I WAS DROWNING.

Enshrouded with trepidation of his own, he’s inclined to concur with her projection. Yet what absconds from ajar tiers have discrepancies vast from his contemplation; perchance he’s merely bringing upon an illumination to her dispirited mien.

 ‘ Maybe he’s just walking really slow ! Hey, how about we get some ice cream for ourselves and wait till he comes back ? ’

            His attempt at lightening her tired expression is successful; tired eyes brighten, thin lips stretching into a content, RADIANT smile.  she shares her simper with a princess after all; of course it is BEAUTIFUL.  “He IS pretty slow ---...” she agrees with a giggle.  “Must be because he’s so old!”  

             An immediate call to action, without so much as a SLIVER of hesitation; a true warriors instinct to fight on full display for the woman of fire. Cinder continues her careful observations of battle (from a rather SAFE distance, of course), amber hues carefully following each movement, BURNING the slight nuances of the other’s style into memory. Besides the blade wielder before her, she too began studying the…. things standing before her, for lack of a better word to describe them. As a single one of them approached, a flame ever so slowly grew in her palm, before being promptly extinguished as it too was cut down like the others.             A few moments later and the final beast had been cut down, with no signs of any others coming to replace them. Eyes turned entirely towards the other, hands raising to offer a few, almost patronizing claps for the display of battle provided to her just seconds ago.

        “You certainly did a thorough job doing away with them.                                All by yourself, as well…. why, I’m almost impressed…” 

             Why would she hesitate --- ??  She is a fighter; it is her responsibility.  If Axel and Roxas are EVER to gain hearts, she must battle.  She and Roxas are the only ones who can truly do this; they must.  SHE MUST.  Whatever it takes to make them whole.  { and yourself, she reminds quietly, but she never cared as much about her own heart as she cares for theirs. }  A tilted head at the words, yet too new to note the mocking in her movements.  She mistakes them for sincerity and, given that she is RARELY PRAISED, doesn’t quite no what to do with the compliment.

@obliivia

darkness s w i r l e d , round and round. a vague figure could be seen in the distance.

‘ is anyone out there? ‘ 

          A VOICE --- oh, no.  She and the Heartless she’d been fighting react at once; they sense better prey in one with beating heart and dart towards him.  The puppet reacts in the same breath, darting after them.

“ SEA SALT? ” How bizarre it sounded. The truth was that Kael was not the biggest fan of ice cream, his tastes where sweets in general were concerned being excruciatingly narrow, but one of the few traits prominent enough to outweigh his fussiness was, as it always had been, his morbid curiosity.“ Okay, sure — so long as you’re offering, I mean. ”

            How strange, that they should have built her to bleed.  Or did they not TRULY consider as much; did they merely lay the basics and what was left GREW ATOP THE GNARLED SKELETON THEY MADE FOR HER?  It’s neither here nor now --- she’s BLEEDING, and the human she’d protected is PANICKING ---...

                                   Not that she can fault them.  This is a LOT of blood.

       Better she take a strike from the Heartless than the thing get to his HEART.  At least the Heartless is DEAD --- though she’s all out of potions.  It hurts, but it isn’t UNBEARABLE.