kismet_loop | [Accidental Video]

Entry tags:

original character | jendayi (oc)

[Accidental Video]

[The little drone sent to this new arrival has ended up turned on. She seems to be trying to shoo it away.] N-no. No, go away. Please. [She's whispering, but the tone is desperate and edged with tears.]

[She turns and limps away from the drone, something must be wrong with her right leg. The drone just...follows. When the girl glances back and sees it still coming after her she lets out a sound that's something between a frustrated growl and a whimper.]

L-leave me alone.

[Anyone paying special attention to the surroundings the drone shows may note that this child seems to be somewhere close to The Hub, as they'll be able to spot the Warehouse behind her at least once.]

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[Wow, humans could do magic...she wished that was the case back home, maybe they'd not be so...afraid of her.]

[She gives him a little smile, and...if he's got a free hand he may find it full of a little girl's hand.] Okay.

[Given that he just turned off the fire heating the soup, he does indeed have a free hand. And shortly two free hands as he sets the soup down on the cooktop. He helps Jendayi up onto one of the tall stools on the opposite side of the counter before retrieving two bowls, two spoons, and two glasses. In short order, soup and juice are served up and Lea takes the other stool next to the little girl so they can eat and talk.]

Alright, so... to start off, I wasn't born with my magic, like I'm guessing you were. I didn't get it til I was 14.

Back then, I lived in a city called Radiant Garden. It was just as nice a place as it sounds. Our King, Ansem the Wise, was a great sage, and encouraged the development of both magic and science. Most everybody was prosperous and happy.

And I was no exception. My best friend Isa and I would spend our days dreaming of becoming palace guards, hanging out, eating ice cream, trying to avoid school work, getting into trouble... just normal kids' stuff. Didn't really have a care in the world.

But though I didn't know it at the time, all that started to change when a man named Xehanort showed up. He was found unconscious after an explosion in one of the outer gardens, and he was taken to the palace for treatment. Nobody else thought much of it after that, except to be pleased at him becoming one of Ansem's personal apprentices.

Then Ansem decided that he should study the darkness in people's hearts, in order to better protect them from it. And that's when all the trouble really started...

[He trailed off there, with a bit of a sigh, pausing to eat a bit or two and get a sip of juice, as well as to let Jendayi process that bit. Even in a simplified version, the story was a complicated one, and he wanted to be sure to leave space to ask questions.]

[It was a lot to take in. She ate slowly, the soup making her wish her Papa were here. No offense, Axel, but canned soup is kind of gross when all she's ever known was food made from fresh ingredients. She was not about to indicate as much or say anything, though.]

[And then there were things she had no concept of. Ice cream. Science. Explosion. These words meant nothing to her. She thought she got the gist of it, though. He was happy, looking forward to the future. Something happened, but then everything was okay. And then trouble started.]

[Lea could do significantly better than canned soup, given proper ingredients (though he'd probably have to cut back on the spiciness). But food was required, so he went with what was on hand.

When it seemed Jendayi had no questions, he continued.]

At first, the ways Ansem tried to study darkness of the heart were pretty harmless. Just simple tests to see how people thought, felt, or reacted to things. But when one of those tested was Xehanort, Ansem was alarmed by the results, and ordered that there be no future tests.

But Xehanort didn't stop. He got five of Ansem's other apprentices on his side and faked Ansem's name on the papers so, and they continued the tests secretly in the castle basement. Only they went much further than Ansem. They kidnapped people, locked them up, and did horrible things to them to turn their hearts dark. And when the people's hearts were completely swallowed up by Darkness, the first Heartless in Radiant Garden appeared in their places.

Heartless are monsters born from the Darkness in people's hearts. They're drawn to it. And since almost everybody has at least a little Darkness in their heart, no one is safe from them. They're like wild animals, acting purely on instinct, and their instinct is to steal more hearts, so they'll be consumed by Darkness, and make more Heartless. In short, they're very icky, very dangerous things.

Xehanort and the other traitor apprentices kept up their tests. The Heartless kept multiplying, starting to attack people at random. Everyone was afraid. Then one day, the real Ansem found out what Xehanort and the other traitor apprentices were up to, and tried to stop them. He failed, though, and Xehanort used his magic to banish Ansem to another realm.

Then Xehanort did something the other apprentices hadn't expected. He turned on them, and used his power to steal their hearts too, before doing the same to himself. But because their hearts were so strong, they didn't just disappear, like most people did. Instead, they became Nobodies. Empty shells; alive, and able to think like a real person, but with no hearts. No ability to feel, or care, or connect to others.

And right about there is where Isa and I came in.

[Again he paused, both to eat, and to let Jendayi process the information and to ask any questions she might have.]

[Lea...this is a really sad story. She's got a rather pathetic pout on her face.]

Were you...able to stop him?

[Lea's sorry that his life kind of sucked, Jendayi. But at least the ending is sorta happy.]

...No we didn't. I'm not really sure what we even expected would happen, but it certainly wasn't what did. All we knew was that we were tired of sitting around and being afraid.

We snuck into the castle through a window into a basement storeroom; too small for a grown up, but we could fit just fine. It was my idea. We thought we'd find out what happened to the King, since no on had heard from him in over a week. Maybe even find out where the monsters were coming from. Thought we'd be heroes, or something.

Either way, it was a dumb idea. We found out what was going on, alright. And the traitor apprentices found us. Caught us before we could get out and warn everyone about what was really going on. And to make sure we never told anyone... they took our hearts too, just like they had their own.

I guess they thought it would kill us, and in a way it kinda did. But our hearts were strong too, and Isa and I became Nobodies. Being Nobodies with nothing, we couldn't go home. We had no choice but to join the group that Xemnas- Xehanort's Nobody- and the others had formed in hopes of getting our hearts back.

The group was called Organization XIII, or just The Organization. And everyone who joined got a number, a title, and a new name. I became Number VIII, Axel; The Flurry of Dancing Flames. All the Nobodies in the Organization got some kind of powerful magic or ability. Mine was fire. I guess the potential was always there, but losing my heart shocked it out of me.

Of course, Siax- Isa's Nobody- and I didn't trust Xemnas and the others, and right from the start we made a plan to take over the Organization so we'd have a better chance of getting our hearts back. That plan would take a long time to complete. Years, in fact. But we thought it'd be worth it.

It turned out not to matter though. It took over ten years, but eventually, I got my heart back. That's why I'm Lea again, not Axel. But it wasn't Siax who helped me do it. It was my best friend Roxas, and another friend of mine named Sora. They helped reawaken my heart. [slight smile] I really owe them a lot. Everything, in fact.

[He sighs, though after a moment, and looks over at Jendayi.]

I'm not gonna lie to you. When I was Axel, I did a lot of bad things. Hurt a lot of people, because I couldn't care about anyone else. I'm not proud of it, and now that I've got my heart back I'm trying to make up for it. Help fix some of the things I messed up, and generally just be a better person.

[The slight smile returns.]

I'm gonna do the best I can to take care of you til we can get you back to your Papa. I'm not really sure how it'll all work; I mean, I've never tried to take care of a little girl before. But well... I'm willing to give things a try if you are. Alright?

[She listens to the rest of his story, and even when he finishes she just...gazes at him, studying him for a long moment. She doesn't move, doesn't speak just...looks at him.]

[It'll probably feel like forever before she finally does something. And when she does, it's to shift closer to him, tucking up against his side to snuggle close.]

All right...

[Lea finishes his story and waits to see how Jendayi responds. And... keeps waiting. Really, if she wasn't so cute, the staring would almost be getting a little creepy by the time she finally does make a move. When she does though, it's a little surprising, shifting over to tuck against his side. As if she wasn't trying to run away from him not a few hours ago.

Not really sure what to do with this sudden change of demeanor, he settles for patting her head, gently ruffling her hair.]

Thanks.

[He just allows her to sit like that for a long moment before speaking again.]

Alright then. How about you finish your soup, then we'll see about getting you cleaned up a little? Afraid I don't really have any other clothes in your size on hand, but I should at least be able to find you a shirt or something you can wear as a night dress til we can get your things washed.

[Paian had healed her, but that had done nothing about the bloodstains on both their clothes, or likely on her body. Which would be a whole new level of awkward, come to think of it, but necessary; one couldn't leave a child as young as her in the bath unsupervised.]

[She had been scared. Now, though, he'd helped her, he'd been kind to her, he'd even been open and honest with her, and he was a wielder like she was. Besides, she had no way home and no idea when or if she'd ever see her Papa again. So yeah...she snuggled to Lea's side now, just seeking comfort where she could.]

[She nods and will shift back to her soup. She can't help a little face, it really is awful soup, but she'll eat it.]

[Lea smirked slightly, amused as he saw her making a little face at the taste of the soup.]

Not that great, huh? Can't exactly say I blame you; if I'd been expecting company, I'd have had something better on hand, but as it stands, this is better than nothing. We'll head down to the Pantry tomorrow though, and do a little grocery shopping. I'm actually not that bad a cook, if I do say so myself, though I'll probably have to make things a lot less spicy than I would just for myself.

[She blushes when he catches her. And she nearly apologizes, but he goes on. Well, that's good to know.]

[She gives him a little smile and a nod.] I'd like to try your cooking.

[Lea smiles right back.}

Well, you'll probably get the chance if you stick around.

What sorts of things do you like? Other than deserts, because I haven't met a kid yet who doesn't like desert.

[She shrugs]

I like fish. And stew. I like all kinds of things. Papa is a good cook.

Fish huh...? Ever had sushi? Or is that not a thing where you're from?

[Headtilt~] Soo-she? I don't think so.

[She...well, kind of has, just not called that.]

Well, there's lots of different kinds of sushi, but usually it involves some combination of fish, rice, and vegetables, and comes in bite-size portions. Some kinds can get really fancy, but a basic sushi roll isn't that hard to make.

[He thinks a moment.]

That should be something we get tomorrow. Ingredients for sushi rolls.

[She nods, a little smile on her face. She liked fish and vegetables and it comes in small pieces? Sounds like a fun food!]

What's rice?

[It is indeed fun food! As she will find out.]

It's a kind of grain, usually served boiled or steamed. Doesn't have a lot of flavor on its own, but as part of other dishes it's really good.

Also has the upside of being very easy on the stomach if you're not feeling well, but hopefully we won't have to deal with that for awhile. I don't think either one of us wants to have to go bug Paian again so soon, right?

[A bit of an amused smirk, showing he's mostly joking.]

[Her chin tucks a little, but the little smile on her face says she's comfortable and relaxed. She shakes her head.] I don't want to bother anyone.

[The healer man was nice, but she'd rather not be a bother to him.]

I'm looking forward to trying sushi.

Alright! Sounds like a plan, then. Tomorrow, I'm gonna make you my special sushi roll.

[Though he'd turn the spice down significantly for her benefit.

And speaking of food, it looked like they were both about done with theirs, so...]

Alright. Think you're ready to tackle getting cleaned up?

Okay.

[She's looking forward to that, ~~and she'll love it, because she's not unfamiliar with raw fish, and the new flavors will just be wonderful to her.~~]

[She nods and will get up to take her dish to the kitchen...a little lost about the sink and what it's for, but will follow his lead on getting dishes cleaned, then following him to get herself cleaned up.]

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[Accidental Video]

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Think we can move towards a wrap with them heading in to get her cleaned up? :3

Sounds good.