[video] Forward Dated to the 26th

[whereibelong]

[Xion might be sounding a little bit tired. She's sitting on the couch in the common room of Floor 6 Piseces. Let's just say trying to figure out how to keep so many people she knows together is getting... to be a bit too much. Her and Lea and Roxas in just one room was ridiculous enough. Now there was Axel, and Sora... not to mention Riku and Terra and Aqua and Xehanort]

Um... if you and your friends were looking to maybe move into a bigger apartment, how would you... do that?

[She gets the feeling it's not like looking for a hotel or inn like they'd done while world hopping... and even so she got the feeling they'd probably want something bigger than that...

Glancing out the window, she grins a little and adds something.]

Also it's snowing. Makes me think of the first time I ever saw it. It was really cold then, wasn't it, Lea? Especially when you and me and Roxas had to stay the night there.

[She's teasing. She's teasing him and she starts giggling as the feed shuts off.]

Comments

[video-jacking]

[quakega]

[Sure you don't, Lea.

Suddenly, there's a Terra in this video conversation. With a grin on his face that looks less like a grin and more like a teasing smirk.

He's never one to pass up teasing his little bro.] He ran out to see what all that 'white stuff' was without a coat or a scarf. We went after him, but he'd slipped on a bit of ice and fell into a thick pile of the stuff.

[There's a bit of a laugh after relaying that.] He didn't stop shivering until we got him back to the castle. He made sure to wear a coat after that.

[ALL THE VIDEO-JACKING WHEE~]

[destinedwaters]

[She smiles fondly at the memory.] Mm... and Master wouldn't let him hear the end of it, even if we decided to show mercy.

[Spoilers: They didn't.]

[AND NOW THE MOOD-JACKING]

[whereibelong]

[The second threadjack by Terra startles Xion, but she takes it in stride, even laughs at the story.]

I remember Roxas poking it with his foot. The snow.

[Xion was about to speculate on how much they'd really eased up - if Aqua and Terra were anything like she and Roxas and Axel were there'd probably been some teasing for a while - but then Aqua said something that made her pause.]

Master?

[Right... Mickey'd had Master Yen Sid, didn't he?]

You guys had a master like Mickey did?

[quakega]

[It's amazing how a simple, innocent question can be a mood breaker. Terra's expression goes through several different ones in a short amount of time; mild surprise, sadness, guilt, and then finally a small smile that doesn't reach his eyes.] Yeah. Master Eraqus found me and took me in when I was little. Aqua was taken in not long after that. He taught us everything we know about the Keyblade, and our duty as Keybearers.

[The sadness becomes a little more pronounced, but he's trying to hide it the best he can. Focusing more on the better memories helps a bit.] He had his faults like everyone does, but... I know neither Aqua, Ven, or I would be the Keybearers we are without him.

[Hell, he knows he wouldn't be the person he is without Master guiding him.

For a second, he feels an odd surge of both guilt and pride that he knows isn't from him. Before he can question it, those feelings are gone as if they had never been there, leaving him with only his own emotions.

What the hell had that been?]

[destinedwaters]

[Simple, indeed. Aqua frowns a little, worried when she sees all the reactions on who may as well be her brother by blood's face; how he likely still blamed himself for all the downfalls they had along the way. But then, she can't say she didn't do the same.... or still did, for that matter.]

He was strong-willed, and taught us to always keep our friends close. [A lesson that proved invaluable, regardless of his mistakes and flaws. Maybe that's why he wanted to give Xehanort another chance, in the end. Even if it led to ruin.]</small

[whereibelong]

[Something about the way their faces change make Xion think that maybe she accidentally crossed some line, that she hadn't even fully realized was there. But then they continued to speak, and she listens, respectfully.

Keep your friends close, huh? Xion smiles softly at that.]

I guess that's an important thing to learn no matter what.

[It's something she'll never forget. Especially since... she bites her lip, thinking about what was going to happen to Lea... Axel... back in her time soon. But he would be okay, she knew. He'd come back. And he was looking for her.

She shakes her head slightly as if to clear it from that train of thought.]

Is it normal, to start learning when you're little?

[She has to admit she's a little curious how training and learning to use the Keyblade went, back when there was much more in the way of an actual teaching method/structure.]

[quakega]

[He'll just nod.] Mmm. Your friends and the bonds you make with them are what nearly all Keybearers draw their true strength from. On it's own, one heart, however strong it is, can be overwhelmed; with the power of those bonds, that one heart can stand up to anything.

[Definitely talking from experience there; if only he had realized it sooner in his journey.

He tilts his head slightly to one side and looks thoughtful at Xion's question.] Hm... that's what I always assumed. A Keybearer has to learn a lot before they're ready to take the Mark of Mastery exam - how to fight, how to wield magic safely, and how to create new spells to name a few things. It can take years to become fully proficient in any one of the things a Keybearer should learn. Even at the rank of Master, I doubt they ever stop learning.