Hello, here's to hoping that this letter finds you well! While it might not be exactly what you would have liked, I still hope you enjoy this gift all the same!
Happy Holidays,
Santa Claus
[Xehanort's gift is a new shirt, a pair of warm socks, and a chessboard!
...he also has a bag of assorted treats with a message 'Share with others'.]
[After being in this world for as long as he has, Alhaitham isn't exactly a stranger to the insanity that the people here can get up to, but this very much has the possibility to get up there on the proverbial list. He can still recall the fate of the poor sod in the one mission he went with Benedikta... its certainly hard to forget, at the very least.
At least this time there's no demonic like women who are trying to throw themselves at him, which is a very welcome change of pace. Makes it easier for him to not linger on those particular memories as well, especially as the boat approaches their target island—the place of where one of the creations are said to be roaming about and most likely killing off whatever life that exists there.
He glances over to Xehanort, who'd somehow ended up being the one who accompanied him for this job by sheer coincidence. A little unexpected, but also nothing to really complain about; he's seen how well the other fights back out in the desert, so he knows that the younger man can handle himself just fine. If anything, he's probably even more useful out here, given the array of abilities that he possesses.]
Considering the size of the island, we can split up to search for the creature. [...] I doubt it'll be quiet once it's discovered, so the other person can just hurry over to help out once its engaged.
[ this quest had piqued xehanort's interest as both an explorer and a fighter, with a chance to take a look at some of the smaller, uninhabited isles and potentially help protect people from these alleged abominations. the reward was also appealing, if what he'd read of alchemy was anything to go by. all around fascinating enough to sign up for.
it had been a pleasant surprise to find alhaitham accompanying him. while he'd improved at dealing with strangers over the past few months, there was a definite sense of relief to have a familiar presence nearby. with the knowledge of each other's capabilities gained from their battle in the desert, xehanort was confident they could coordinate well for this mission.
he looks up at alhaitham as he's spoken to, attentive, and gives a firm nod of acknowledgement. ]
I'm not practiced with binding magic, so it's good this island is small enough that it can't hide easily once we find it.
[ the boat reaches the shore, rocky with mangrove-like roots seeping out from a thick line of trees. already there were broken branches and freshly shattered stones visible scattered along the edge. ]
[Binding magic, huh.... Alhaitham never thought of that, but now that he does its hard to deny that such an ability would be useful to have in a wide variety of scenarios... its something to consider, at the very least.]
I doubt it's able to escape out to sea either, or it would have already done so after hunting this place clean. [Part of the reason why the beast was found in this place had been due to the very sudden loss of the wildlife that'd been inhabiting here for who knows how long. Tighnari would know this better than him—though at the same time the Forest Ranger would not have been pleased with this situation either, so its a good thing he's not in this world, let alone this place.
The trail of broken branches and shattered stones starts almost as soon as they disembark, and not too far away is a palm tree that'd been bent in an unnatural angle—either from being forcibly pulled down with extreme force or weighed down by something far too heavy to be supported. But what is more certain are the reasons behind why the tree had been subject to such abuse—fragments of coconut husks are messily scattered about, clearly the work of something trying to get into them. But the question of it being part of their natural diet or something that was only turned to out of desperation is another thing entirely.]
bonding experiences: beating each other up, hunting horrors, chess
[ on the note of hunting this place clean... the island is eerily quiet. there's no squawk of seagulls, no trill of birdsong, no skittering of crabs along the stones. the only sounds aside from their own careful footsteps were the pitched buzzing of rainforest insects and the lapping of the waves on the shore.
the tree is a telling sight, but not an encouraging one. whatever they were dealing with was bigger than them both, and omnivorous, with the weight or strength or both to cause this damage without much effort. xehanort listens, trying to catch the sound of heavy footfalls or animalistic breathing nearby, but there's nothing over the waves. ]
I'm no tracker, so if we can't tell which way it went, maybe this is a good place to split up. We can do a loop of the shore and then head into the forested area.
[ with everything so quiet, they would definitely be able to hear the sounds of the other fighting from anywhere. ]
[As a person who lives in the forest the lack of any signs of life is certainly... disturbing. It almost reminds of when the Withering was around, which thinking about now brings about a strange mix of emotions. The fact that for so much of his life the Withering (as well as Elezar) had always been such a huge concern for the people of Sumeru, but all it'd taken was two years and a bit since it's disappearance to feel it as nothing more than a fragment of a past. It's quite the reminder of exactly just how much has changed in his life in such a short period of time.
But with that being said, none of those things are actually relevant to what is going on now, so Alhaitham puts those thoughts aside for later, focusing back to the task at hand. He hears Xehanort's suggestion and nods, casting a cursory glance over to the horizon to gauge how far the shore stretches on from where they are.]
We'll meet on the other side of the island then, provided nothing comes up. <[Assuming they're gonna go in opposite directions to cover the shore here.] We'll head into the forest from there since its on higher ground.
[He'd noticed it earlier as they were circling around the island to get to a spot they could dock. There's a fair bit of an incline, with the other side having slanted up to higher terrain. In a sense the island itself could almost be one giant, sloping hill. How that plays into the situation here though remains to be seen.]
[the silence reminds xehanort of the developing world he and his friends had first found themselves investigating. a land complete, but lacking entirely in life. despite knowing of the development cycle a world reforming could go through, seeing it themselves had been more than a little offputting. that feeling had only been made worse by the fact that despite humans and animals not being present, the heartless had infected the world regardless.
(when they had revisited it only weeks later, those missing people suddenly sprung into existence. time was a strange, inconsistent phenomenon.)
this island was the opposite, where life had existed before the monsters. there were signs - scatterings of fallen feathers between the rocks, chewed leaves of the smaller plants. but those were the only indicators. other animals had either hidden or fled, if able. ]
Okay. I'll head back in the direction of the boat, and take that side. I've got my phone if shouting doesn't work, too.
[ as if there would be time to make a phone call if they were attacked. it might work for other evidence, though. xehanort steps carefully back over the rocks, tempted to summon his keyblade for safety but deciding having both hands free was smarter for the uneven ground. ]
[Alhaitham hums, and then nods when it occurs to him that said humming may not get picked up on. As proficient as Xehanort has proved himself to be, working with the younger man isn't like working with Kaveh, where their understanding of each other is so deep that all they need to communicate is a simple glance or a single touch. And while its not as if Alhaitham hasn't worked with others here, its still a process each and every time. Even after all his time here there are really only a few people who Alhaitham can find himself working with—but there is no doubt that Xehanort is one of them.
With the both of them clear on their next course of action, they part ways for now and head in their respective directions. Alhaitham goes the other way, which is likewise littered with feathers and chewed up sticks and other assorted plants, some of which he pauses to pick up and study as he moves along. While he's isn't from Armuta and doesn't hold as much of an interest in plants as Tighnari or even Kaveh, he knows the basics enough to potentially figure out what they may be dealing with here.
...the branches are coated with some kind of sap, though its hard to say for sure if its from the tree they'd been broken off from or something that the beast makes on its own. He does seem to encounter more of it however as he keeps on going, the liquid having pooled and potentially hardened with the sand from the beach into a seemingly solid lump. Alhaitham narrows his eyes as he nudges it with his foot. It certainly feels as solid as it looks, which means it could all too easily be some kind of projectile... certainly something to keep in mind.]
[ xehanort is used to undergoing missions with others. solo adventures were not yet part of his journeys, his classmates travelling in threes at nearly all times. there had been some moments, with just himself and one other, but their friends would never be far off to help. independence was something he had been looking forward to, eventually. being in this world had sort of forced it upon him. but by some stroke of luck, he had found support in other ways. how grateful he was, to have wandered into surasthana cafe that day and found alhaitham by the chessboard. his and kaveh's care and generosity was something he valued greatly.
it's a gratitude he muses on as they take their separate routes. this mission, theoretically, should be easy for the two of them. alhaitham's abilities were more than simply impressive, they were powerful and practiced. the environment was a strange one to be fighting in, and perhaps facing the creature if it was discovered in the forest proper may be difficult to navigate with swordplay. alhaitham's dendro vision and his own magic might be more reliable there.
the stony shore was hemmed by a large peak of rock, past which the border of sea and land gave way briefly to sand (no tracks visible) and then to tangles of mangrove roots that stretched into the forest. the roots themselves seemed mostly undamaged as xehanort navigated through them, trying to not slip into the brackish seawater caught between the larger gaps, but there were larger bones and felled branches caught at the edge of the trees, as if something had come here to dispose of them.
the roots eventually taper back into sand, where on this side of the beach there was more evidence of activity. the sap, much like alhaitham had found, tough and shiny mixed with sand. and tracks -- or marks, really, long dragging ones leading from the water to the treeline. xehanort snaps a photo, sending it to alhaitham as he listens for any ambushes. ]
seems like it's forest-dwelling, but comes down here for some reason. fish, maybe?
[As is customary with the Nobody, when Axel inexplicably pops up in Xehanort's face--or device this time-- it is without warning and fanfare. There's a multitude of things he could be here to discuss. The brands, the recently rescued abductees, how he got this number, or any of the other numerous topics they both spun their wheels over never getting anywhere. What he gets is:]
[ this is... a surprise. definitely not the id xehanort had been expecting to see in his inbox today, or any time, for that matter. but it's intriguing, especially with that simple question being all that he's given. so sure, he'll bite. ]
me?
yes, i know it. a game to make a train of words until someone runs out of options or repeats.
[So they did have it elsewhere. Axel couldn't even say if he plucked the concept from watching the rest of his crew or if doing so reminded him of something tucked back in his memories. All he knows is he needed social interaction and he needed it now.
Xehanort was one of the few people he could trust to stay on target as well as... potentially hold his interest, when little else would satisfy the numbness of all this recent isolation.]
[ huh? just... like that? xehanort kind of stares at his shellphone for a few minutes, genuinely taken aback by the-- not really an offer, is it. demand?
hm. ]
okay. [ easy enough to go along with, past the initial confusion. more interesting to try and learn answers this way. briefly he wonders if axel should be the one to start, but, no. a little control over this? he'd take what he could, though, with that said, ] fire.
[Xehanort is right to seek control where he can because its true, this was not a polite request. More like a mutual appeal than anything overtly friendly, but they can use eachother in this way. They're good at that. Me, quite honestly comes to mind, but Axel doesn't want to hear whatever descriptor Xehanort has in that regard.]
[ a change of direction almost immediately. he's already determined to play along with this by throwing as many curveballs as possible without going too off-topic. get things moving. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Christmas Gift
Hello, here's to hoping that this letter finds you well! While it might not be exactly what you would have liked, I still hope you enjoy this gift all the same!
Happy Holidays,
Santa Claus
[Xehanort's gift is a new shirt, a pair of warm socks, and a chessboard!
...he also has a bag of assorted treats with a message 'Share with others'.]
text;
if the ocean was crystal clear, do you think people with a fear of heights would never ever board a ship?
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the ocean is pretty clear a lot of the time already. but it would depend on the size of the ship, right?
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i guess that's true! not as super clear as back home but pretty clear. so if the ship is hugggeee do you think people ever get scared?
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maybe it'd be like seasickness, where people would just have to learn to deal with it. find ways to distract themselves.
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i bet that would still be hard to deal with it, huh. one look at the clear water and you'd feel like you're a million miles up
i hope no one around here feels that way
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destiny islands, huh.
i hope no one feels that way, either. it would be really unfortunate to end up in a world like this with a fear of the ocean.
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i think the ocean can be scary. but it can be really amazing and beautiful too. i hope people love the ocean here.
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it's different here with all the ships and transport. life here is made for the ocean.
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rumor of a mad monster
At least this time there's no demonic like women who are trying to throw themselves at him, which is a very welcome change of pace. Makes it easier for him to not linger on those particular memories as well, especially as the boat approaches their target island—the place of where one of the creations are said to be roaming about and most likely killing off whatever life that exists there.
He glances over to Xehanort, who'd somehow ended up being the one who accompanied him for this job by sheer coincidence. A little unexpected, but also nothing to really complain about; he's seen how well the other fights back out in the desert, so he knows that the younger man can handle himself just fine. If anything, he's probably even more useful out here, given the array of abilities that he possesses.]
Considering the size of the island, we can split up to search for the creature. [...] I doubt it'll be quiet once it's discovered, so the other person can just hurry over to help out once its engaged.
chess dad took me monster hunting yaaay
it had been a pleasant surprise to find alhaitham accompanying him. while he'd improved at dealing with strangers over the past few months, there was a definite sense of relief to have a familiar presence nearby. with the knowledge of each other's capabilities gained from their battle in the desert, xehanort was confident they could coordinate well for this mission.
he looks up at alhaitham as he's spoken to, attentive, and gives a firm nod of acknowledgement. ]
I'm not practiced with binding magic, so it's good this island is small enough that it can't hide easily once we find it.
[ the boat reaches the shore, rocky with mangrove-like roots seeping out from a thick line of trees. already there were broken branches and freshly shattered stones visible scattered along the edge. ]
clearly the best bonding experience
I doubt it's able to escape out to sea either, or it would have already done so after hunting this place clean. [Part of the reason why the beast was found in this place had been due to the very sudden loss of the wildlife that'd been inhabiting here for who knows how long. Tighnari would know this better than him—though at the same time the Forest Ranger would not have been pleased with this situation either, so its a good thing he's not in this world, let alone this place.
The trail of broken branches and shattered stones starts almost as soon as they disembark, and not too far away is a palm tree that'd been bent in an unnatural angle—either from being forcibly pulled down with extreme force or weighed down by something far too heavy to be supported. But what is more certain are the reasons behind why the tree had been subject to such abuse—fragments of coconut husks are messily scattered about, clearly the work of something trying to get into them. But the question of it being part of their natural diet or something that was only turned to out of desperation is another thing entirely.]
bonding experiences: beating each other up, hunting horrors, chess
the tree is a telling sight, but not an encouraging one. whatever they were dealing with was bigger than them both, and omnivorous, with the weight or strength or both to cause this damage without much effort. xehanort listens, trying to catch the sound of heavy footfalls or animalistic breathing nearby, but there's nothing over the waves. ]
I'm no tracker, so if we can't tell which way it went, maybe this is a good place to split up. We can do a loop of the shore and then head into the forested area.
[ with everything so quiet, they would definitely be able to hear the sounds of the other fighting from anywhere. ]
all of them certified classics
But with that being said, none of those things are actually relevant to what is going on now, so Alhaitham puts those thoughts aside for later, focusing back to the task at hand. He hears Xehanort's suggestion and nods, casting a cursory glance over to the horizon to gauge how far the shore stretches on from where they are.]
We'll meet on the other side of the island then, provided nothing comes up. <[Assuming they're gonna go in opposite directions to cover the shore here.] We'll head into the forest from there since its on higher ground.
[He'd noticed it earlier as they were circling around the island to get to a spot they could dock. There's a fair bit of an incline, with the other side having slanted up to higher terrain. In a sense the island itself could almost be one giant, sloping hill. How that plays into the situation here though remains to be seen.]
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(when they had revisited it only weeks later, those missing people suddenly sprung into existence. time was a strange, inconsistent phenomenon.)
this island was the opposite, where life had existed before the monsters. there were signs - scatterings of fallen feathers between the rocks, chewed leaves of the smaller plants. but those were the only indicators. other animals had either hidden or fled, if able. ]
Okay. I'll head back in the direction of the boat, and take that side. I've got my phone if shouting doesn't work, too.
[ as if there would be time to make a phone call if they were attacked. it might work for other evidence, though. xehanort steps carefully back over the rocks, tempted to summon his keyblade for safety but deciding having both hands free was smarter for the uneven ground. ]
See you soon.
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With the both of them clear on their next course of action, they part ways for now and head in their respective directions. Alhaitham goes the other way, which is likewise littered with feathers and chewed up sticks and other assorted plants, some of which he pauses to pick up and study as he moves along. While he's isn't from Armuta and doesn't hold as much of an interest in plants as Tighnari or even Kaveh, he knows the basics enough to potentially figure out what they may be dealing with here.
...the branches are coated with some kind of sap, though its hard to say for sure if its from the tree they'd been broken off from or something that the beast makes on its own. He does seem to encounter more of it however as he keeps on going, the liquid having pooled and potentially hardened with the sand from the beach into a seemingly solid lump. Alhaitham narrows his eyes as he nudges it with his foot. It certainly feels as solid as it looks, which means it could all too easily be some kind of projectile... certainly something to keep in mind.]
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it's a gratitude he muses on as they take their separate routes. this mission, theoretically, should be easy for the two of them. alhaitham's abilities were more than simply impressive, they were powerful and practiced. the environment was a strange one to be fighting in, and perhaps facing the creature if it was discovered in the forest proper may be difficult to navigate with swordplay. alhaitham's dendro vision and his own magic might be more reliable there.
the stony shore was hemmed by a large peak of rock, past which the border of sea and land gave way briefly to sand (no tracks visible) and then to tangles of mangrove roots that stretched into the forest. the roots themselves seemed mostly undamaged as xehanort navigated through them, trying to not slip into the brackish seawater caught between the larger gaps, but there were larger bones and felled branches caught at the edge of the trees, as if something had come here to dispose of them.
the roots eventually taper back into sand, where on this side of the beach there was more evidence of activity. the sap, much like alhaitham had found, tough and shiny mixed with sand. and tracks -- or marks, really, long dragging ones leading from the water to the treeline. xehanort snaps a photo, sending it to alhaitham as he listens for any ambushes. ]
seems like it's forest-dwelling, but comes down here for some reason. fish, maybe?
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[Text] - Backdated to April while brands are in effect
[As is customary with the Nobody, when Axel inexplicably pops up in Xehanort's face--or device this time-- it is without warning and fanfare. There's a multitude of things he could be here to discuss. The brands, the recently rescued abductees, how he got this number, or any of the other numerous topics they both spun their wheels over never getting anywhere.
What he gets is:]
You know word association?
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me?
yes, i know it. a game to make a train of words until someone runs out of options or repeats.
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[So they did have it elsewhere. Axel couldn't even say if he plucked the concept from watching the rest of his crew or if doing so reminded him of something tucked back in his memories. All he knows is he needed social interaction and he needed it now.
Xehanort was one of the few people he could trust to stay on target as well as... potentially hold his interest, when little else would satisfy the numbness of all this recent isolation.]
Let's play it.
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hm. ]
okay. [ easy enough to go along with, past the initial confusion. more interesting to try and learn answers this way. briefly he wonders if axel should be the one to start, but, no. a little control over this? he'd take what he could, though, with that said, ] fire.
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[Xehanort is right to seek control where he can because its true, this was not a polite request. More like a mutual appeal than anything overtly friendly, but they can use eachother in this way. They're good at that.
Me, quite honestly comes to mind, but Axel doesn't want to hear whatever descriptor Xehanort has in that regard.]
Power.
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[ a change of direction almost immediately. he's already determined to play along with this by throwing as many curveballs as possible without going too off-topic. get things moving. ]
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He did want to be entertained after all.]
Contact
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[ had axel ever seen keyblade armor? it was common in his time, but so much had changed since then that there was really no telling. ]
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