paixaorpg | A Reunion Long in Coming [Active]

Entry tags:

A Reunion Long in Coming [Active]

Characters: Ash, Marona, and Death
Content: The title says it all. XD; Death takes Ash to meet with Marona.
Setting: Near Auntie Unde's [H7]
Time: Evening
Warnings: Unbelievable cuteness?

The walk had been rather short. Auntie Unde's, it seemed, was much closer than Death had originally thought. A good thing, too - he'd thought the ghost next to him would burst with excitement if the walk had taken any longer than it had.

He'd seen a ghost do that before, actually. The explosion was a rather interesting phenomenon, though Death didn't believe it would be such a good thing in the present situation.

ACCORDING TO THE MAP, THAT IS AUNTIE UNDE'S, he said to Ash, gesturing to a building several blocks ahead of them. MARONA SHOULD BE THERE. He kept his pace the same as it had been the entire trip: steady but quick. They should be there shortly.

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Marona obediently waited outside the shop at first, but as time went on she grew restless. It wasn't long before she was on her feet, puttering back and forth between either side of the street, trying to get a better look down it, hoping to catch a glimpse of who she was waiting for. Waiting for anything when one is excited always seems to take twice as long.

Ash... Ash had come back! It was almost too good to be true, and she was a little worried in the back of her mind that perhaps she was being tricked somehow, but then only Miss Karst knew Ash was a phantom, and the person who'd found him had mentioned that fact (well, he said "ghost" specifically, but that had been close enough) without her saying a word. Miss Karst wouldn't have mentioned it to anyone... so... it had to be true then, right?

While it wasn't as cold as it had been when Marona had first arrived, she still kept the coat she'd been bought on, as it was certainly chillier here than Ivoire, well, except Frigidia. Digging into it's pocket she withdrew her journal, checking it in case there'd been anything else posted about Ash, but there was nothing.

Returning it to her pocket, she once more scanned those walking up and down the street. No... no... that was a funny looking hat... no... no... "Eh?!" she said aloud in spite of herself, as she did a double-take, as she couldn't help BUT notice Death in the near distance before he was obstructed from view by a couple of residents walking along. Trying to peer around all those in the way, she blinked as something else caught her eye. Did she just see someone wearing yellow? Could it be...?

Ash nodded half-heartedly, his attention was drawn away from Death for once. His eyes darted back and forth across the street, he would spot Marona the moment he saw a fiber of her, he was sure of it. As a phantom, vision and hearing were his most important senses... and some of the only ones he had left. Even now, he was beginning to notice particular things about Paixao that he wouldn't have noticed before. Really, it wasn't that he didn't care about others, his mind was just focused on one thing and one thing only.

Certainly, if he wasn't already a spirit, Ash would have tripped and landed on his face by now. His anxiety was getting to him, and he knew he was being careless. None of that mattered, even though he knew Marona was okay... that wasn't enough to him. He didn't like believing anything others had to say unless he could see it with his own eyes. This was definitively one of those moments.

... Marona. Marona was here! He could feel it.
Even in a sea of people, they would still remain close to each other. At that moment, his eye caught the fainted glimmer of green. A familiar green, if he had a heart it would have stopped for that brief moment.

"Ma-..." His voice was barely a whisper, "Marona?"

Not knowing exactly who he was looking for, Death was scanning the crowd, looking not for the picture that had accompanied the messages on his journal, but for anybody with a name. In this sea of Paixaoans, it would be easier to spot a name than it would a face.

He caught sight of that name right as Ash whispered it. YES, he said simply. SHE IS THERE. I CAN SEE HER. She was still several blocks away, but that was a problem easily solved.

As was getting her attention. MARONA, he called, his voice rising not in volume but in intensity. It would travel those few blocks easily.

She didn't even need Death's call to alert her of their prescence, well Ash's rather. Moments before it had hit her, a familiar sensation. "Ash..." she whispered softly to herself. Happiness and a relief bubbled up inside her. Ash was here! Like Ash, Marona could feel it.

The sudden voice calling her name made her jerk a bit and glance around, but she could not see who it was had said it. That wasn't Ash's voice... but... he was here! He was close! Perhaps it belonged to the person who she had spoken to on the journals? That must be it! She sprung into motion, weaving as quickly as she could through the busy street.

"Ash!" she called out, hoping he'd respond.

Like Marona, Ash took the opportunity to spring into action. He dashed through Paixaoans like a marathon, carelessly at some points. At that moment, it didn't matter much the discomfort they would feel from a sudden chill of a phantom moving through their bodies - Marona was nearby and so close. To the left? No... no, just a little further to the right, it was--

It was a moment that seemed to slow down for a second, perhaps time just favored them at this point. Ash's anxieties and worries came to a halt, his face lit up at that second. It was true! She was safe, they were safe. Why was Marona even here-- why was he here? He wasn't sure, but for now, for this instant, it didn't matter.

"...Marona!"

He stopped infront of her and opened his mouth to ask a few thousand questions. Stopping himself, he decided against it and just smiled.

Perhaps a scolding would be in order, but for now... he was just happy to see her.

Intangibility (rather involuntarily) gone, Death had abit more difficulty getting through the crowd of Paixaoans than Ash had. Still he followed, watching the only two names in the crowd of nameless move closer to one another and finally halt next to one another.

Little as he knew about human habit and manner, Death still understood that this was not a conversation in which he should be involved, and so he stopped and stood to the side, letting the crowd pass between he and the reunited pair. If they needed him, the would ask for him.

Almost... almost! She was so close! And then there he was, in front of her! It was kind of strange to have been going through this all over again. It was kind of like deja-vu... except it had actually happened. It didn't stop her from being any less relieved to see him though, if not more so.

"Ash!" she cried as she stopped before him. Marona would have likely hugged him if she could, but for now she made do with looking up at him, a oh-so-relieved smile on her face. She'd been so worried that something awful had happened to him, but here he was perfectly okay.

While Ash didn't yet have questions, Marona did. "You're okay! W-where did you go? Why did you leave me?" she asked him, desperate to know what had happened to him a week or so before when he'd mysteriously vanished.

Ash's smile quickly turned into a somewhat of a pout, was she accusing him of leaving her?! He placed his hands at his hips, he replied, "M-Marona! What are you talking about, I didn't leave you! We were-" he paused for a moment, that's right. They were supposed to be taking on Sulphur! "Sulphur! We were-... Everyone's waiting for us, we have to go back home, Marona!"

This was bad, he had completely forgotten at this point. Marona's safe, but that doesn't mean it'll last long with Sulphur terrorizing. He had to admit, this was all rather confusing. One moment, he was with Marona, dealing with the situation that was currently happening in Ivoire, the next moment he was brought here and Marona blames him for leaving her!

Ash placed a hand to his forehead and drew out a breath. It was a force of habit he found he didn't completely get rid of as a phantom. This was all rather sudden. Marona was difficult at times, it took him a while to fully deal with her honesty and simplicity. After a few seconds of thought, he regained his composure and calmly replied, "I don't really know what's going on, but now that we're together we should take this a step at a time. You're not hurt, are you?"

He lend out a hand for her to hold, it would be bad if they were to get lost in this crowd, now.

Marona's face turned very confused as Ash spoke of home and a name she didn't recognize. Who was Sulpur? Who was everyone? And what did he mean he hadn't left her? He'd been here, then gone. He'd vanished, there was no doubt of that. Did he not remember?

"O-oh, no, I'm alright!" Marona replied his question, when he'd calmed down a bit. She wasn't sure what was going on either, but they'd soon figure it out. She was back with Ash, and that was enough for her. Marona just truly hoped he wouldn't vanish again.

Catching sight of his offered hand, and right away reached out to take it as she most certainly didn't want to get separated either. Paixao was a big place, something she knew all too well. Getting lost in it was far too easy. "But Ash... Who's Sulphur?" she asked him, curiously.

His mouth had to be gaping slightly.

Did she-
She did! No, there's no way she--

Ash kneeled, and - as if magic - made himself visible though Marona's energy. As if out of thin air, this young man appeared to any Paixaoans that had taken the misfortune of watching. Certainly, they didn't seem to notice or care (Much to Ash's relief, causing a scene now would be bad.), but then again they were being accompanied by the personification of Death itself.

Now that he was visible and slightly tangible, Ash placed his hands on Marona's shoulders and gave her a look once over. She looked fine, did she hit her head on something when he wasn't looking? He gently placed his hand on her forehead, nothing felt different about her either. He shook his head and - after thoroughly being satisfied that nothing was wrong with her - he took her hand again and stood.

"Marona, have you gone mad?" Ash groaned, his face crinkled with frustration, "Sulphur! Sienna, Castile... everyone's counting on us to get rid of him! ..." he stopped for a moment and winced, "There really isn't much time, we have to go back to the Island of Evil!"

It then hit him, the Organization... maybe they had done something to Marona! Those bastards, they wouldn't have dared touch her-! The marbles in her head, had they rearranged them in a sort of order that made cosmic sense to everyone but Ivoirians!? Had they wiped her memories in a torturous experiment involving feathers? His panic set in, this could be seriously bad. Death said Marona was safe, why doesn't she remember?!

"We have to go back home, there's something not right about this place at all. It's probably making you lose your memory!" Ash yelled, the worries of an older brother certainly never ceased, not even for one second. He huffed and tugged Marona gently along.

Death was, to say the least, confused. Ash didn't strike him as the calmest person this side of the domes, but he didn't quite understand why the phantom was acting so upset. This sort of mixed message happened all the time, if the journals were anything to judge by. It was entirely possible-

Oh.

It struck Death that maybe Ash didn't know about that particular aspect of Paixao.

IT IS ENTIRELY POSSIBLE SHE IS FROM A DIFFERENT TIME THAN YOU, he said simply. It made perfect sense.

Marona could only stare at Ash confusedly as he kneeled down in front of her acting like there was something wrong. Castile? Sulphur? She knew Sienna... which made it almost even more baffling. She hadn't seen Sienna recently.

The Island of Evil... That name she did know of, or more to the point that it was somewhere to avoid. Her parents had died there. For what possible reason would they be going to the Island of Evil?

Before she could get a word in, he'd grabbed her hand and started leading her along. "B-but Ash... I haven't forgotten anything!" Marona said with a soft whimper, not understanding where this was all coming from.

"Don't you remember coming here? You were here with me! Then you disapeared..." she explained, as she walked along behind him, trying not to stumble on the cobblestones, clutching his hand tightly.

She then glanced to Death, his words impossible not to hear. A different time? Yes, Marona had read about that in the journals! So... Ash here was from some time in her future? It could be like Ed! Ed had come back and he was older and didn't remember being here muchless remember her. Could that be what was happening?

A different time?

Ash paused, he turned to face Death. Was this a joke? It was rather difficult not to take notice of him whenever he spoke, Ash was certainly not one to ignore it either. He looked back at Marona now, he knew the kind of face she was giving him. It was the same look she had when she couldn't understand the newspaper article he was reading during breakfast. Confusion, some would call it.

Then again, he too probably had that look on his face. "Marona..." He looked around at the surrounding buildings, they were clearly new to him, "I've never been here before!"

Marona's face told such a story. He knew she wasn't lying, why would she? She was a terrible liar, anyway. If even a single detail of her story was wrong, he'd get suspicious. He felt no such suspicion here, but... how? Time travel wasn't possible, it wasn't even something that ever crossed his mind! A simple fairy tale or fantastic story about mad scientists and their inventions, but--

...Then again, he looked at his company, the embodiment of Death and sighed. He let go of Marona's hand and crossed his arms to think. Think... think. This was really starting to get annoying.

"You seem to know more than I would," Ash commented towards Death, "Just what is going on here? Are you saying Marona and I are from different times?"

YES, Death replied. Evidently Ash was coming to understand the situation after all.

Well. To a point, at least. With recent misunderstandings in mind, he decided to elaborate upon his answer. IN SOME INSTANCES, PEOPLE ARRIVE IN THIS CITY FROM DIFFERENT POINTS ON THEIR RESPECTIVE TIMELINES. IT SEEMS THE EVENTS YOU REMEMBER HAVE NOT YET HAPPENED FOR MARONA. He tapped one finger against another pensively. IT HAPPENS MORE OFTEN THAN ONE WOULD THINK, THOUGH I DO NOT BELIEVE IT IS SOMETHING TO WORRY ABOUT.

As Ash had realized, there was no signs of deception on the young girls face. Marona had no doubt Ash had been here, but why he'd vanished, she still had no idea. No one seemed to know just why people mysteriously vanished, no more than they'd worked out how they were brought here. This place was such a strange mystery. It seemed like it almost belonged in a story book.

Marona slowly nodded after Death had 'spoken', looking from Death to Ash. "I met a couple people who disappeared... then they came back, but... they didn't remember me at all," she explained, voice turning a little sad. The two brothers had been very nice to her, she especially getting along with Alphonse. It was sad to think they'd never remember her.

Did this mean even one day she'd return home and forget all this happened too?

She couldn't decide if that was a good thing or bad thing. There was much she'd already like to forget about this place, but there'd also been things-people she'd hate to forget.

It was all rather sad really.

Right.

Time travel.

That certainly cleared everything up. Ash looked up and sighed, was this really not a joke? He wondered, could phantoms possibly get headaches? No, no of course not. That would require the flow of blood to be constricted and pulse through one's head. Certainly, he was feeling like his mind would burst at any moment, but it was only that - a feeling.

Another sigh. He was going to have to get used to this.

"Whatever," he finally spoke. Ash reached down to take Marona's hand again, "It doesn't matter. Marona's Marona to me. It doesn't matter what time she's from or what time I'm from."

He looked at her and smiled.

"All that matters is that we're together, right?"

INDEED, Death agreed with Marona's assessment. I TOO HAVE HAD MY COMPANIONS DISAPPEAR FROM THIS PLACE. He'd still not seen any sign of Kit, but he watched the journal network. If Kit reappeared, he'd check in there.

Death had never been one to figure out human emotions - he didn't have them himself, after all, so it was rather hard to empathize - but it was obvious Ash and Marona had a bit to catch up on, and in his experience most humans tended not to want an outside party listening in while they did so. It was time for him to leave.

IT WAS NICE TO MEET THE BOTH OF YOU, he echoed a human sentiment he'd once heard. It seemed to be the right thing to say. I WOULD RECOMMEND GETTING A JOURNAL FOR ASH BEFORE LONG, he added to Marona. FAREWELL. There was no reason to remain with these two any longer; he left.

And to Death, that was all there was to it.

[Took me long enough, but that's an exit for Death. Have fun, y'all~]

Marona blinked a little, looking up at Ash as she closed her hand around his. That's right. It didn't matter! Not at all! Ash was Ash, not matter where or when he came from, and they were together. Everything would be okay now. She wasn't alone.

"Mmm! Together!" she replied, smiling back up at her guardian.

"A-ah, thank you very much for your help!" she called after Death, as he turned and left so prompty. It was rather odd, thanking Death, but she tried not to think of that particular detail. He was certainly very polite for Death though.

She turned then back to Ash, looking back up at him. A journal for Ash? It might be a good idea. She didn't always understand everything that went on in them, but Ash would be able to far better.

"So... What now, Ash?" Marona asked softly. She hadn't really considered that till now that they were standing here.

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A Reunion Long in Coming [Active]

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