TEST DRIVE MEME: The First (Fixed Setting)

[thecrows]

TEST DRIVE MEME
HOW TO: Post with your character in what will be a fixed setting for the first round! Do a top level, respond to others! If your thread is substantial, it can be used as a first-person on your application! Remember that this is not game canon, and everyone is welcome!

You were just ushered into a large park by a murder of loud and insistent crows who somehow manage to get the gate shut behind you before they fly off. The park is awfully green for such a dead-looking town. It's dusk, and things are starting to get a little noisy at the edge of the tall iron fence that surrounds the area. There are gazebos, cobblestone pathways, gentle slopes, and of course, the lake and the island with the large, dead tree. It's full of crows, and if you stare at them, they'll all stare back. Feel free to take a load off on one of the many iron and wood benches, but the gates to the city are closed!

This does not, however, mean you are barred from ghost-watching as night progresses. Remember, they won't see you!

Comments

Axel | Kingdom Hearts

[poisonousflame]

[ A fence. He's been trapped in here by a fence. Not a magic fence, either. There's nothing special about it at all. Just an ordinary iron fence, only notable due to its height. And he's stuck on this side of it. He'd call it embarrassing — maybe even humiliating — if he could actually feel it.

[ As it is, what he "feels" the most is vulnerable. He tried summoning a corridor to make a hasty exit. When that didn't work, he tried summoning his chakrams, just in case. When that didn't work, he tried creating fire. And when that didn't work ... well, he didn't panic. He's not able to panic. But he did make it his number one priority to get the hell out of this world.

[ And now, he's stuck behind a fence. ]

So much for that plan.

[ Knowing better than to stay in one place, the redhead quickly seeks out a less conspicuous spot. Preferably one where he can watch from the shadows. He's good at that. ]

[stabbywheelfeet]

Join the club.

[Once he was reasonably assured the birds weren't going to swoop in and ruin his paint, he's started roaming the open space. Mostly, he's scowling at passers by. Or the other apparent prisoners in general.]

[He just so happened to overhear one in particular.]

[The bot pauses for a beat, arms folded under his chestplate, in annoyed contemplation of the fence.]

[poisonousflame]

[ ... Well. That sure is a big silver ... thing.

[ To his credit, Axel only blinks once. Then the curiosity (because seriously, what is this thing?) is hidden behind a half-smirk and a raised eyebrow. ]

You had somewhere to be?

[stabbywheelfeet]

[As long as no one starts screaming, or carrying on, it doesn't seem to bother him much. He shrugs, holding a hand out at arms' length, as if to examine nonexistent fingernails.]

No, I make a habit of hanging around in gated parks all night.

[poisonousflame]

[ Interesting gestures. Almost like a human, though this thing is obviously anything but.

[ The equally non-human redhead shrugs and waves a hand. ]

Hey, if that's what you like, I won't judge.

[stabbywheelfeet]

That was sarcasm.

[A beat. And he cants his head to one side.]

Unless you were too, then. Then we're even.

[poisonousflame]

"Even" is fine by me.

[ No. It's really not. ]

Who'd want to hang around in a place like this, anyway?

[ Not that he thinks there's anything particularly wrong with the scenery. But he'd like to know what's bugging this big silver thing. ]

[stabbywheelfeet]

Sure.

[He shrugs, looking back to his nonexistent nails again.]

Not me. I have a war to fight. Lives to save. All that.

[poisonousflame]

[ Wars to fight and lives to save? Definitely interesting. Not something that Axel would readily take part in (except, perhaps, in causing a war — but missions are missions), but something he'd like to know more about. ]

Really? Man. And here I was just—

[Struggling to walk. Struggling to remain conscious. Struggling to carry the body of one of his best friends, after he'd beaten her down and knocked her out, because he swore that he would always bring her back—]

— getting home from a job.

[journeybroken]

[ Not far off from Axel's location, a short, frustrated blond stands in the cover of some bushes, fingers clenched tightly around the bars of the fence. He's looking very intensely at the pulsating figures of the townsfolk. It's safe to assume that he's trying to figure something out. What, however, is up for debate. That is, until he directs his gaze up to the top of the fence and crouches down, launching himself up to one of the higher crossbars and gripping it with both hands. ]

[ Sounds of struggle ensue, and if Axel looks, he'll see Roxas trying to climb up to the top of the fence. He almost makes it, too, if it weren't for the crows pecking his hands when he gets in reach. ]

AH! Ow! Hey--whoa!!

[ Bye Roxas. ]

[ thud ]

[poisonousflame]

[ Look Axel does.

[ And looks.

[ And looks.

[ And he keeps right on looking — scrutinizing, staring, breathing in sharply with eyes wide in disbelief — as one of his best friends tumbles to the ground.

[ Of all the places to find him....

[ "You can't turn on the Organization! You get on their bad side, and they'll destroy you!"

[ "No one would miss me."

[ No. That wasn't true. This is his chance. He has to make Roxas see that. ]

... Roxas.

[ His voice is firm, just loud enough to be heard. Not trailing off in a struggle for words, the way it had when Roxas confronted him. Not full of anger rage pain power and volume, the way it was with Xion. It's perfectly normal. Just saying a word. A name.

[ His best friend's name. ]

[journeybroken]

Ugh... [ Roxas is sitting up, scrubbing the loose grass and dirt from his hair while feeling for any damage. That's about when he hears the voice, that familiar tone, the way his name feels through the lips of one tall, brightly-colored Nobody. ]

[ Every memory that was ever Roxas' alone comes flooding back to him at once. Every one worth remembering had a little bit of Axel; his best friend, his partner, the only person he trusted in the Organization. He turns around, blue eyes searching for red hair, and it's not exactly hard to find. But this isn't right. He knows of Lea, of where Axel has ended up... and there's been jealousy, that Sora gets to see him, while Roxas should never have gotten to again. At first, Roxas thinks it's Lea, but then he sees the tattoos. That's Axel. But how? ]

... Axel?

[ Correct me. Tell me you didn't lose your heart again. ]

THAT ICON

[poisonousflame]

[ Correct him? No. This is Axel, and Axel alone. Lea has been gone for a very long time. As far as the Eighth is concerned, even the memory of Lea has never done him any good.

[ Green eyes once wide now narrow, an unconscious change that betrays his confusion. Roxas' expression.... What happened to the anger? What happened to the look of betrayal that appeared so real in the blond's eyes?

[ It's not what he expected. So far from it, in fact, that he finds himself quickly changing tactics.

[ Putting on a familiar half smile (and half smirk), Axel spreads his arms and shrugs. A theatrical gesture, as always. ]

Who else?

[ His tone has changed. It's lighter now, almost flippant — but, to those who know him well, likely ringing distinctly false. ]

ALWAYS WITH THAT ICON

[journeybroken]

[ There's visible disappointment on his face for a moment, but he shakes it off, a half-relieved smile taking its place on his youthful face. He wants the best for Lea, but Axel is the same person in his eyes. Heart or not, Roxas feels more comfortable knowing he's here. ]

I didn't think anybody else was even here. Do you have any idea where we are?

CRIES

[poisonousflame]

[ The disappointment isn't missed. Nor is it understood. What could have caused it...? ]

Not a clue.

[ He keeps his voice light and even. A practiced tone, masking what lies beneath.

[ "You both ... think you can do whatever you want." He'd raised his head, looked her in the eyes. "Well, I'm sick of it. Go on, you just keep running. But I'll always be there to bring you back!"

[ It was a promise. A promise that he knew he would never, ever break.

[ It doesn't matter where they are. He has to do the same thing he did with Xion.

[ By whatever means necessary, he has to get Roxas back. ]

Think we took a wrong turn?

[ Oh, the meaning behind those words.... ]

[journeybroken]

... Kind of hard to, when you're stuck inside somebody else's heart.

[ He decides to test the waters, see where Axel is in his understanding of what Roxas has been doing recently. ]

[nottame]

[There's a boy lying on his front with his arms crossed under his chin in a shadowy spot - just under a tree. Definitely not napping - his shoulders are visibly tensed a bit off the ground. Just monitoring. It's a nice enough little place to be comfortable, virtually everything but the place aside, and if he's not getting the gate open or begging the crows to do it, the least he could do is see who might look as if they could use some company. Or who might be willing to provide him a little until something changes.

He hears someone walking and turns his eyes over, and lifts his head up when they're close enough to clearly make out.

Soft, quick, friendly.]

Uh -- hi, did you want this spot...?

[And - he spots an area of light a dozen feet or so beyond the human(?) which is brighter than the surrounding. It's hazy, human-sized, but it clearly can't be human. His look sticks on it for a few, watching it move - he'll snap out of it on a response, still.]

[poisonousflame]

[ Axel's gotta admit, it is a nice spot. But he can't very well take the kid up on his offer. First off, because it was offered, which — in Axel's mind — means there's something wrong with it. Exactly what's wrong with it, he doesn't know ... but offering up a perfectly good spot to a total stranger sure sounds suspicious to him.

[ Not that he's paranoid or anything. Just cautious. That's natural, right? He'd be stupid not to be cautious, considering his current lack of abilities that were once as familiar as the back of his hand. Or ... glove. Whatever.

[ And secondly, if he did take the offer, this kid would know exactly where he was. And he can't have that.

[ (Totally not paranoid, though. Not at all.) ]

Nah, you're fine.

[ A casual refusal. Just as casual as the way Axel follows the kid's gaze, trying to figure out what he's looking at without actually turning away from the boy.

[ Okay, so the second feat is actually a little more awkward. But he manages — and is immediately way more interested in not turning his back on that thing. ]

[nottame]

[And momentarily snap out of it he does. Looks back at the stranger - and follows his shift in attention back at the thing.

He subtly-as-possible pulls his weight back, keeps his eyes on it, pushes himself up onto all fours and leans back on his legs, crouches into position to push himself up off his knee and move, if he's got to. He turns his head to open his line of sight more evenly between the stranger and that. His eyes stay flicked over to the latter the longest.]

...You see that? [It's hesitant and softened. Nowhere near a whisper - it's not doing anything, yet, and he can't tell if it's going to, so he can't and frankly doesn't want to see any need to.]

[poisonousflame]

[ The movement doesn't go completely unnoticed, but neither does it register as a threat. Axel's eyes return to the kid for just a moment at those words, then snap back to the figure just as fast.

[ Heartless come in all shapes and sizes. To Axel, the light is definitely a potential threat, even if it's not doing anything particularly threatening at the moment. He counts it as a bigger potential danger than the boy — though Axel is far from unaware of how powerful "kids" can be. ]

Yeah, I see it.

[His voice is low in turn; not whispering, either, but the words aren't intended to carry. ]

Any idea what it is?

[nottame]

[Maintaining softness - shakes out his head a bit.] Heck if I know...

What do you think?

[He's trying to hold his eyes on the stranger for now. They very regularly shift back to the light-shape-thing between blinks and bouts of questioning staring.]

[poisonousflame]

[ Green eyes narrow as the shape moves, and one gloved hand instinctually reaches out....

[ ... And grasps nothing. Not even a single chakram will appear.

[ He really, really doesn't like being vulnerable. If this thing is a heartless, he shouldn't be in too much trouble: it's not like he has a heart (or a Keyblade) to attract it. But heartless aren't known for their predictability, and he's been smacked around by too many to take them lightly.

[ ... Then again....

[ His eyes turn to the kid once more, really looking at him this time. If the strange shape is actually that of a heartless, it should be going for this boy. Unless the kid is like him: something that only looks human on the surface. ]

Well, I guess that depends.

whispers hi

[lastcharge]

Not going to try climbing the fence?

[Sure, Vanitas knows that won't work, but seeing idiots try and get pecked at by the murder might be funny. Already tucked into a neatly shadowed area and having been watching the last few handfuls of people who have been ushered in, that cloak is just a teensy bit noticeable in a crowd of relatively "normal" looking people.]

hiiiiii

[poisonousflame]

[ The redhead turns his head towards the voice, taking in the unusual outfit at a glance. The last time he saw something like that, it was on the Riku Replica. Which is enough to catch his interest — even if he's not crazy about the helmet.

[ Hm. Maybe he should've pulled up his hood (for once) after finding himself here. ]

Are you?

[lastcharge]

You might have an easier time with it, with that height. [Serious, joking, who knows. That helmet just tips a bit again, still just watchful and curious.] But it also might be a huge waste of time.

[But so funny.]