A Rescinded Requiem|Exclusive
Although springtime was on its way out to leave room for early summer, the city's sky had adopted a glaring layer of overcast, the likes of which had left parks and gardens feeling damp from dew left over from the morning. Feet bustled over the concrete of sidewalks and asphalt of the streets, noticing little of their surroundings, uncaring of anything other than their destination. People chatted away on their phones and tapped at screens or moved along with hands thrust in their pockets while the city buzzed around them. It was an easy place to get lost in the crowd, and to some that was sanctuary.
For several months following her return, Rose had remained in the Land of Departure, readjusting to existing in the mortal world- breathing, eating, even just walking around on solid ground felt like a strange deja vú. For the first few weeks she felt like she was dreaming, like she wasn't really there. Reality hadn't caught up with her- her soul and body weren't yet in sync.
When she had finally acclimated, Rose couldn’t stay in the castle any longer; its halls were filled with too many memories while remaining vacant in its shadows, leaving her to make a decision. She left to make a new start far away in another world, and that’s how she found the city. It was so large compared to the Land of Departure and her lost home, and so busy and full of people so she could get lost in its masses and forget. Rose was alone now, which had always been something that filled her with disdain, but this loneliness was something she thought she needed. She’d come back from the dead after finally reaching peace, her serenity snatched away from her for reasons unknown.
Rose had been trying to move past this, trying to block out the trauma from being resurrected- these were things she never spoke of to Aqua; things that would break her to recall. So her own place in a new world separated her from her past, from Rose’s life as a Wielder of the Keyblade. Her cosmic duty had been abandoned of her own accord, wishing to never again swing a blade at the will of a higher power.
Now that her past was far away, Rose spent her first few weeks in the city walking its streets and learning its layout; browsing shops and bistros, adjusting to the lifestyle. Here she felt anonymous. Running away had never been her intention- only to have distance and time to understand where to go next.
Today, she sat in a bakery at a table for two, her leather jacket occupying the seat across from her, sipping away at coffee, eyes on a crossword in a newspaper, writing nothing, only guessing and glancing at articles. A half eaten croissant rested on a decorative saucer painted with small flowers while Rose leaned back in her chair with her legs crossed, tapping her foot against the air, oblivious to the outside.
