paixaorpg | Wandering...wondering... [Closed/Complete]

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Wandering...wondering... [Closed/Complete]

Character(s): Sora, Donald, Goofy, Rinoa.
Content: Sora collapses, and he is helped by Donald, Goofy, and Rinoa, who joins them. After waking up, Sora runs off to find what is causing the disturbance in Paixao, while the rest spend the night at the hotel.
Setting: The streets between Auntie Unde's and Actua Are
Time: Nightime, Day 1
Warnings: None so far

Sora shivered. Wherever they were (he decided not to ask anyone -- previous experience told him he would be thought a fool), it was quite chilly. He hoped they would find a place with warm, clean water soon, but that didn't seem to be likely. Everything around the trio was dirty, run-down, and generally unpleasant. Sora decided to try asking for help.

"Excuse me," he said politely, approaching a woman on the street. She was oddly pale, with blue eyes and stringy blonde hair. "Would you happen to know any place where I could wash my jacket?" Sora finished.

The woman stared at him for a moment, scoffed, and then walked away. "Hey!" Donald shouted, his quick temper rising again. "He was talking to you, so don't just walk away!" The woman ignored him.

"Stupid lady," muttered the former duck as he turned to his friends. "So, where to?"

"I guess we should find a place to stay," Sora thought. It was getting late, and the temperature wasn't rising. He started walking down the street, the other two following.

"We also need to find the keyhole," Sora said after a while.

"D'ya think this place really has one?" Goofy asked. The other two stopped, turning to him. "What do you mean by that?!" Donald demanded.

Goofy lowered his head, looking a bit bashful. "Well, it's just...look around! This ain't a normal world we're in. Haven'tya wondered where the animals and trees are? And these imitations...they're kinda creepy."

'No doubt about that,' Sora thought. 'Why put statues of things that don't exist in this world, or don't seem to at least? And the fake grass, what's that for?'

"So, what are you saying, Goofy?" Sora pressed.

"Well," the taller being answered, "...maybe...this isn't a real world."

"No way!" Donald asserted. "This is a real world if I ever saw one!"

"But how do you know?" Goofy asked.

"Because I say so!"

"I agree," Sora said. "It's not a fake world, but it's not exactly an unnatural one either. In any case, I think we should continue looking for a place to stay. A good night's sleep will do us some good." With that, the three of them walked on.

--

It seemed like hours before they actually found anything. What they saw in front of them was a large building. "Actua Are," Sora read. "Hey, guys, this looks like a hotel!"

"Well, finally!" Donald shouted. "We've been walking forever! Let's go!"

The three of them headed top speed for Actua Are, huge grins plastered on their faces. Sora, for one, was ecstatic, and he didn't know why. Nothing extraordinary had happened, or at least nothing that he hadn't experienced before. They had only been in the city for less than a day, and yet the keywielder felt so happy.

And then...it all went away.

Sora felt a pang in his heart, and then another and another, until his chest became a constant ache. His hand flew to his heart and he gasped. He couldn't breathe right. He stumbled and called the Keyblade to support himself. His vision started fading, and he thought he was losing consciousness.

'What's...happening to me?' he panicked in his mind. 'My heart...feels terrible! Everything's...going...dark...'

And suddenly, it dawned on him. Darkness, terrible darkness. It was here, in this world, and it was so powerful. It took Sora a while to realize why the darkness was affecting him so much this time.

'It's got someone,' he thought. 'Someone close to me. Someone I care about. Someone who's more connected to me now than ever before. Riku! Kairi!'

He vaguely heard Goofy panicking, Donald shouting for help. By now, his consciousness was so far gone that Sora was barely aware of anything but the pain he was in. He felt himself being lifted and taken somewhere (he could only assume it was the hotel). His eyes fluttered for a moment, and ultimately closed.

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It had been a long day. One that had been filled with shock, pain, curiosity and above all, confusion; thrust into a world with no one to guide you, no one to ask for help. The residents of Paixao were of no help, preferring to mind their own business than to help anyone in need. The new arrivals, particularly, were at the brunt of this. Rinoa felt it through her still damp clothing and the general feeling of unease she got from the expressionless crowd.

After her brief encounter with Tamao, Yuuko and Yuuko's strange companion Mokona, she had continued on with the intent of taking the train. She had soon realized (after checking her pockets) that she didn't have enough to take the train to any distanced location.

Rinoa sighed, hugging her body tighter and groaning inwardly as night began to descend upon the city. Her situation was becoming more and more critical as each second passed by. It was going to be cold tonight, at least freezing if she was lucky. She needed to find shelter or, at least, a warm blanket to huddle under for the night; hypothermia wasn't an option. The raven-haired teen trudged on, boots sliding across cobblestone.

She had one destination in mind, one she had spotted on the map in her electronic journal: Acuta Are, the only hotel near the train station. Rinoa had an idea. It consisted of washing dishes and earning money for mobility, clothes and, the most needed one of all, food. The teen smiled at the thought, quickening her pace. The Hotel was only a few blocks away at most; she would make it before it began to get cold.

Soon the large building loomed above her, the sign reading Acute Are Hotel. Rinoa breathed a sigh of relief, grinning up at the building. Finally, she could pause to rest for a while, maybe even get a good night's sleep!

As she climbed the steps she suddenly heard a terrified... quack!? At least it sounded like a quack, or a terribly hoarse person. Either way, it startled Rinoa causing her to look around for the source of the shout. She soon spotted three figures just down the street from her, one hunched over and the others close by. She blinked then realized that what she was looking at was a boy around her age, a mutated dog and an oversized duck; it was the strangest thing she had ever seen, even topping Mokona on the list. Rinoa shook her head and looked up again, just to make sure what she was looking at wasn't a hallucination -- it wasn't.

It soon dawned on Rinoa that the boy had, obviously, fainted and she felt a sudden urge to ask the duo if they needed assistance. Rinoa wasn't quite sure what she could aid them with but, she decided, it was better than standing there with an expressionless face; she hated the residents of Paixao. Raising her hand, she called out to them as they approached.

"Hey! Is he ok? Do you need any help?" She said, voice friendly and willing. She cast a glance at the boy and spotted the large key soon after. Was it a weapon...?

Rinoa swayed suddenly, stumbling backwards a bit to regain her footing. She felt strange, as if someone had placed a hand on her chest and began pressing. It was unmistakably dark energy and quite a bit of it at that. Being of magic inclination, the dark haired teen was quite sensitive to disturbances in energy fields. Rinoa glanced back towards the direction she felt it was coming from, eyes narrowed. Something or someone had just arrived in Paixao and they had a few interesting stories to tell, proverbially speaking of course...

{OOC: Donald and Goofy are human now (http://community.livejournal.com/paixaorpg/3513.html?thread=49337#t49337), FYI :) I had to (http://community.livejournal.com/paixaoooc/11356.html) > >}

Donald and Goofy looked up, their gazes focused on the girl approaching them. She seemed so much warmer and kinder than the other people in the city, not to mention she looked nothing like them. The two then looked at each other and nodded.

"If ya don't mind..." Goofy began, "could you help us carry him into the hotel? Donald's too short, and I can't hold him while standing straight." He ignored his friend's outcry of, "Too short?!"

"I'm Goofy, and that's Donald," the taller one continued. "And this guy here is Sora." He shook Sora slightly, but received no response. "If ya can't help us, that's fine. We'll just manage like we always do!" Despite what had happened, Goofy hadn't lost his wacky optimism.

Rinoa was snapped out of her thoughts as the duo spoke, replying to her offer. She turned to face them once more, light blue duster swinging behind her and boots scraping on the stone. She wouldn't let her nerves get to her, not yet at least. Rinoa flashed them a grin and bowed her head in acknowlagement.

"Of course I don't mind! I offered didn't I?" She said, walking down the steps and towards the duo (well, trio if you counted the unconscience Sora). She stopped next to them, grabbing Sora's free arm and slinging it over her shoulders, hoisting him up. Rinoa spoke as she adjusted his weight, "Nice to meet you Goofy, Donald and.. uh, Sora." The teen said, motioning to the unresponcive boy before looking up again, offering her name. "I'm Rinoa Heartilly."

She adjusted the boy's weight a little more before glancing sideways at Goofy and Donald. "Let's get him inside, shall we?"

Goofy grinned. "Thankya very much ma'am...I mean Miss Hertilly." He helped her carry his unconscious friend and together they entered the hotel, Donald following beside them. Once inside, the three of them headed to a hallway so as not to attract attention. They placed Sora gently on the ground.

"So...were you one of the ones who just arrived here?" Goofy asked, trying to start a conversation. "Wherever 'here' is," he added.

Donald hit his companion on the back of the head with his staff. "You big dummy!" he yelled. "Who cares about her?! We need to help Sora!"

"Oh...okay..." Goofy muttered. He looked up at Rinoa, apology all over his face.

After placing Sora on the ground in a secluded hallway, Rinoa took a brief second to look around. It was a nice hotel, not flourishing and extravigant by any means but nice; comfortable would be a good word for it. Rinoa sighed lightly, grateful to be out of the cold and in the warm building.

She turned back to the duo and smiled, nodding at Goofy's question. The teen opened her mouth to reply but was cut off by Donald. She closed her mouth with a light snap, giving Donald an indignant glance before looking down at Sora.

'What to do... what to do..' She thought, flipping through the options in her mind. One continuiously kept popping up: cure him, you're a mage! But, despite the fact that she was a mage, she doubted herself. Rinoa had not had any formal training and she wasn't even sure her magic would work correctly, if at all, in this world, realm... whatever; she didn't want to take the chance of hurting him.

"I think we need to get a cold compress and some water.." She said, offering her second option as a possible solution.

"Cold" was the first that Donald really heard, and that's what he was sticking to. "Blizzaga!" he shouted, pointing his attack at Sora's discarded jacket. The garment ended up completely frozen, and completely useless.

"Oops...hehehe..." Donald muttered. Goofy slapped his forehead. "Now what made ya think that was gonna work?!" he said. "All that happened was...hey, he's wakin' up!"

It was true. Sora's eyes fluttered, then widened. He sat up, looking a bit woozy. His gaze turned to Rinoa and he stared at her for a moment, not really focusing on what he saw. He then turned his head to Goofy. "Where are we?"

"Actua Are Hotel!" Goofy replied triumphantly. "And Sora, this lady here's Rinoa Heartilly. She helped us get you in here, ahyuck!"

Sora looked at the young woman, actually seeing her for the first time, and smiled warmly. "Thank you, Rinoa," he said. "I'm Sora." He extended his hand, wanting her to shake it.

Rinoa almost panicked when she heard Donald shout the incantation for Blizzaga, hoping he wasn't pointing it at Sora. To her utter relief, the spell hit Sora's jacket, freezing it over like a icicle. The teen blinked and stared at him, giving him a curious look as Goofy baped him over the head. 'Why would freezing a jacket help to wake Sora? Did he even hear a word I said?' She thought, turning her attention back to the now awakening Sora.

A warm smile flashed across her features once more as the boy glanced at her, obviously trying to comprehend what had just occured. She recalled when she had first woken up outside the gates of Joutenhiem; it had been quite overwhelming. At the inquiry of their location and the mention of her name, she looked over at him and smiled, extending her hand to grasp his lightly in greeting, giving it a few shakes. "It was no problem at all, Sora."

Sora stared at Rinoa. He felt like he could trust her, so he decided to ask a bold question.

"Rinoa...did you feel anything just now? It was something dark, and very, very powerful." He sat there, awaiting her answer. No matter what her answer, Sora felt that he had to investigate what was going on. A second opinion would just help him detect how troublesome whatever was going on might be.

Rinoa was silent for a few moments as Sora's question ran through her mind; he had felt it too. Was he a mage of some sort? Or perhaps there was something more behind his boyish appearance that she couldn't sense. Whatever the case, Rinoa felt it was safe to tell him the truth.

"...Yes, as a matter of fact, I did." She took a deep breath, previous worries surfacing again; what they were speaking of was indeed quite powerful. "It felt like...like darkness itself."

Darkness. That settled it. Sora stood up, a bit shaky on his feet. Once he gained his balance, he swung the Keyblade over his shoulder and turned to his companions.

"You guys...I have to go. It's my duty to resolve whatever's going on over there." He turned to Rinoa, sincere appreciation in his eyes. "Thank you for all that you've done, Rinoa. I can't ask you to come with me. I don't now how bad it may get, and I'd hate it if you got hurt on my account."

If he insulted the girl, he truly didn't mean to. Even though she was older than the key wielder, Sora had no idea whether or not she had ever faced darkness before, only that she could feel it. 'And what sort of "thank you would that be,' he thought, 'if she got hurt trying to help me?'

"Donald, Goofy," Sora continued. "I want you guys to stay and keep Rinoa company." He smiled. "Being in a new world all by yourself can be pretty scary, so it's nice to have other people to be with." 'Plus, they can protect her if anything comes while I'm away,' he added mentally.

Goofy saluted Sora, determination etched across his face. "Will do, commander!" he said. Donald just rolled his eyes. "Ah, phooey," he said, but showed no sign of ignoring Sora's wishes.

Sora chuckled at Donald's reluctance. He seemed angry often times, but he really was a good person deep down. Sora grinned and took off, waving at his friends, old and new.

"Bye, guys! Don't worry about me, I'll be fine! I'll try back to you, so stay put!" And with those final words, Sora disappeared into the lobby.

If Rinoa's worry had been high before, it was through the roof now. Darkness, it was what she had felt when she had saw that beady-eyed shadow-looking thing in her house only moments before she arrived here; it now had a word to it. Rinoa snapped out of her reverie and watched as Sora got to his feet, wobbling slightly but able to stay up.

A frown crossed her expression as Sora told them what he was gearing up to do and how she, and his friends, fit into the equation. She opened her mouth to speak but shut it again as Sora continued, not wanting to innerupt him. She cast a glance towards Donald and Goofy and watched as Goofy readily agreed and Donald grumbled; he didn't protest either. How could they just let him run straight into, what Rinoa now considered, danger? Whatever had caused the stir in the atmosphere was obviously not something to be taken lightly.

When Rinoa finally decided to speak, she looked up only to find him gone, lost amidst the crowd in the hotel's lobby. 'Great...' She looked over at Goofy, then to Donald before looking down at her hands.

"..."

Goofy looked down at Rinoa, her expression telling him everything. "Aw, don't worry about Sora!" he said. "He's done this type of stuff loads of times before. As long as he has that Keyblade you saw, he should emerge victorious!"

"He's right," Donald added, not letting Rinoa protest. "Sora may not look it, what with his dorky hair and all, but he's gotta be the strongest kid in the universe. And if anything happens, remember, he's got light on his side!"

The two stood there smiling, trying their best to appear optimistic in order to lift their teenaged companion's spirits. In truth, the two of them were worried sick, and they always were.

But their words were true. Sora had light on side, and light had never failed him.

Rinoa couldn't help but smile as they finished, looking up at them with a grin. She was still worried but if his friends were going to try and be optimistic, she'd be damned if she wasn't going to try as well. Chuckling softly, she stood, glancing back at the lobby before turning back to the duo once more.

"Alright, I'll take your word for it." She said. Rinoa then waved a hand in the direction of the front desk. "Well what do you guys say to getting a room and some food?" The teen said with a grin, knowing that Donald and Goofy were probably just as tired and hungry as she was.

Satisfied that Rinoa wasn't going to press the issue further, the two stood back and grinned. It was only when she mentioned food that their stomachs began to rumble, reminding the two that they hadn't eaten or slept all day.

"Ahyuck, sounds like a good idea!" Goofy said. Donald sighed. "Well, I hope you've got some money, ya big palooka! Sora took all of ours!"

Rinoa blinked and sighed, shaking her head before laughing. These two were amusing and that kept her mind off of her worry... for now. Glancing back once more, she grinned and pulled out a some gil, waving it in the air. "Well I think I have enough for a room or two. Depends on the going rate at this hotel. Hold on, I'll be right back."

She turned and began walking off towards the Front Desk, motioning for the duo to stay there for the time being. Upon reaching her destination, Rinoa smiled at the receptionist and spoke in a warm tone. "A double please." The lady behind the counter began to type away at the computer before turning to Rinoa again. The teen pulled out the money and set it on the dest in exchange for the key. She hoped the guys wouldn't mind sharing a room with her, she couldn't afford two of them plus food for the group.

Walking back, she jingled the key and motioned for them to follow. Their room was just down the hall and to the left. "I got a double. Hope you guys don't mind."

When Rinoa left, Donald and Goofy considered this a good time to talk about more important matters...

Goofy decided to initiate the conversation. "D'ya think the decor of the room will be nice? I'm hoping something like it was back at the castle, but that's highly-"

"Moron!" Donald interrupted. "We've got more important matters to worry about, like just who this Rinoa girl is!"

"Well, gawrsh, she's pretty friendly!" Goofy said, smiling. "But ya know, there is something that's been bugging me. Sora said he felt darkness, right? So where are all the heartless?"

Donald thought about this for a moment but stopped when Rinoa returned. The two of them tried their best to look unsuspicous, as if they hadn't just had a sort of serious conversation. At her mention of a double room, Goofy, of course, grinned. "Works just fine!" he said as the two followed her to their room, which was not far from where they began.

Rinoa opened the door with ease, walking into the room and flicking on the lights with her finger. It wasn't luxorious by any means but it would serve it's purpose. Rinoa smiled and sat down on the nearest bed, running a hand over the warm sheets; she would sleep well tonight, at least she hoped.

The teen slipped off her shoes and pulled her legs up to sit cross-legged on the bed. She placed her hands on her knees and grinned. "So where did you guys come from? It's obvious you're not from around here..."

The two followed Rinoa into the room. Thankful for a place to stay for the night. It was getting late, and they were both exhausted, but they were up for a little before-bedtime chat.

"Well...we come from a place called Disney Castle," Goofy began. "And it's the best place you could ever be! It's beautiful, with a huge garden, and the best people like the King and Queen Minnie--"

"And Daisy..." Donald said, a dreamy look in his eyes. Goofy chuckled. "But then, one day, the king just disappeared, so we left to find him!"

"It's a pretty long story, and I'm sure you'd be bored if we got into it," Donald said. "Plus, we're more interested in hearing about you!" Goofy continued. The two ended their brief biography and focused their full attention at the teenaged girl,

(ooc; I hope you guys don't mind but I think we should probably start wrapping this up...? )

Rinoa smiled as she listened to their description of this 'Disney Castle'; it sounded gorgeous! Almost like something out of one of her fantasy books. And, from the way that they spoke of their rulers, they were good people as well. The teen grinned and leaned forward slightly, tilting her head in curiousity. So their King dissapeared and they're searching for him? 'Hmm...'

She then blinked and sat up again, hands still gripping her knees. Rinoa thought for a moment before smiling and nodding in reply. "Well I come from a place called Deling City where I lived with my mother and father. My father wasn't around much because he was involved with politics and the military but my mother was always around. We spent a lot of time together until..." Rinoa trailed off, mind wandering to her mother's death. "...Until she died."

Rinoa became quiet, eyes lingering on the bedsheet infront of her as if it held any interest to her whatsoever. She thought of the strange black creature that had been sitting upon her mother's chest. Had it killed her mother...? She looked up at the duo again. Would they know what it was...? 'Probably not...' She concluded. Snapping back to attention, she smiled at the duo. "After that I woke up here. And that's pretty much it."

A yawn suddenly bubbled up from her chest and she stretched her arms high above her head, jaw agape. She closed her mouth after the yawn had subsided and blinked sleepily, rubbing at her eyes before casting a glance out the window. Whatever had disturbed her senses earlier was gone.. at least, she hoped.

{OOC: Yeah, that's probably a good idea x__x; After this post, I'll close the thread, and then start a new one a few days afterwards so we can be with everyone else time-wise. If you want Rinoa to go someplace else, that's perfectly fine; just let me know and I'll put it in there}

The pair tried their best to remain respectful during Rinoa's story of what had happened to her, but the late hour made it increasingly difficult. Making sure to give the girl a brief nod or an "Oh, wow!" every once in a while, they inwardly sighed a breath of relief when she yawned. "I think we should all get some shut-eye now," Goofy said. "Donald, here's a pillow and blanket for you to sleep on the couch with."

"Who says I'm sleepin' on the--!" Donald said, but his statement was punctuated with a huge yawn. "Gimmie that!" he said, snatching the items and waddling over to couch.

Goofy himself got on the bed, making sure he was warm under the covers. 'Nice,' he observed, his eyes drooping. 'I could sleep here forever!' He made sure the other two were comfortable before moving his hand towards the switch on the lamp.

"Lights out, fellas!" he exclaimed. "Sweet dreams!"

(ooc; Alright, sounds like a good idea since I kinda wanted to catch up with everyone else time-wise as well. And sure, throw Rinoa in the thread. :) )

Rinoa smiled gratefully as Goofy announced that it was, indeed, time to get some sleep. The teen flopped over onto her bed and buried herself under the covers, snuggling up against her pillow and sighing contentedly. She cast a quick glance first to Donald then Goofy before closing her eyes and letting herself drift off into much needed sleep.

She only hoped nightmares wouldn't invade her dreams..

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Wandering...wondering... [Closed/Complete]

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