revenance_rpg | Step Three is Profit

Entry tags:

Step Three is Profit

Characters: Even, anyone who volunteered to help/wishes to show up.
Content: Munnygrinding is so much less boring (and hazardous) with a group. Well, considering the group, maybe not less hazardous...
Location (including world): First District et al, Traverse Town
Time of Day: Early 'afternoon', the day after this.
Warnings: ...Even.

Even waited by the ersatz world exit with as much patience as he could muster, which wasn't much. He just wanted to get this over and done with, ideally with enough seed money to buy potion ingredients and the most basic equipment. He hadn't spent a full week outside of the lab in years, and even then it had been under duress.

However, it was better to wait than to encounter a horde of Nightmares with no support. Accordingly, Even tapped his fingers on his crossed arms and waited.

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Without anything much else to listen to, Aqua could most definitely hear Even's muttering. However, she was generally inclined to not respond to it, right up until the point he mentioned have met Ven. She certainly hadn't met anyone like Even, that much she knew, but it wasn't like she'd ever believed she'd met all the people Ven had and vice versa. She didn't even expect Ven to tell her if she had.

All the same, it was worth at least a moment of curiosity, even if she didn't have all that much to say about the rest of the various things Even was saying. She wasn't an expert in the theoretically possibilities of Keyblades, and wasn't really sure she wanted to.

"You've met Ven? Outside of just here, I mean?"

Whether or not she was intended to hear, Xion made a habit of listening these days. She'd had too much experience with information being kept from her to pass up the chance to get more. So she was definitely keeping an ear out and actively listening to Even's rambling.

Most of her lack of response came from the lack of anything to add to the conversation. While she'd understood what Vexen was saying (after a moment or two to parse words she wasn't used to) she was busy trying to consider it and wrap her mind around the idea of other Keyblade wielders. So she and Roxas weren't as special as they'd thought...or maybe they were, because it seemed like not a lot of people could use a Keyblade, anyway.

The mention of a name drew her out of her thoughts. She didn't know anyone named Ven, but apparently the others did.

Aqua's sudden interest enabled Even to place her at last. She was presumably a contemporary, or near to it, of Ven's.

"Briefly," he said over his shoulder as he tugged the Second District door open. "I encountered him in - Radiant Garden, once. Fairly recently from his point of view, rather less so from mine."

He hadn't intended to falter over the name of his home world. There had simply been so few occasions to speak of it, since its fall. (He was aware that he was lying to himself; it was not that simple.)

Fortunately, while Aqua did notice the slight falter over the the name of the world they'd met on, she didn't think much of it. She didn't know Even well enough to judge, much less figure out which of the possibilities was most likely. She wasn't really about to ask either. It didn't seem polite, and so she simply nodded at the comment.

"I guess that must have been before I got there." She'd only really seen Ven during the fight they'd had, plus a few moments afterwards; that they hadn't really seen the same people was thus perfectly understandable. The city had been on the large side, and they hadn't really been there for all that long either.

This was interesting. Vexen's reports had never mentioned a home--simply notes on progress or setbacks. That was probably only logical, but Xion had always wondered what worlds she and the others in the Organization had come from. Apparently Even had just revealed his, and thereby Vexen's.

The slight hesitation caught her attention, but now wasn't the time to ask. While she'd been taking in new information, the others had gone on with their conversation. There was little to do but wait for a chance to join in when she could get a word in edgewise.

"I only saw him the once, in any case," said Even dismissively. "It had slipped my mind entirely, until he reminded me of it." There were other events he remembered about that period of his life, events that distorted everything around them like a gravity well.

The Nightmares that appeared in the middle of the street, blocking the path, made as good an excuse as any to avoid thinking about said events.

Even hung back, out of the way of melee. Such enclosed conditions would have been ideal if he had been on his own, but with two allies space was at a premium. He pelted a Komory Bat with icicles instead, knocking it out of the air with a squawk.

That much made sense, at least. If it had been more than a chance meeting, surely Ven would have mentioned it sooner, or at least reacted more familiarly to him showing up. Not that it was exactly her concern either way, and anyway, she had more important things to worry about.

The Nightmares that had just shown up, for example. The fact that they were in relatively close quarters meant things would be a little more difficult than usual, yes, but it also meant that there was less space for the Nightmares to move.

With that in mind, she took a step forward before letting loose with Megaflare... and the world all but exploded into fire. Fire that would leave Vexen and Xion (as well as their spirits) unharmed, and short lived fire at that, but it was fire nonetheless.

Xion had been about to attack the Nightmares on the ground when Aqua beat her to it with Mega Flare. In another situation, after a moment of surprise and then adjustment, she would have been impressed. As it was, due to the sudden fire, Barkley had leaped into action of his own that required her attention.

Granted, it required her attention because, while at least he wasn't running, he'd decided the safest thing to do was jump into Xion's arms. Which meant she suddenly found herself with an armful of very scared Meow Wow who seemed determined to bury his face into her shoulder. She'd have to calm him down before she could do anything. Luckily, the fire was short lived. "See, it's okay, the fire's gone now."

Even's shield clattered to the ground and vanished as his world was consumed by fire.

No matter that the Mega Flare spell didn't so much as singe him; he felt the flame blistering his skin, felt the pain as it devoured his body. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to run, no way to fight - he was exhausted, backed into a corner, no way out and no way back, nothing in the world but that smile -

Even staggered back against the wall with a thin scream. His hands upraised as though to block some incoming blow, frost feathered out where his back struck the stones.

Much as Aqua had intended, the first wave of Nightmares proved to be all but gone, in the wake of the flames. The other results were entirely unexpected - Aqua had no real experience with the Spirit versions of Meow Wows and though she was aware that irrational fears were something that often bothered people, she wasn't really sure if that was the reason behind Even's scream of terror.

There wasn't any time to ask, either. For every action there was an equal and opposite reaction, and it was just as true in magic as it was in other things. The magic sang in her veins as it came rushing back through her, like air rushing back into the vacuum. Once, she'd thought it odd, that powerful magics could have such powerful effect in their aftermath, but that was before she'd learn that any prolonged casting could have similar effects and that there were significant benefits in learning to channel the wild magic that came rushing back in to fill the spaces left behind. She was ready for it this time, and it took little more than a moment of concentration to channel the echo of the fire into something more useful.

Only then did she turn back towards Even, apparently unconcerned about the fact that she'd picked up a fiery red aura in the process.

"Are you alright?"

Really, Aqua couldn't be blamed for any unintended effects of her spell. She hadn't known, so she couldn't have guessed what would happen. The important thing now was settling down those who had been upset by the sudden fire.

Xion had heard Even's scream, but her hands had been so full with Barkley that she hadn't been able to do anything about it until he was settled. When he finally agreed to be put down (cowering behind her legs once he caught sight of Aqua's aura), Xion could focus on other matters.

"Even?"

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Step Three is Profit

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