Story Quest. Ic [kairi]. - Tumblr Posts

-`.  @litoredeem​  \  starter.

         Wood grain pressed upon a tongue, held between teeth as hands poised over a wooden post. Practiced fingers deftly secured the knot of worn rope attached to the vessel used to traverse briny waves. It wouldn't do to mistakenly let the rowboat float off. Again. 

         It also may have been a better idea to pick a different flavor. The thin coating of the strawberry popsicle coaxed minimal grimaces, but Kairi still felt every twitch of facial muscle disagreeing with the too salty tang it offered, overpowering the natural taste carried on cool sea breeze. So much for the budding rendition of the islands' sea salt ice cream.

         The strengthening glare of the early morning rays peeking over the horizon was silently regarded, before she straightened herself, flecks of sand brushed off knees. Feet barely take her off the wooden docks before a unnoticed presence drifted into view. He's farther down the path, back to her and shattering her expectation of no one else showing up for at least another hour, but there's no room for doubt about that silhouette.  ❝ Oh !  Riku, I didn’t think you’d be up this early. ❞

➤ ` SORA. (  valorxdrive  )

♕ - “Y’know Kai. This whole time we’ve been out here on our lil adventure, I felt like I wound up ‘forgetting’ something real important. Should’ve been up in my hand a long while ago! Remember adventuring 101?”

So he says. Since that hand of his isn’t hesitating to close distance, letting their fingers brush, slide and inevitably link together as he holds her hand. Perfect for keeping all the salt water perils at bay.

“Always keep close what’s important to you.”

@asteriskheart​

         Casual trip across sun bathed sand ground to a halt at his insistence, his form falling back receiving a curious look. Ears perked at the nickname, head canting. Eyelids fell to half mast, askance brows furrowing as he continued, hands slotting themselves into the groove of her hips. Sora and forgetting ?  Wouldn't be the first time. Though it would be for whatever this so called adventuring 101 he pulled on her out of thin air was. Whatever class was run she happened to miss it, if such a thing took place at all.

         ❝ Wha- ❞  She's not given any time to answer, Sora darting in to make a spontaneous move before formulated response breached the air between them. A flicker of confusion lasted for but a moment, melting away into surprise and faint fluster.

         Without much thought, fingers twitched, intertwining with his as if that’s where it'd always meant to be.

         He made it hard  ( oh so hard, watch the princess struggle )  to maintain composure, but at the same time there's an unreal ease to the way her heart floated about inside her chest filled with delight.

         ❝ Your level of cheesiness is impressive as usual. ❞  Loose hold tightened, just a bit / infinitesimally small to grand gestures but still present, as she tugged him further along isle's path. A dollop of reassurance that yes, they are here despite hardships, together and safe.  ❝ Any other adventuring lessons I need to know, Captain Sora ? ❞

➤ ` RIKU. (  litoredeem  )

Shoresides that feel like dreams beneath footsteps. Yet to be determined if it were the sort he even wanted to wake from. It was… okay to say that he was comfortable here, right? Where it’s warm and bright and inviting, and the smiles even more so. When he hears her voice, he thinks he could even belong here again.

❝ And what’s that supposed to mean? ❞ It’s so easy to smile around Kairi, to fit his knuckles to his hip and cock his head. ❝ Last I checked, I’m not the slacker when it comes to getting out of bed. ❞ 

The actual ‘slacker’ in question, sure enough, was nowhere to be seen. Probably still drooling into his pillow. Leaving the two of them to stand within this early sea breeze. The time passed between now and halcyon days can be easily measured by said breeze, how much of their hair gets caught up in it. Now he’s watching her tuck it behind her ear to show him her sincere eyes. He’d missed out on so much of her.

❝ Not early enough for you to get your sugar fix, huh? ❞ He turns to resume his earlier stride, expecting her to follow. ❝ That’s one way to wake up, I guess. ❞

         Follow she did, quickened steps lining up with his shortly thereafter, gait matching longer strides. Nostalgia filled imprints left behind in the sand, the same way seawater did, transient and fleeting.

         ❝ ' I guess ' ?  You trying to say something about popsicles ? ❞  She's feigning offence, hand held over her heart in mocking agony. Even as she huffed, shifting the worn stick in her mouth, she found herself incapable of hiding a smile at his words.  ❝ I'll have you know I mentioned sea salt ice cream to Selphie after I came back, and she told me she wanted to try her hand at it. She left a sample at my house yesterday and asked to know what I thought. I'm just doing my duty as a residential taste tester. ❞

         Maybe one day, when able to pay a visit to Twilight Town, she’d bring some for kids there to compare traditional to the island variant... Sora’s known Hayner, Pence, and Olette long before she had, but Riku never met them, did he ?  It settled it then, who she’d ask to accompany her.

         ❝ As for being early, it means I thought you'd still be at home getting rest. ❞  Vaguely, Kairi gestured back over the shoulder towards the docks, to the Mainland.  ❝ I was even going to drop by later. But it looks like you're fine. I must've been worried over nothing. ❞

@valorxdrive asked; (Sora may 'absolutely does' have quite the case of dokis now.) "Feeling brave? Bet you'll turn strawberry like this pocky before I do."

►  ❪  UNPROMPTED  [ from ages ago ]  // always accepting  ❫  

         Perched on one of the railings leading out of the school, legs dangling, Kairi felt every bit at peace, basking in the warmth of the sun beating down on the islands. It's so easy to miss the ordinary days, relax in monotony away from the chaos awaiting beyond the boundless sea / walls of her world. A private comfort she's learned to indulge in whenever the moment arose. It may be noted however, that she's distinctly lacking the other two-thirds of her trio. Riku called it a day with the dismissing toll of the final bell, finding the idea of heading home early preferable to loitering around on school grounds but she decided to be merciful, waiting on the final member who was running late.

         More minutes ticked by. Just as Kairi started to debate whether or not Sora accidentally fell into a hole and got transported to another world, she spotted the first glimpse of the messy brown hair. Kicking off from the railing, a hand rose to wave greeting only to pause. Something...was up. Brimming with energy, he barely seemed able to contain himself as he strutted down the hall, little ticks such as the constantly shifting and bouncing on the balls of his feet indicators of some plan brewing in that head of his.

         Realization settled in once he's close enough to make out minor details, like the thin biscuit doused in pink coating hanging from quirked lips as he beckoned her over to try her luck. Eyes lingered on the pocky, how it jittered with the motion his words produced as he talked around it, before flicking back up to meet his own. He really knew how to toe the line, where to just push and wring the brightest of smiles free from her.

         Come to think of it was pocky day, right ?  Tidus or Selphie must've notified him. With the keyblade wielder in and out of the islands like a revolving door, the chances of him remembering a silly little playful holiday like this on his own were not the best.

         However, such proud boasts only earn a tut in retort. Distance decreased, a few feet parting them, hands locked behind her back,  ❝ Mm, ❞  she hummed idly, a smile pulled across her lips.  ❝ I think you made one little mistake. ❞

         Teasing may have been a good strategy on any other day of the week, but it'd lead to his downfall here and now. Sorry Sora, but you seem to underestimate her motivation to overcome such challenges, overriding any initial embarrassment / the skipped beat of her heart. A foolish error on his part, one she'll seek to correct in its entirety.

         Another step closer. And another. Scant inches rested between, gaze fixed on the tints of color swirling in ever mesmerizing blue irises, the afternoon sunlight casting a warm glow across his skin as sweet scents invaded senses.  Confidence warded off the fluster, a sentinel in the night barring such emotions from entry. Gently, she took a bite and- yanked it out of his grasp, taking the majority of the baked stick with her. There’s no qualms about making the remainder of the treat disappear with a satisfied grin.

          A theft swiftly remedied by her leaning in once more, thumb tracing his jawline, but rather than pocky as her target something just as sweet awaited. Lips collided, familiar flavours dancing across them. Kairi found only a singular thought flitting across her mind as eyes fell shut. He tasted just like strawberry. One of her favourites.

@litoredeem​​ asked; ❝ Uh... Sorry. ❞ His hesitation lasts for all of a three seconds ( three seconds too long, that is, curse his awkwardness ) before his fingers inch forth. rustling strands of cherry before withdrawing to reveal to her what had stolen its way into her hair -- a firefly. Glowing in a steady pulse as crawls along his index finger.

Before he can offer to let her hold her little stowaway, they'd find its own friends had joined this impromptu meeting; lighting up their surroundings like little flickering stars.

[ magical ask for kairi 😌 ]

►  ❪  UNPROMPTED // always accepting  ❫  

         Summer cast its warm breath over the archipelago, humid air sticking to skin as shades of sunset painted over the island's occupants. The evening sun slowly dissolved, a descent into the ocean as the surface of the waves caught and reflected its distant flare.

         Diligent fingers plucked away at thin strands, careful strokes steadily weaving together an image, a near silent hum under the breath. An old wordless tune derived from hazy recollections but it's as familiar as breathing. Legs dangled over the edge of the tree's walkway, rhythmic motions lulling the islander into a comfortable pace as she worked. If she happened to listen a bit harder she could hear the barks of laughter and good-natured bantering of friends as a ball blitzed back and forth between them on the beach below.

         One had instead chosen to keep her company as he seated himself beside her. Riku. Casual conversation was exchanged but now an easy, content silence fell into place. It felt nostalgic. It brought back those days when Riku would similarly join her and they'd talk until Sora arrived or home called.

         Her heart gave way to an unspoken sigh, one filled with relief and known only to her. That year / absence / void between, she tried to never linger too long on it. The sheer sense of wrong hounding every step taken. Ever since the slow realization crept up on her — the ability to remember Sora losing shape, twisting into formless shadows as the world around her forgot — sometimes Kairi found herself overwhelmed with the worry that one day she'd wake up and there'd be nothing of Riku too. That the spot he occupied in her memories would be empty and he'd slip away as well, grains of sand through her fingers. 

         A fear of being haunted by another ghost of a boy she couldn't quite fully recall.

         The apology startled Kairi out of musings, a questioning gaze turning to her friend. What's he saying sorry for ?  Did she miss something ?  He hadn't done anything but sit down and that's not exactly a dastardly, criminal offense.

         Movements instantly stilled as his hand drew closer. A simple gesture, a faint shock hitting her system and freezing her in place as a breath's instinctively held. More often than not, it's her reaching out first, initiating contact, but power to him if...

         This wasn't a head pat at all.

         Setting aside the handheld loom, widened eyes raptly followed the little bug move, wings fluttering, emitting a mesmerizing glow. Pretty sneaky of this little guy to park itself among her messy hair without any notice at all on her end. Then again, with thoughts wandering and hands busy, maybe it wasn't so difficult a task to accomplish.

         It took no time at all for more fireflies to flit in, shining trails meandering in the air. They're like a multitude of tiny fairies dancing on the breeze, illuminating the area. Glimmering flecks among the shroud of fading light. It’s... wonderful.

         The unseen coil of old insecurities melted away, shoulders smoothing out as slight tension she didn't realize she carried thawed. Slowly but surely, corners of a smile hitched higher and higher. Bright, yet soft, as her eyes traced over them.

         ❝ You know what ? ❞  A murmur, near silent but growing with each word. She looked at Riku then, at the firefly still perched upon his finger. At someone she's always known, but at the same time was relearning about. And she laughed,  ❝ They remind me of you. ❞

@vibraea​ asked; ❛  why did you bring me here ?  ❜ @ Kairi !

►  ❪  NOT HERE  ❫

        It’s just a little hard to persuade the other. A difficult task in coaxing her friend into following without receiving too many questions, walking that thin line. A balancing act of crafting responses adequate enough to satisfy and parry digs for information while not revealing crucial details. Gemiya’s smart, might piece together too many context clues, unravel and spoil the whole ‘surprise’ half of the effort.

         It’s nothing to worry about / no real big deal if she’s found out but it still had fingers fidgeting, dancing along hems, thumbing buttons, unconsciously giving her hands something to occupy as the tram swayed with the motion of rolling down the town’s railways. Gentle orange shades draped across the evening bustle as they passed, the laughter of children engaged in activities of fun ringing clear. Arriving at the destination discarded those reservations, a breath of relief in stepping down off the tight rope, no more need to tip toe about the reason the girls stood in twilit plaza, bistro’s sign a beacon among the calm.

         ❝ Come on Gemi, do you really need to ask ? ❞  She tugged eyes away from partly-clouded skies. Warmth, near blinding - in her gaze / smile / heart, a hand reaching out to clasp Gemiya’s tightly.  ❝ You work so hard !  I think you deserve a break now and then. ❞

         Uncle Scrooge wouldn’t mind her borrowing the kitchen for a bit, providing she produce her own ingredients of course. With pointers from Little Chef to elevate baking skills to new heights, she’s certain to whip up something curated to her friend’s tastes.  ❝ So let me just do a little thing for you, alright ? ❞

         Thoughts pestered the back of the mind. Many unkind  ( anger muffled under light's tide )  and wary about their shared foe, of the many splinters of his self haunting this realm steeped in light. Shoulders set, guard raising higher, girl bristling as lips pressed into a thin line.  ❝ No. I'm not. ❞  The reply arrived swift and terse, seeking to draw clear cut line in the sand between where they stood.  ❝ I don't think I'd want to try in this life. Not like that. Not with you. ❞  It irked. The audacity to insinuate the notion of her projecting herself onto him. That she'd perceive any part of the time traveler, the root cause for so much pain and suffering, when she gazed into the mirror's reflection. There's nothing to find of her heart — one too caring / too forgiving / too full of blistering light — within his shadow. Concern served as nothing but an unaffordable luxury, locked away in a hidden box, buried somewhere deep inside her beating ribcage.  ❝ And I think that goes both ways, unless you somehow see something that I'm missing. ❞

𝚃𝙷𝙸𝚂 𝙼𝙴𝙴𝚃𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙼𝙰𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙸𝙰𝙻𝙸𝚉𝙴𝙳 𝙰𝙽 𝙸𝙻𝙻𝙾𝙶𝙸𝙲𝙰𝙻 𝚅𝙰𝚁𝙸𝙰𝙱𝙻𝙴 𝙸𝙽 𝙵𝙰𝚃𝙴'𝚂 𝙴𝚀𝚄𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽 ;    and he rejected it not.  destiny practiced its own methodology to mathematically correct the flow of its course, and little reason did he find in struggling against it.  instead, he relented to whatever chaos would spill into the order of things.    “ that depends how you define home ?  i do not i lack a bed to sleep in whence i came, if that is what you wonder about. ”    when light questioned darkness, the latteraverted the deeper meaning, careful to never let it become too personal, or too open to sentimentalities.    “ and what, pray tell, has evoked this question, princess ?  it cannot be concern, i’d reckon. thus… do you project onto the villain, mayhaps ? ”

“ you’ve been so quiet. what’s on your mind? ”  (for kairi!)

►  ❪ QUESTIONS  ❫

         Magic, as she's been told, resided in everything. From the living to the inanimate, the energy drawn upon for black spells, white spells, and a kaleidoscope of abilities in between could innately be found in any place travelled to. Kairi likened the phenomenon to the pulse of the world's heart. Whether or not it was considered magic at all was another story. Not everybody held the means to access it either. Methods of drawing it out sometimes differed from here to there, and in those cases it felt like she was witnessing magic for the first time all over again. As if everyday letters in the universal lexicon were ripped to shreds, used to create an entirely new confounding alphabet that the world's residents had the key to decipher.  

         It prickled her senses like a fuzzy sheen of electrified leaves overlaid atop another's silhouette. A second skin of lively static humming a tune with no sound and ordinarily invisible to the eye. She imagined, now and then, understanding about a person could be gleaned from it, even if only the barest inflection of what they were truly like. It's different. Not as easy as looking at someone and letting her intuition alert her to what end of the spectrum their heart favoured.

         So, how could she not be rendered mute by the magic on display ?  It's simple enough on the outside display, but it felt different. There's no words to find to properly describe it for a newcomer to the art, but a small part of her just knew. Underneath the surface a lot of complex things were happening to the energy and she's not anywhere close to understanding any of it.

         ❝ Oh. it's nothing. You just seem very skilled with magic, Eriol. ❞  Voice, soft at first, gained volume as she shook off the daze. He's so very young, but reminded her of Merlin. Aged and wizened. Full of concepts she had yet to wrap her mind around. Her gaze fell to her own hand.  ❝ I'm getting better at using it, but I struggle to control mine the way I want to. Then again, I am pretty new to magic so maybe that's to be expected. ❞

         ❝ ... ❞  Who hurt this girl and why ?  That's her initial thought, anyway. Accusation seemingly dripped with bitterness and grievance, barbing words into something sharp, meant to cut. But Kairi's grown used to picking flowers with thorns, often ones she herself nurtured, and time has since dulled the sting inflicted on the skin. Fingers curled together, lips firmly pursed as her gaze lingered upon the other.  ❝ I just do what I can to help others. I'm not looking to make anything more of it. ❞

@asteriskheart liked for an Epic One-liner

          "You are the worst kind of good 'case you're not even great. A girl who reeks of false righteousness, that's what I hate."

“ Don't laugh. ” [ for kairi! ]

►  ❪  MIXED BAG  ❫

         The wrong choice of words to make use of in this scenario  ( of all scenarios !! ), serving to achieve the opposite effect he desired. Manifesting as a wrench to work against him, they're taken to the trembling bolts barring delighted giggles behind raised brows and pinched grin, undoing the wobbling seal already straining to hold back more than the occasional giggle, allowing peals of ungraceful laughter to tumble forth. A sudden crescendo of glee, a rising wave of joy crashing against the sea's shore, stealing away air from lungs and reducing the shaking girl to heaving breaths.

         ❝ H-How do you —- ❞  Wheezes fought to find a place to be heard among the fit of amusement.  ❝ — ex-pect me n-not to ??  I can't — ❞  

         It's too much, a struggle to seek enough air to manage getting that much of a response. tapering off into few seconds of silence. It's still too much. It couldn't be contained within the hollows of her chest, stifled snickers bouncing around with fervour, steam compressed tighter and tighter, soon forcing its way up and the exhale of air pitched into another round of laughs. Tears began to seep in and blur vision. An arm rose to swipe at her eyes and clear them. She missed the mark entirely, motion almost sending her careening to the floor. Rather than meet the ground and kick up debris, Kairi stumbled into her friend, shoulder resting against arm as body slumped into his side, relying on his sturdy frame to keep her propped upright.

         Stars above, she hadn't laughed so hard or so freely in ages. The tense, acrid fog settled within her chest lifted, dispelled if even for this bright, shining moment. Maybe Riku knew in his own unique way, about the myriad of doubts / familiar frustrations / old wrenching aches plaguing her mind. Maybe this was a reminder that he was still here — not gone too far ahead yet / with her by her side / present and alive. Maybe this was all wishful thinking, spun up as a cooling balm to ease the burns left behind. Intentional or not, appreciation for the other sat warm in her heart all the same.

         It had slipped away under the cover of the fog  ( the feeling forgotten and abandoned )  but as she looked at Riku, Kairi remembered how it felt to be home.

         A hand brushed aside lingering tears while the other shifted between them, reaching for his. Only when she secured hold of it, when they're hand in hand, did she straighten up. ❝ It's not bad. I swear it's not. ❞  Head shaking, she squeezed his hand, smile a little lighter, easy and affectionate.  ❝ I know I'm laughing, but I mean it ! ❞

Gemiya wins 😂

         Eyes gloss over columns and rows, two bingos pinpointed through the wide spread of penned eighth notes at a speed beyond realistic feasibility before discerning gaze flicks back up, radiating smugness from every pore after screening the card.

         ❝ Well well well. ❞ It's hard to resist the smirk threatening to split her face in two, so she won't even begin to try. ❝ And you didn't even need to be a villain to be after my own heart, right Gemi ? ❞

pretend that i sent this from katsuki's blog thx <3

@implde

         ❝ Hey, don't think I didn't notice this. ❞  A pen's deftly pulled out of her own pocket, a 'x' firmly etched into the center of the card. Obvious error aside, look at all the bingos he scored !  Almost flawlessly achieving a perfect blackout, the blank spots were more than made up for by the rest. Still, a touch of embarrassment pricked her stomach. Already, the girl long since figured out Katsuki was her type, but now the overwhelming majority sat right there on paper, almost condemning her tastes with how well he slotted himself in.

         …It is what it is. She's already nonchalantly leaning closer, beaming as fingers playfully tug at his sleeve.  ❝ While I'm visiting we should go out !  Any good recommendations for places ? ❞

cough.....

        Eyes widened, a hand flying to her open mouth, reeling back slightly as she puts on an exaggerated act of being shocked at the results. She's not of course. It's him, after all. Riku !  It'd truly be a bigger surprise if he somehow didn't clear most of the card  ( and what did this say about her ? ).

        A breezy laugh broke the facade and a few easy steps brought her to his side. She clasped his shoulder, firmly shaking it a bit.  ❝ Stop lying Riku, I know what you are. And I know that you can be goofy. ❞

         The world somehow managed to be both familiar and entirely alien to her. Mysterious but as warm as the eternal sunset colours painting the sky. Acclimating to Twilight Town was proving to be, in and of itself, a unique challenge. Yes, some time was clocked here while laying low during her escapade during the commotion on the islands but that was... different. A wholly separate experience of being marooned on a world unknown to her, hiding in plain sight among the people going about daily routine underneath the cyclical chimes of tolling bells. She's been around but she didn't really know the place. Who could say if this bistro was around the last time she wandered down these alleyways and streets ?

         Kairi lasted two minutes gawking over the impressive professional grade kitchen - it must be, she's never seen so many seemingly high end appliances lined up in one place like this before - before attention turned to the recipes pinched between fingers. During their brief stop at the Moogle Shop, in the midst of her excitement and a desire to contribute to the upcoming activity, she forked over some munny to acquire a pair innocuous cards. The titles sat scrawled on the flat papers, detailing the puzzle pieces to Kupoberry Cheesecake and Moogle Mousse with Kupoberry Sauce. Nothing she'd heard of before but hey, trying their hand at new desserts could further test the newfound boundaries of Sora's apparent skill in the kitchen he manifested in the window of time they'd been apart. However, one small problem arose. Strawberries and oranges.

         Sora had stepped out with the mouse  ( rat ?  regular rats were bigger in size than mice on the islands but who knows about anywhere else. and that big one — remy's his name, sora said — had looked mighty comfy perched atop her friend's bed of wild spikes for whatever reason, but he appeared friendly enough )  that ran  (??)  this place, off to briskly scour the nearby areas in search of missing ingredients. Maybe while they were out she could get a head start ?

         Easier said than done. That was the hope, the dream, but alas not all dreams were meant to be.

         The creak of the door hinges had a head whirling to face it, disheveled red and white locks swinging. Powdered clothes sat in a manner of disarray. A healthy dusting of white dislodged by the abrupt movement flew into the air, drifting flurries settling on shoulders, face, freckled nose and coaxing forth a small sneeze with a jerk of the arms. The fumble sent a few precariously perched containers free of contents clattering to the floor, newly honing reflexes kicking into gear just so, snatching a few wayward eggs rolling off the edge from meeting a similar fate.

         Shoulders slumped, lined with defeat. Already she could feel it. Bones turning to dust with age, hair graying, crepitus settling in as the years were shaved off her life with each subsequent mishap. With an anguished groan, the eggs were placed on the granite tops back in their rightful place among the haphazard spread.  ❝ ...I can explain. ❞

@valorxdrive