventus in silence and wondering just how much he can pry, just how much he should ask, just how much the blond will want him to know. After all, he pushes others away when they ask too many questions, when they try to get to the bottom of his discomfort... who is he to do the same to Ven?

But, still, he feels the need to ask something... maybe the one thing Ven might not answer. ]

Who... was that?

[brokenlight]

Vanitas.

[His Darkness.

And while Ven may answer that, he knows too that this isn't something he's ready to talk to Riku about. Not now. Maybe not yet. Or ever. Not when the wounds are still fresh as it was years ago.]

[shadowedheart]

[ That name doesn't ring any sort of bells for Riku, but he recalls when he and Ven first came to meet within this world and how he had mentioned something about liking his darkness while his own was out there, waiting for him.

Not sure whether he's right in assuming so, he bites. ]

Your darkness?

[brokenlight]

[The silence should be answer enough.

Eventually, Ven releases the crushed petal from his hand and shifts, turning to him.]

Why did you come here, anyway?

[Change of topic. Or at least straying away from the talk of Vanitas.]

[shadowedheart]

[ Fair enough. It's more or less what he expected if he's to be honest.

His kneejerk reaction to Ven's question has him wanting to say something along the lines of does it matter? as he would to pretty much anyone else. However, given what had happened here between them mere moments ago and the fact that Ventus is now the one who seems to be curling up within himself at being questioned, well... maybe he can spare some sort of honesty for him. ]

To see if I would be reminded of the things I've done.

[brokenlight]

[It was a mistake coming touching a petal. It reminds him of the things in the past he'd rather forget. But he won't leave until Riku does, wanting to make sure the silver-haired teen doesn't do anything that would make him hurt himself more.

He raises an eyebrow.]

Did it help?

[shadowedheart]

[ Did it help? A good question and one that Riku isn't so sure he can answer for the moment. To want to be reminded of wrongdoings... to purposefully want to punish himself by seeing all the mistakes he's made... could any of that really help or simply make things worse? ]

No.

[ A beat. ]

But you did.

[brokenlight]

[Ven genuinely looks surprised.]

Glad to have helped you then.

[Should he just say it's because Riku's a friend again?]

[shadowedheart]

[ Giving a glance to Ven, Riku hums a little to himself before he looks back to the tree and the various petals that sway in the gentle breeze passing through for the moment. ]

Where are you headed?

[ A glance to Ven then. ]

Or was this where you wanted to come?

[brokenlight]

I came here to check it out.

[He has regrets.

But Ven shrugs lightly.]

I wasn't really expecting to see you here.

[shadowedheart]

[ So he and Ven more or less had the same idea with coming here then, huh?

Giving a nod, Riku turns away from the tree but allows himself to take one last glance at it before his attention falls back onto Ven. ]

Could say the same for you.

[ And it's with that, he begins to move away from the tree, feeling that he's seen (and felt) enough for one day. ]

[brokenlight]

[Ven just follows, not wanting to linger close to the tree in case he touches another petal.]

What're you going to do now?

[shadowedheart]

Don't know.

[ And he doesn't, he's being honest. With having been so focused on coming here, he hadn't bothered to think that far ahead with what he would do after... probably because he wasn't sure what would happen here to begin with. ]

What about you?

[brokenlight]

I was thinking of working on dunamis more.

[It worked with Riku, but he can't depend on it too much. Not until he's sure he's gotten the hang of it. With Riku, it was his first time actually attempting to do it, after all.]