I just wanna shine like the sun when it comes up

[emberized]

Who: Axel and Others
Status: Closed to anyone on Heroes Rest and Various
Where: Heroes Rest and Bounty Locations
What: August Catchall! May even add more here if not in my event top level
Warnings: N/A

Fireside Sunrise [Closed to Plus Ultra Crew/Visitors to Hero's Rest]

[For the first time in months, Axel rises with the sun. His sleep has been fitful for the longest time, restless energy compounded with too many thoughts plaguing him through the night. Today though... something is different. Gingerly he steps along the shoreline, Organization-wear left on his bed, simple traveler's clothes on in their place, catching in the wind. He watches the sun glint across the waves and thinks.. nothing at all. Finally.

The Nobody can't remember the last time his mind has been so clear. No quota to fill, no conversations to keep an ear out for, no schemes to plan, no enemies to prepare to face. Instead Axel makes the rounds tending to daily chores; he hangs some herbs to dry in a hut, sets some ship rations to smoke. Throws out the nets and retrieves some fish from the ones already in place. He's setting up the usual communal bonfire on the beach when footsteps approach.]

"You're up early."

[He hums in greeting, tending the flames. Or perhaps this hour is normal for them, given that he hasn't looked to see who it is.]


Spears and Stories [Closed to Roxas]

[The lack of a cook on board might be a problem for the Plus Ultra Crew, thankfully gathering the food is not. The shoals of fish that surround Hero's Rest are as plentiful as always. Their scales flash vividly even from a distance, vibrant in the sun.

The pair of former Organization members stand in kneedeep waters off the shoreline as they plan how best to approach. Sure they have nets to cast out but there's nothing wrong with a more direct means of hunting. Axel watches in amusement as Roxas ignores the obvious fishing implements to instead grab something a little more archaic: a spear.]

"No way. You're gonna fish with that? For real?"

[Axel knows HE didn't teach you that! But okay, he's in the mood to try something new today. He'll grab one too.]

"What other tricks have you picked up I don't know about?"

[Come to think of it, there's a lot he's never asked about when it comes to Roxas previous pirate adventures..]


Only Skin Deep [Beauty Fang Eel Quest | Closed to Lightning]

[Another day, another bounty.

Axel stands on the deck of a tiny rented sailboat, keeping his eyes peeled on the water. It was a hardy vessel; strong enough to charter out to the spot victims last dissapeared, but simplistic enough in size and complexity to be operated by two.

All the better to suprise their mark, who supposedly masqueraded as a beautiful woman and captivated sailors by luring them into the sea.

Axel knows what he's in for, knows he might be bait if rumors of the monster's appetite are to be believed. He doesn't mind. Can a husk even be charmed without a heart? The Nobody must admit he is morbidly curious. He darts an eye to his other companion, the only other person who arrived to take on this job.]

"Ever take on anything like this before?"

[Lightning. She looks seasoned enough. With a name like that she either has magic or at least is decently fast. There's nothing to worry about. If he gets caught up in anything his partner will finish the job. They'll have this fish gut and return their little sailboat before sundown.

Until then.. there's nothing to do but wait.]

Comments

[seasaltkeys]

I mean. I'm gonna try. Cid said it was possible.

[And now we know who to blame when this goes awry. Roxas has never done this before.]

A few things, I guess, but nothing like this.

I learned how to swim. There's that.

[emberized]

"Oh, so we're watching this in real time."

[Axel snickers, figuring how to grip the pole with a little more confidence after hearing that. They're on equal grounding then, May the better man win--!
Or at least catch something.]

"Well yeah, I know that one already."

[You are the one who yelled at him to learn to how to swim when he first arrived, after all.]

"But come on, you've gotta have some stories? Feel like there's a whole year in that noggin I don't know about."

[seasaltkeys]

[Here's hoping they do catch something, and not just a ride to the hospital.

He shrugs. He's not quite sure what to even say.]

Yeah, some. Mostly just, exploring with the old Plus Ultra crew and stuff like that.

I mean, is there something specific you want to know?

[emberized]

"Well.." [Axel muses, trying to get a handle on how to operate the weapon. Going single-handed was weird enough but something almost as long as he is tall just feels unwieldy.]

"Let's start there. You mentioned a Cid? Don't think I've ever met him. Part of the old crew?"

[He prompts, carefully aiming the spear away from them both to try a practice jab at the sand.]

"How didja meet?"

[seasaltkeys]

No, he's the old guy that runs the Hideaway Crew. He's been around as long as I have, I think.

He's pretty cool for an old guy though. He makes stuff. Toys even, and they're pretty fun.

[For all of his posturing, there are moments when Roxas remembers he's a kid.]

He taught me about fishing. The regular way.

[emberized]

"Toys eh?" [Not even their fellow tinkerer aboard the crew was known for crafting those, though one might think otherwise looking at Baymax.]

"That's pretty neat. Nanaki part of Hideaway too?"

[Slowly Axel is starting to put a picture of those early days together. Mostly though, it's just nice to know Roxas wasn't alone in this world on his own. Axel should have suspected as much. As quiet as Roxas could be, he never lacked the ability to win people over; it wasn't his fault the only ones around were a bunch of unfeeling jerks barely capable of being people at all.

The assassin draws an x in the sand to try another jab at. He misses the mark veering a little too far to the right, then steps aside and gestures for the blond to give it a go.]

"You travel with them a bit before your own boat?"

[seasaltkeys]

Yeah. I can show you some of them. He's got these dragons that can fight each other. It's cool.

[And maybe he needs to bring those out again.]

No, I think Nanaki's part of Avalanche, with Tifa.

[He shrugs, poking at the sand with his own spear, but not really for practice.]

Not really. I was just sort of around. At least until I joined Plus Ultra.

Fireside Sunrise

[refantasma]

I'm not big on sleep.

[Nico pads over to the fire, a little cold despite it being summer, but then, he always ran a little cold compared to most people.

He looks at Axel, one of the few members of the crew he hadn't really talked to, despite all his time on the same crew.]

Cooking breakfast?

Nicoooo <333

[emberized]

"For the most part."

[There are a few fish kabobs on the fire, a form of potatoes roasting, a pot with rice; a skillet with eggs and bacon. It's routine standard fair but no less appetizing for it.]

"Don't hold a candle to Ranma though. I'm still figuring this flavor thing out."

[He sits back, eyeing the visitor with his own interest.]

"Nico, right?"

Yo

[refantasma]

Well, I've never learned how to cook, so anything you make is good to me. I ate out of dumpsters while on the streets.

[He nods.]

Yup, that's me. And you're Axel.

[emberized]

"Dumpsters? Yeesh! and I thought I had palette problems."

[The Organization may not have had the most variety but the food was still passably food!]

"That's right." [He lilts, pleased as ever to just hear someone has his name memorized.]

"Heard you helped Roxas, when he went looking for me.."

[refantasma]

[Nico shrugs.]

It wasn't all bad. You'd be surprised how much good food gets wasted.

[He nods.]

Yup. At least you're distinctive to look for.

[emberized]

"That I can believe."

[Nico wasn't wrong there. You saw a lot of things when you usually watched other worlds instead of interacting with them.]

"Even without first chatting me up? Good to know I make such an impression."

[Usually what comes out of his mouth is what people say they remember. He smirks just a little smug over the fact.]

"Never thanked you for that."

[sparkstrikes]

[She insisted on steering the boat. It wasn't all that much different from steering anything else—just pick a spot on the horizon and go—so she had no troubles at all picking up what she needed to, having learned the rest about sailing in the last couple of months. She's anything if not completely thorough, and knowing how to sail a boat in a land made up almost entirely of water seemed like a good skill to have.

She's staring at their map when he asks her, glancing up only for a brief moment before her eyes sweep over it again.]

Plenty of beasts, yeah. Mostly other soldiers. Gods, even. But nothing like this.

[Some sea monster that can disguise itself as a woman to lure sailors? Yeah, no. This is new territory for her.]

You know what we're up against? You've been here longer than I have, right?

Heck yesss <3 lets FIGHT us a FISH!

[emberized]

[Axel hangs back, more than content to let Lightning have the wheel. If she wants to do all the work, it's no skin off his back. It's probably good that he's paying more attention to the waves; he can call out if she has her head too momentarily buried in that map to avoid anything unexpected.]

"Even Gods were nothing like this?" [Axel smirks, impressed, despite the tease. He doesn't miss the inclusion of 'other soldiers' either'; a military background like Zack then?]

"I've been here about a year now, but fighting off monsters used to be my day job."

[Among.. other 'ickier' parts of his profession.]

"I've seen things turn invisible or shift a bit, sure. Not much that kept up a disguise for long though."

[So he's in the same boat ha! as her, on that front. This wasn't like a heartless hiding within the dark of someone's heart, however. It's trickier. The brief really did have frustratingly little to go on. Axel's brow furrows thinking over the facts.]

"I will say this place has a way of making you see things when it wants you to. Makes you wonder if it's a trick caused by the environment, if the creature actually transforms,"

[The Ice caves of the Tundra or the Arena back on Sarht were prime examples of that.]

"..Or if some of those sailors were just out here way too long."

[sparkstrikes]

[She looks very unhappy about that.]

All the more reason to stay on guard. It's one thing to be fighting something twice your size, but having outright illusions? ... No thanks.

[Yeah, she hates this place. She decided that her first day and she's found very little reason to change her mind since then. She's just here for the money now. A girl's gotta eat, after all.]

Map said that there were sightings around here. Reports of boats gone missing, too. So... stay sharp. And away from the railing. Don't need you getting snatched off on my watch.

[emberized]

"Aw, you really concerned something's gonna nab me right off the bow?"

[Axel doubles down, turning to lean backwards against the rail to look at his surly companion instead.]

"At least we'd find it faster."

[Teasing though he is, his eyes never stop moving, scanning the horizon on all sides.]

"Map say anything about the time or weather this thing strikes at?"

[sparkstrikes]

[She just gives him a hard stare, as if to warn him not to test her, but yes, she is concerned. She may be surly but she still cares!]

Well, if you really wanna be bait, then by all means, but don't say I didn't warn you.

[At least he's got her to watch his back—]

But no. Not really. Just marks on the map for where sightings of something eel-like has been spotted, and match that with the shipwrecks... and we've got ourselves a lady.

[emberized]

"Follow the wreckage, find the baddie. Simple enough."

[Axel has to give her that. The method is straightforward but effective. The redhead squints a minute.]

"Speaking of.."

[A light rain squall had been concealing it, a fine mist kicked up over the waves in its wake, but the shadow of something large and bobbing along in the water looms in the distance.

The closer they approach, the easier it is to make out it's shape. What's left of it: Another ship. Upon closer inspection, it looks to be slightly bigger than the one they helm. It's mast is broken, and it drifts derelict in the waters with debris floating around it.

Eerily silent, for one that surely needed more people to operate than theirs.]

"It say anything about that one?"

[..because it's not 'missing' anymore.]

Fireside Sunrise

[dawnshore]

[ Riku wouldn't say he's an early riser, feeling far more comfortable in the dark of night than others would be - but he does enjoy the occasional sunrise in addition to the sunsets. So there are days when he gets up early enough to catch it, not that he sleeps in very late on the regular in the first place.

There's something about having that quiet moment before the hustle and bustle of the crew stirs to just take in. He made his way down to the beach after seeing movement and finds Axel there. ]

I could say the same about you. [ He watches Axel tend the fire for a moment before moving to take a seat on the sand nearby. ] Something on your mind this morning?

Perfect icon is perfect

[emberized]

"Actually, no. For once." [He laughs, somewhat in disbelief about it himself.]

"Can't remember the last time that was."

[He takes a moment poking at and rearranging the kindling to carry a flame without his assistance, before turning keen, curious eyes on the visitor.

Riku... Riku was many things. A former enemy, the 'other' keyblade wielder, Sora's handler. Axel had been plenty accepting of the youth as an ally. A sort of non-negotiable member of the crew he knew would not be up for debate, yet it occurs to him, that much like Sora, he never thought to extend things to anything more than that. That Riku might know his future self as well as he apparently does. Well enough to call even Isa a friend. It's eye opening and a sort of laidback curiosity colors the redhead's gaze as he ponders just who actually is sitting with him right now, from a different perspective.
He quirks a lazy smile.]

"That sound crazy?"

right? he's such a beach boi

[dawnshore]

[ Riku shakes his head at the question, everyone needs a moment of quiet in their own head. ]

No, it doesn't sound crazy. I think this world could easily be a respite from our own.

[ He looks over at Axel with a faint smile. ]

Even if there's a lot to do around here, it's not the same kind of weight we'd have on our shoulders in our world.

[emberized]

"Heh. Got that right!"

[Even if Axel combined his first several years in the Organization into one, he still might have lived and relaxed more this past year alone.]

"Speaking of getting things right... think you and Sora mighta been. About Saix, I mean." [He murmurs with a frown.] "Had a bit of monster trouble, and what does that jerk do? He brings me medicine and stays with me till I'm feeling better!"

[He huffs, as if it's the biggest inconvenience in the world. His brows furrow, torn between wanting to frown or smile and settling somewhere between as he fixates on the ground.]

"Talk about.. lousy."

[dawnshore]

[ Riku raises an eyebrow curiously when Axel says he and Sora might have been right. While he can probably guess what it's about, he remains quite to let Axel explain and get it off his chest. ]

Lousy? Which part, exactly?

[ It's asked for elaboration, about what about that Axel feels is lousy.

Yeah, Roxas probably has issues with Saix (guy is good at holding onto grudges). But it sounds like Saix was being properly helpful - if not very confusing to someone missing memories of events to come. ]

[emberized]

[Axel shakes his head. Poured a little too much sarcasm into that one, it seems. He smirks to dismiss Riku's concerns.]

"Me, probably."

[Lousy for being so wrong, lousy of Saix for being so hard to keep the animosity up with.]

"I mean, how's a guy supposed to hold a grudge when the other goes and does a thing like that, huh?"

[So, congrats! Being proven wrong has never been better. It's so tempting to just be grateful for this chance, as much as any in this place, but something still nags at him. Had Axel any inkling this side of Saix still existed, he.. he would have never...]

".. He wasn't like this."