Alone in the World [Open]

[Oathkeeper Emi]

July 17, 2011
--

How long had it been? Caroline had started off trying to keep track of the time, but quickly became content with letting the days melt together. It didn't seem as long when every day was one long day.

She had to get away. Normally, she would be terrified of being out on her own, but there was something inside of her giving her the courage to do it. She needed time to think, to be independent. She'd discovered that after Ain snapped at her. She still missed him, though.

The next time they stopped, she had slipped away quietly with a few of her personal belongings, leaving him a letter explaining that she would come back when she was ready to. Honestly, she didn't know when that was going to be.

Somehow, she found herself on the beach. It was unclear to her how she had made it there, and the sand and sun made her heart ache for a happier, simpler time. She stayed hidden until the sun set, and the environment became less welcoming. Only then did she rest. She walked out onto the sand in her bare feet. Her sword was on her hip, her satchel slung over one shoulder, and her boots back near the pier.

For the first time in her life, she was truly alone.

[Aerith]

I'm not the only one?
--------

Axel had forsaken one world of memories for another, though these were memories of a different flavor. He knew this was Sora's home, but if luck held, he wouldn't run into the kid here. Destiny Islands had beaches usually populated by vacationers and locals during the day, but at night, the shores were mostly deserted. Despite the need for companionship that kept gnawing at him, he was more suited for solitude right now.

Or not.

No sooner had his bare feet transitioned from grass to sand than he noticed someone else already occupying the beach. Closer inspection revealed that he had never seen this particular girl before. She was oddly dressed, to say the least. Then again, before he had permanently shed the Organization cloak, many would say he had been oddly dressed, too.

"Nice night for the beach, huh?" He made sure to keep some space between them, clearly making sure she knew he was there and not trying to sneak up on her. He had noticed that sword at her waist.

[Oathkeeper Emi]

The rest is just whatever.
--

Caroline stiffened when Axel spoke to her, and glanced over slowly. She hadn't been expecting company, and definitely hadn't been expecting someone to actually speak to her. It had been a while since anyone had spoken to her outside of basic commands, such as between herself and a shopkeeper. She wasn't even sure she remembered how to have a conversation.

Added to that, she was strange looking. Never in her life had she seen such hair. She'd seen redheads before but not this red and... spiky. Unconsciously, her head tilted to the left. That's when she remembered she had been asked a question.

She looked around. The environment left her utterly opinionless, so she replied simply. "I suppose. It's dark. Not much to look at.[/color]"

When had the universe lost all its wonder to her? Nothing seemed very interesting anymore. Before, she would always get excited to visit a new world and drag Ain all around to explore every nook and cranny. She had craved adventure and now, everything seemed so dull. Even this newcomer's strange appearance hadn't kept her attention for very long.

[Aerith]

Small talk.
--------

The girl's bland expression and response was interesting, and it had the effect of making Axel more involved than he had planned on being. Was she a Nobody? If so, maybe she was newly made and still not used to existence without a heart.

"Yeah. Not much of a moon out, is there?" The lack of light did not affect his sense of hearing, and the gentle rolling of the ocean waves kept the periods of silence less awkward. The scent of brine stung his nose a little.

He dug his toes deeper into the sand. "You're not a local, are you? I don't think people living here usually dress like that, especially when at the beach." His eyes went in her direction. "The name's Axel, by the way."

[Oathkeeper Emi]

Pardon me?
--

For the first time in a long time, a little bit of Caroline's inner snob. came out. At the mention of her "dressed like that", she bristled and raised her chin up a little bit. Almost literally sticking her nose in the air. She was dressed perfectly fine. Fashionable, comfortable gingham dress... okay the boots were ugly but sensible. And a hell of a lot less strange than whatever he had going on with his whole... self.

She introduced herself, quietly. "Caroline. You're right about not being a local. I'm actually from..." She trailed off. That was a difficult question now, so she decided to go back to her roots. A flying ship in space didn't seem like much of an answer. "Louisiana. You probably don't know it, do you?[/color]"

Most people didn't. She would have loved to go back home but it wasn't worth it to be chased by the police and deal with her awkward family situation. She would use that as a last resort.

Caroline gave Axel a once over, looking at him from head to toe. She couldn't pin down where he could possibly be from. "And you...?[/color]"

Manners. Always manners.

[Aerith]

Sorry.
--------

Axel did not miss the subtle signs of offense in Caroline. Then again, women did tend to be vain creatures, so it didn't come as a surprise. Perhaps that meant she was not a Nobody. No, Larxene had been just as vain. The possibility was still there.

"Nope, can't say I've ever heard of Louisiana, and I've been to my fair share of worlds." He crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head, thinking.

Then, he remembered that she had asked him a question. "Oh, me?" This was a difficult question to answer, but he went with the reply that involved the least amount of complication. For all he knew, this girl would freak out on him if he mentioned what he was. "I'm from a place called Radiant Garden. Or Hollow Bastion, depending on who you are."

Yeah. That was good. Time to steer the conversation away from himself. "How did you end up here? I've heard of some being able to use the Corridors of Darkness to travel between the worlds."

[Oathkeeper Emi]

That doesn't sound suspicious at all.
--

Caroline went to reply and then stopped herself. With a puzzled look, she finally said "Well, I'm not exactly sure how I got here, now that I think of it. That's strange, isn't it?[/color]"

She laughed nervously, thinking about how crazy she sounded. She was always worried about sounding crazy. A shudder ran through her when she thought about the time she had spent in Paris, about how she was sure she was going insane. And the only one to console her about it...

She shook her head, blond curls bouncing with cheerfulness that didn't match the mood of the situation. "I'm sorry. I'm being silly,[/color]" she said. "I walked here, of course. I don't even know what a corridor of darkness is.[/color]"

That sounded ominous. Anything having to do with darkness usually did. She was beginning to get weird vibes from Axel and wanted to run away, but stood her ground.

[Aerith]

Are you more together than I am?
--------

If she didn't even know of the Corridors, then there was no way she was a Nobody. That was settled, then, and Axel would push those sorts of leading questions no more. He could tell she was becoming unsettled.

"Well, when you put it that way, yeah, it does sound strange. Usually, people don't walk between the worlds. That would take some talent." Unless you knew about the alternate methods of travel.

"Someone must have dropped you off in a Gummi Ship." He shrugged and then lied. "It's how I got here."

He sat down in the sand and draped an arm over his one raised knee. A fondness for oceans was beginning to develop in him. The night sea breeze ruffled his hair a bit. It was easy to forget who and what he was in places like these.

"Do you have any plans for the future?"

[Oathkeeper Emi]

Caroline frowned, but then half-smiled. "You're a strange person. Asking me about the future already, and you haven't even known me for five minutes...very strange.[/color]"

But when she looked out to the ocean, her smile fell again. "...I used to have plans. Now, I just don't know anymore,[/color]" she said quietly. She sounded sad.

[Aerith]

Axel didn't bother looking at Caroline. The ocean waves were almost hypnotic. "Heh. Seems to be a widespread problem these days. No one knows what to do or where to go."

He had escaped the tedium of empty existence before by killing himself, but now he was not sure he could muster up the motivation to even do that, especially when there was no point to it this time. He had only been able to do it before because of Roxas.