oh my god becky did you see her butt

[humility]

Who: Allu, Aqua, Y'akeno
Where: Y'akeno's apartment
When: Friday night
Summary: wine + ladies = drunken girls' night. and hilarity. and hangovers.
Warnings: BOOZE and girls being silly I suppose



SCENE: Y'AKENO'S apartment.

Y'AKENO introduced AQUA to her friend ALLU, another adventurer from her own world. wine's been poured and thank the lord. the ladies are all getting to know each other and exchanging stories of their world, their lives, their jobs...

AQUA:

(holding her glass of wine to her lips to hide her mischievous smile)

So we never let Ven do the laundry again. We still have no idea how he managed to turn everything brown.

(she shakes her head, still smiling, then takes a large swig and sets down her glass, shrugging.)

Life with two boys, I guess.

Comments

[earthshards]

[Just shaking his head.] Sixteen or seventeen, maybe. Definitely not in your twenties.

[humility]

[whacks him in the arm with the back of her hand; a reprimand more than an actual strike]

Like we can talk. We're firty.

[blink. that was right.]

Flirty.

[SNORTgiggle] Thirty!

[aheroipray]

Thirty?!

[ GAWPS AT BOTH OF THEM ]

Even Sidonia's startin' to show some wrinkles! I've not an idea how you two look so young!

[ofsongandstrings]

[EYES. WIDE. and jumping back a little as she waves her arms in front of her. nope. nope nope nope nope nnnnnope!]

N-now I don't think she'd take kindly t' 'at!

[earthshards]

Thirty-one, Aqua. [The correction is barely audible, but he says it anyway.

More audibly, and in a tone of voice that all but says 'please don't ask, I don't want to talk about it', he continues.] Time didn't touch us much, thankfully. The last ten years... weren't very pleasant.

Warning for Birth by Sleep spoilers/feelings

[ofsongandstrings]

[Y'akeno opens her mouth to say something, but the moment her lips part she feels the familiar and strong tug on her consciousness that not even alcohol could dull. She presses a hand to her forehead in an effort to pull herself together, but still finds herself looking into Terra's eyes before falling onto one knee as she loses her balance and everything turns white.

She can see far above a battle taking place. Spells she could never have imagined, devastation wrought upon the land liken to the carnage at Carteneau, all by five people, seemed to die down as a large beam of light erupted from where two fought.

"Ven!"

"And now, Terra, it is time for the final union!"

As if caught in static, she could see an old man - and elder of their "order" by her judgement - stab himself with his own keyblade, and his heart, his soul, and the rest of his very being, floating there undiffused like the souls she was akin to seeing. It was hard to comprehend what all she was seeing, but the fear was palpable... and the darkness resonating from that disembodied soul was shaking her to the core.

She knew that darkness...

Vessel... new one... x-blade...

Why was that soul getting closer to Terra?

Oh Goddess, no!

Yet as many visions went, she could not change the outcome of past events. As the armor flashed over his body and she saw the confident smirk crossing Xehanort's lips, she could not help but look on in horror as the armor clattered to the ground and Terra... was Terra no longer.

'Terra...'

She watched on as the armor stood up, defeated its possessed master, and its victorious-yet-defeated sinking to the ground as it could not reclaim its body with anger alone. Watched in horrified silence as her possessed friend was spirited away elsewhere by a strange light....

Watched, as Xehanort in Terra's body tried to snuff out a light that she had just befriended.

Watched... as that very light fought valliantly, yet had to sacrifice herself to save her still-possessed friend from the darkness.

'Aqua...']

STILL warning for Birth by Sleep spoilers/feelings

[aheroipray]

[ allu's brows are raised, as she tilts her head to look over at aqua--

but she feels a sharp jerk, and her eyelids flutter. her head swims, she groans loudly before just slumping forwards against terra's shoulder, squinting like she's trying to look through bright sunlight.

Aqua needed to find Terra, and she can trod along, watching as she finally encounters her dear friend.

Yet, not all is as it seems, and Allumette takes a fighting stance, watching as Aqua pauses before 'Terra', and he grabs her throat.

She wants to scream. "You let go of her!" is on the tip of her tongue, and she rushes forward, stopping just a foot away.

"Such a terrible... darkness! Fight it. Terra, please!"

Fight it? Fight--

"Terra... you say?"

Why was he in pain? He was recoiling... she took a few steps back, suddenly suspicious.

"Terra's heart has been extinguished--smothered by the darkness within him!"

Dear Hydaelyn--no, it couldn't be happening! Not all over again, not like Thancred! No... no. This was in the past.

It had happened! Just like their fellow Scion, Terra had been...?!

Aqua's mastery of her blade and her courage was something to admire. Even fighting her friend... cheering Terra on as he fought against his possessor.

--as he just stabbed himself in the chest?!

By the Twelve, was that a voidsent?! He'd summoned a voidsent?

Of course, of course Aqua would jump in after him! How could she have thought differently?

The armor she wore wasn't unlike those of paladins and warriors. How fitting; Aqua was a Warrior of Light in her own regard, even as she cloaked her possessed friend in her armor and sent him out of the void.

"Ven, I'm sorry... I might not make it back as soon as I thought."

The darkness, all-consuming, all-encompassing. Darkness, like she'd never felt before, and had been glad. This sort of pitch-black stillness crept all the way up her back, making her wish that she could get out. It did feel like ages, Aqua was right--

... what was that? It was huge! Yet another voidsent?!

And it seemed it wasn't alone! There was no way Aqua would be able to...

"Maybe... I should fade into the darkness here."

Both she and Aqua seemed surprised by the sudden, glowing Keyblades shooting through the air. She could feel it resonate deep, even in her chest. Terra, Ven... she looked up, as Aqua made a sound--

a sound that sounded like a chuckle.

"I guess it's been so long, I almost forgot how to smile." ]

[earthshards]

[As soon as his eyes lock with Y'akeno's own, he feels the sharp tug on his heart almost before she starts to show the signs of the power she mentioned in February activating.

She's seeing something - and judging from the intensity of the pull on his heart and the way she falls to one knee with a hand to her head, it must be something big.] Y'akeno? What are you--

['seeing?', he almost finishes asking, but he starts to feel Allumette sway and slump against his shoulder, changing his priorities. He holds her steady on his shoulder with his free hand to make sure she won't fall, and then moves over to the couch. Slowly, to be sure that she won't fall even with him keeping her steady, he kneels down in front of the couch and gently and sets her down on the cushions.

Headache, squinting... the symptoms were right. That meant --

'She has the same power? But then...' What could Allu be seeing?

All he can do for now is look between the two with clear concern in his eyes. One thing is for sure - he'll be offering a Cura spell to deal with the headache once the vision ends.]

[humility]

[she didn't see the pull of magic between Terra and Y'akeno, but certainly felt it - and in the instant that she turned to look, her eyes met with Allu's...and Aqua feels that small burst of light in her heart that she hasn't known for a very long time.

but seeing them struggle has her sobering up almost immediately. she gasps in surprise as the she takes in the scene, but doesn't hesitate to rush to help Y'akie - since Terra seems to have Allu - to the couch.

Aqua places a hand momentarily on Terra's arm; a signal that she'll be right back. she hurries over to his kitchen...but after only a few feet, wobbles and has to lean against the counter when the world spins. friends in trouble may have sharpened her mind back to attention, but that doesn't mean her body has quite caught up on the whole 'sober' thing.

but she fights against it, and manages to get two glasses of water filled and unspilled back to the other girls. she sets them down, brushing back Y'akie's hair and feeling her forehead and peering worriedly into her face.]

Hey... Can you hear me?

[ofsongandstrings]

[It takes her a few moments to really react to the outside world again, headache and the general feeling of being hit in the face by an imperial train beginning to subside a little when she suddenly realized someone's hand was brushing aside her very long and spiky bangs to feel her forehead. Well, that wasn't a feeling she had since she was still small.]

A-aye.

[Her voice is quiet, almost as if she were humbled by whatever she had suddenly bore witness to.]

I'm alright. We're fine. T'is nothing, really.

[A bold faced lie, but a well-meaning one. Though she finally relents and holds out the bottle of Bacchus wine to Terra.]

You need this more than I.

[aheroipray]

[ allu opens her eyes blearily; the pain of that memory is enough to make her tear up, and seeing terra just makes those tears well up more. she grabs his hand, and looks between aqua and terra. ]

Thank the Twelve you're both alright, now! It's fine, just fine, you--you can cry on my chest, you've a way to let it out! [ but as soon as that's done, there is fire in her eyes, real anger that can't be smothered, and she turns to terra. ]

Who was that Ascian who possessed you? I'll tear it limb from limb! Th-there's some way of doing it, I'm sure of it!

[ +1 tiny bodyguard. ]

[ofsongandstrings]

[Y'akeno nods perhaps a little too fast for someone who is drunk and just recovering from her consciousness being pulled from her body briefly. She is likely going to regret it later, but right now she doesn't care because she agrees.]

Aye, though... that was no Ascian. Nay, an elder by my judgement.

[ she quickly looks Aqua in the eye. ]

Remind us to teach yeh 'bout exorcism when we're not drunker than Barf. ...and how in th' seven hells did ye manage all those spells?

[ +1 rogue bodyguard and... student??? ]

[earthshards]

[The relief he feels when Y'akeno starts to recover is washed away the second Allu begins to speak about 'Ascians' and possession. Between her words and Y'akeno's reaction, there can only be one thing that both girls saw.

With minimal hesitation, he takes the offered bottle of wine and answers Allu's question without looking at anyone, his tone very carefully kept neutral.] 'Elder' is right; Xehanort is just as human as the rest of us.

[And that's all he'll say on the subject. He quickly casts Cura on both Allu and Y'akeno, then stands and heads towards the kitchen, wine bottle in hand.

He returns with two extra glasses. After what he knows they saw, and with his own memory of the event in question now on the surface, he feels they could all use a drink right about now.]

[humility]

[Aqua says nothing. opposite of Terra, she no longer has any desire to drink. in fact, she'd rather go back to her apartment and get over the sudden and extreme change in mood on her own.

but she stays. pale and silent, she sits down next to Y'akeno, reaches for one of the glasses of water, and almost forces it into the mi'qote's hands. it's as much to take care of her friend as to focus on anything but how she herself is feeling.]

I'm... I'm sorry you had to. See that. It was-- [swallows down the lump in her throat as surreptitiously as possible]

The magic. We learn it as part of our training. Though, to my memory, those were very creative uses of some of the, uh. Highest level spells.

[earthshards]

[He hasn't even taken a drink yet, and he's rolling his eyes a little.] Creative is putting it lightly.

[He sets the two glasses down on the coffee table, and starts to pour himself half a glass of wine as he continues.] He hit me with a super-powered Quake, tossed me off a cliff twice, and used tornado-driven Keyblades to do it the second time. I don't know what kind of damage he caused to you and Ven - he separated us too early in the fight.

[Well. Outside of the X-blade being forged, he doesn't know what happened to Ven or Aqua during that mess. He'd been too blinded by his own anger then.]

[humility]

[if you didn't think Aqua could go paler, you were wrong. if that was a nudge for her to supply information about her side, she doesn't oblige. if she thought she would lose the desire to drink for long, she underestimated her own feelings.

she quietly grab the bottle from Terra once he's done pouring for himself and pours herself a quite liberal glassful, downing half of it in one go and then staring at nothing, tight-lipped in every way.]

[aheroipray]

[ allu watches them both react and it dawns on her, very quickly, that she's stepped onto bad territory.

allu was ul'dah's precious emissary. she and gaia crossed paths with thancred very early on: they hadn't gotten along well. he was self-assured and a ladies' man and allu had seen enough of that attitude to last her a lifetime.

but he kept cropping up--kept showing her reasons to take a shine to him. she put up a face, teased him, gave him the cold shoulder at times... but she had appreciated his help. without it, she wouldn't be a scion. she wouldn't have made crystalborn.

in the silent hours of the morning in the quicksand, after recognizing thancred's face as lahabrea, allu had beaten herself up. he had been her go-to when she started and she didn't notice. how? why?

most importantly, how had it felt for thancred? nowadays her teases were weaker. there was a large lump in her throat just thinking about it all.

when terra returned, allu looked focused and confused, like she was trying very hard to understand, before she muttered, after their exchange: ]

I'm sorry. I pray you forgive me.

[ she can have manners. sometimes. ]

What we saw... best it be between us. A burden shared is a burden halved.

All matters aside, you were both powerful. It's an amazing feat to see it.

[ofsongandstrings]

[She takes a sip of the water forced into her hand but a moment ago, before placing it down and reaching up over her shoulder for something. Ordinarily, she would say something about it with her quick wit. However, right now did not seem to be the time for such measures. Nay, when the heart ached, mere words were oft not enough. Music, on the other hand...

Yakie pulls out her harp from thin air, lightly plucking on the strings a faint melody she'd tried to replicate from her days before the Calamity. She'd even mixed it into the songs she'd play to inspire on the battlefield.

'I close my eyes... tell us why must we suffer...
Release your hands, for your will... drags us under...
My legs grow tired, tell us where must we wander?
How can we...carry on...']

A thousand pardons, my friends... We cannot control what it is we see, but it is always for a reason.