#magiccuco

"Cucumber!!" Someone called out, before running over to him with a bright smile.

... Sora? At least, that's what it looks like. But, nobody knows that they swapped outfits for Yestereve Harvest! Sora came to him about the idea once and he was completely on board, and this month is the perfect time to try it! Now, they're gonna see how many people they can fool with this sudden disguise! Oh, it's gonna be so fun!! He can't wait! But, he better try to act like Sora so he can be convincing. And the first hurdle to that is..

.. Not to pet Cucumber on the head. He's pretty sure that Sora doesn't pet him. Or hug him suddenly. Or fly around him in a circle. Okay, none of that. Just be friendly! And don't. Pet. Him.

Walking out of a shadow, Night helps his other self get through and safely onto the grass. "There! See, you handled shadow-walking like a champ!" He smiled, before turning to their destination.

It was a small clearing in a forested area, Organetto seemed to be close as the bell tower can be seen. Not completely, but at least seen. Yet, the path to this place had been completely blocked off by rubble. Fallen logs and giant, cracked stones had damaged the stairway down to where it'd be foolish to try and go over. Especially when it was over at the edge of the cliff.

"It's seen better days, but... It hasn't changed too much!" Nights walks to the clearing with a spring in his step. A circular layer of smooth stone that had bits and shards of crystal on the surface, making the area glisten slightly. Small pillars of quartz that held old decorations, now ragged. The stone itself had patterns of notes that tie together as a song. He can still feel it.. This place still has magic, even after all these years..

"So, this place! You're going to love it, this is where the Spellshow Festival used to be held! If I remember correctly, 315,000 years ago!" He exclaimed happily. "This place is one, if not the only place in the Melody Kingdom where you can create magic via song! The others that existed may not have any magic left in them anymore."

Night steps onto a small ledge in the center. "This is where people step up to perform. You get on the ledge and make music, then the magic inside the stone flooring will react! And it can be anything, like singing a song or whistling a tune!"

He looks up at the starry sky. In that moment, it was like he was somewhere else. Reminiscing of a time he was nostalgic of, despite it being a festival long before he ever existed. In that moment, the cloak that rested on his back changes. It blooms into a soft, light pink with petals beginning to take shape. The cloak was like a cluster of blossoms, swaying a bit from the wind. He misses them.. Even if he knew the friendship would never last.

He snapped out of his thoughts. "But, yeah! I'm not sure if people know about this place anymore. The pathway has been in shambles for a long time. What do you think?"

Whatever controls these strange happenings, these invasions into their lives, abilities, minds, and bodies, they're more powerful than the people living here. More powerful than Steven. It grates, and he hates it, hates the feeling of helplessness that comes with knowing that he can't do anything to stop it if it happens again.

What happens if it's permanent this time?

Bip makes a soft sound as they step into the Archives, Steven set on making yet another attempt to study the Aether and how it affects this world. Maybe this time he can find some sort of hint to help him prevent or mitigate the next disaster.

He's not paying as much attention as he should be when he browses for books, so when he reaches for one and finds it sliding away to someone else's hand, he blinks a little stupidly for a moment.

"Oh, sorry. I uh, didn't see you there." He flushes, ruffling his already windswept and disheveled hair. He's pretty sure he's seen the kid with the bunny ears around before, but never this close. Honestly, he gives Steven a violent yearning for home, so he hasn't really reached out before. But now he gives the kid a tired smile.

"Looking into this place and it's magic too, huh?"

"Cu--Cucumber...," it comes as a surprise to see her friend in tears. "I'm..." She stops herself though. She IS sorry, she wants to apologize but apologizing probably wouldn't do much now, would it?

I'm sorry.

"What?" Wait...why was he apologizing?

EMBLEMS TRANSFER: Muns of more than one muse may transfer emblems between muses. The transaction must be noted on both characters to be eligible for future purchases.

CUCUMBER

ORIGINAL EMBLEM BALANCE: 1500 TRANSACTION: -1400 Emblems CURRENT EMBLEM BALANCE: 100

LOKI ODINSON

ORIGINAL EMBLEM BALANCE: 400 TRANSACTION: +700 Emblems CURRENT EMBLEM BALANCE: 1100

LILITH ELYSIAN

ORIGINAL EMBLEM BALANCE: 100 TRANSACTION: +700 Emblems CURRENT EMBLEM BALANCE: 800

The sound of splashing echoed through the tunnels of Sonata Station as Sora and Luna stepped out from the stairwell and out towards another platform. Sora glanced to his friend and gave her a bit of a smile before stepping towards the abandoned platform and towards the gap in the floor which held the steel rails for the train.

The silence was deafening. That was until the occasional drip of water was heard. The light that snuck its way through the cracks in the floor lit up the station enough to distinguish certain shapes and objects on the platform, but wasn't enough to see down the tunnels the train would travel through, causing Sora enough unease to summon his Keyblade with a mighty sheen and sparkle of light.

"Be careful... We don't know what's here... I hope that girl is safe, but this place doesn't seem friendly..."

"You enjoying yourself, Cucumber?" At least this time Cucumber didn't have to worry about his tongue burning from such spicy food! He catches Cucumber's look and laughs, a hand waving to reassure the child.

「𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤 𝔟𝔞𝔫𝔤!」- The lift system was taking some time today. A delay thanks to weather. Unexpected snow. It was spring but still chilly out. He should really think about investing in a proper coat, Vash unused to such cool days and nights. The desert could be cold, sure, especially with more than five moons, but the days were also especially hot with two suns.

He sat on a small bench, legs stretched out long in front of him, hands in the pockets of his duster and head partially burrowed into the high neck. In fact he'd had his eyes closed until something caught his ear and he cracked them open.

A kid, young he presumed from their size, looking around the platform just in front of him. Alone too.

Vash sat up all the way and hid his gun slightly more with his duster. No need to scare the child. He'd figured out pretty quickly that this wasn't exactly a place where people just carried guns around all the time like back home. He leaned forward, smiling.

"Hey there, buddy, you need some help? There's been a delay 'cuz of the weather. Ya loose yer parents?" He'd work under the assumption that the kid was maybe native to the Isles for now. "I like the ears on yer hat. A.... rabbit, right?"