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Who: A very sleepy Axel and YOU
Where: The library
When: Sundown-Nighttime on Thursday
Style: Will follow~
Status: Open

He may not look like the type who reads a lot, but the truth is that Axel spends a lot of his free time in the dome visiting the library for something new to pick up, whether that be a stack of comics or even a complete fantasy trilogy. Some of them are ridiculous and full of fish puns, sure, but it passes the time...

On one such evening, however, it seems he's tired himself out and taken a break towards the back of the library where there's a little table and a few chairs set up. With his arms folded on the table and head rested upon them, Axel appears to be fast asleep with a few dogeared and half opened books scattered about. Most noticeably, however, is the thought bubble hovering just above his head and the pictures that drift in and out of focus in its transparent body.

From afar there's only light pastels, blues and pinks mostly but with a splash of green and yellow now and again, but then if one draws closer they'll be able to see running water, beautiful rows of tulips and roses, and even a majestic castle surrounded by waterfalls and even more fields of color.

It's pretty, to say the least... even when the castle's image shakes and becomes more ruined and dark as the seconds pass. Axel twitches a little in his sleep, bothered but not yet awake.

Care to interrupt him?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The library is full of fairly useless things, at least in Saix's opinion. It doesn't tell him the sort of things he needs to know, not even the history of this city. Still, he knows that there some books that are less useless than others and he's always on the look out to see if anything has changed. If nothing else, Saix is thorough.

This means he looks through even the furthest back shelves. He gives a pause when he sees Axel, and he's just about to turn back and walk away when he notices just what is happening in Axel's thought bubble. It lures him back quietly until he's seated by the redhead, eyes fixed completely on the colorful city within. There's a certain kind of desperate hunger in his eyes the longer he watches, mingling with something sharper and more bittersweet.

Losing his home, then losing his heart... When he was so much younger, he had told himself that he would find a way to get both back. No matter what the cost was, that was something he had been determined to do. He'd always known it would take a long time... But everytime he had envisioned it inside his head, he'd still think of himself as the same age, going back to the Garden. Going back with someone else, too. Things were never that simple, however. He had to work, and keep working, harder and harder it always seemed like with so little progress. Eventually, it had started to clog up his memories, all the details of what he was longing for so much. It's only now that he realizes that he'd forgotten about things like the fountains he'd used to shove his ridiculous friend into and all the secret sneaky ways they'd find their way into the castle. All the details, things he'd forgotten until now.

Saix keeps watching at least until the castle starts to twist into something ruined and miserable. That's when he finally stands up, disappearing into a Portal... only to come back again with a white rose- chosen not because of any meaning but because it's fragrance is noticeable. He places it by Axel's face and then goes back to his seat, watching the thought bubble intensely for any changes. In his own, it's still stuck on what the Garden used to look like...

The vision of the dark and scarred castle continues on, blurring over the previous image of a once bright and cheerful landscape as Axel stays asleep, but every-so often there's still a flicker of color. There's blue and there's white, bits of a wide and endless sky peeking through the darkest shadows of his dream, but it isn't until his mind recognizes something nearby that the shadows begin to melt away, peeling back to make more room for the light to flow.

What follows is once again a swirl of radiant color, decorated with fast moving creatures of all shapes and sizes--There are bluebirds and butterflies, foxes and rabbits... then something else entirely different. The gardens once again come back into view but running along a bright brick path are now two figures, barely noticeable, but unmistakeably human.

It's the middle of spring it seems, and the flowers are in full bloom; the perfect time of the year for special occasions and enjoying all that this World has to offer. Large golden bells atop the spires of the nearby castle sway and ring, ribbons of all colors fly across the sky, mingling in with dancing petals as white as clouds. Then one of the figures reaches back for the second to tug them along until they're running together, nearly tripping over their shoes and little cracks in the pavement though clearly not letting anything stop or hinder them for the world. Perhaps there's a festival they're running to, maybe even a birthday or a wedding... Who can say? But something about the two seems significant enough to warrant Axel's attention.

... He's happy.

Saix stays tense for a moment as the darkness continues, bending his fingers back as he waits. When the colors finally began to grow bright again, he stops and his brow eases up somewhat. In his own mind, he's very carefully putting back all the pieces of his memory, gathering up the little things he'd lost in favor of just remembering the general need. Secret little paths through the city he'd used to take, gardens he would help with occasionally, spots by the lake that he'd sit at during the night when the stars were brightest...

The images seem to flicker to a halt when he spots those two figures in Axel's dreams and... He doesn't want to remember Isa and Lea at the very same time that he so badly wants to be that way again. Still, no matter how he fights against it, he ends up thinking about two foolish boys too- keeping their balance as they walked on walls, climbing to the highest places they could, skipping stones. It's a bit more vivid in his mind, details sharper... especially on the redheaded boy grinning brilliantly in every image.

It's thanks to that lingering scent of flowers that Axel's able to keep the vision of Radiant Garden as it is, as it should be, and for a long while the pictures and colors don't change much. The two figures keep on running and the flowers stay perfectly in bloom... but at one point the dream falters again, bringing in more wisps of ink-like darkness from the edges of the bubble.

As if in reaction both of the people inside stop to cower, even try to find any bit of light left to run to, but only end up pushed and pressed further and further against the dark. Axel's fingers twitch against the surface of the table then slowly curl into loosely formed fists.

Dammit.

Saix thins his lips, uncertain if anymore flowers would bring back those images of the Garden. But he wants to see it again. He wants to remember more of the reasons why he worked so hard for ten years. So he disappears again to bring back another two flowers and lay them with the first. Instead of immediately going back to his seat, he hesitates. Then slowly, he reaches down to slip his fingers between Axel's to help break apart the fist so that they're gripping each other's hands instead.

When Saix returns, Axel's thought bubble has changed, but the darkness is still creeping in slowly but surely. The flowers have all appeared to have either withered or disappeared completely, the buildings shrouded and broken down, leaving nothing more but the two figures still staying huddled together in the dead center. He'd like to fight it, though, and Axel tries as is apparent from the small occasional spark of light amidst the shadows, but they never last for long.

It's a wonder if this is really what he's dreaming about, if any of these things are clearer or even more ambiguous inside Axel's mind, but it's clear it's bothering him either way, even with the help of a couple more gently placed flowers to join the first. He wants to go back there. He wants to dream of nothing else but what was there before, what made him happy...

It's not until he feels something pressing against him that the tension in his body seems to loosen and the darkness in his thought bubble slowly comes to a halt. Still... it looks like it might be too late for one of the figures which is half covered in darkness already. The second one pulls and tugs but he just can't get to him, can't free him no matter what he does...

Axel's fingers tighten again, unknowingly gripping onto Saix's own.

It's still not going back to how it was before... Saix grips back, more from frustration than anything else. What does he have to do to make it come back? Should he just give up for now and focus on his own newly polished memories of what things were like before? He glances down at their hands and forces his own to relax even as the sight almost makes him more aggravated. What a sight the two of them must make... They could almost look close, posed like this. He has half a thought to pull away, but doesn't, instead looking up at the bubble as if hoping that it will have changed.

When he feels that grip tighten in return, Axel shifts a bit in his sleep but still doesn't wake up. In his mind he's holding on to something as well and quite possibly he's even trying to pull something or someone along with him, but for whatever reason it just isn't working. Slowly, very slowly, the darkness engulfs one of the little figures, leaving the other surrounded and alone.

It's the feeling of being suffocated, of something cutting him away and leaving behind a deep, stinging pain which finally causes the image to dissipate and for Axel to slowly stir from his nap. He doesn't look very well rested, however, even as his vision slowly comes to focus and his eyes direct toward one of his hands, the one currently intertwined with another beside a couple of thorny roses.

His thought bubble changes again, only this time bringing back a faded image of a garden with a tiny fountain which shoots straight up into the air. He hasn't even thought to look and see who's hand he's even holding.

Ah- Saix goes stiff as Axel starts to stir, thought bubble going blank in shock even as he tries to figure out what to do. And he thought this scene would look strange to an observer; it's going to make an even worse situation with Axel waking up. Why couldn't the fool just stay asleep a while longer?

Carefully, hoping that Axel is still mostly half asleep, Saix starts to pull his hand away. Maybe if he's careful and quick, he can just leave without this being too much of a hassle.

When the hand starts to pull away, Axel shifts again, this time a little more alert. He doesn't let go and just glances over and up in time to see Saix standing beside him. ... Is that what he'd been holding onto this entire time? Is that what he was trying to pull?

His own bubble also falls blank before someone shows up again, this time with more defined details to the features. There's a smudge of blue, a bit of green and yellow, before finally a familiar face comes into focus.

It's Isa.

Axel realizes a little too late that his thoughts are going to be visible, so hastily he looks away, straightening up in his chair and smoothing out his coat. But that picture just won't go away. In fact it just gets worse, introducing his own Other who runs up behind Isa to hook an arm around his neck with a wide grin.

Well, so much for that plan.

As usual, Saix keeps a perfect poker face, not letting his thoughts be so visible on his face. Normally, it would work well enough. However his thoughts are already plain in sight- and mirroring Axel's once again. However, it's not a perfect double image... The two boys seem a little older in his thoughts, cloaked in black and not nearly as close. They're just holding onto each other by their pinkies- and the redhead is looking away while the other is staring right at him intently.

Saix acts as though it isn't happening, straightening his own coat before just walking away.

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flared - 2013-08-23 08:21 (UTC) - Expand

_{[Demyx had spotted Axel once already in the library, but he didn't think much of it. He was on a mission to find the newest box of comics that the library just got in. Once he found that, he backtracked past Axel, only to stop and stare at the images the bubble was showing off.

...Huh. That looked like... No, that was Radiant Garden, wasn't it? It looked just like that little model he was given sometime before Lea disappeared for the last time! Man, it looked a lot better in motion.

And then then it shifted into Hollow Bastion, leaving a sinking feeling in the the pit of the musician's stomach. He knew that place, too. It'd probably be a good idea to wake Axel up before things get worse, so he's just going to lightly kick at his chair.]}

Axel? Hey, uh... Y'might wanna wake up before you get back problems.

[The images continue in his mind, showing off different sides of the castle and the large bits of it missing or destroyed from the aftermath of some sort of catastrophe, but when Demyx kicks at Axel's chair he grumbles a bit and the image wavers, jolting and suddenly showing off a few Heartless scrambling just outside the castle walls.

Might want to kick a little harder if you want to wake him up, Demyx. Axel's a pretty heavy sleeper.]

_{[Ah... That's not a good sign. Demyx leans back to check the aisles, then he's delivering a stronger kick to the leg.]}

Hey! C'mon! I don't wanna hear you complaining about weird dreams and a sore back, Ax!

_{[Don't make him put this box down!]}

[The stronger kick startles him and and shakes up the thought bubble a bit, but it doesn't look like Axel's woken up just yet. Instead he stays put, only shifting a little while the Heartless in the image scramble and multiply, nearly filling up the entire bubble with their little black claws and beady amber eyes.]

Roxas's visits to the library aren't nearly as frequent as Axel's, but he still knows it as a place to find his friend. He missed sunset, which isn't unusual enough to cause alarm, but Roxas decides to look for him anyway. He would have thought this was one of those weeks where Axel would hole himself up in his room and avoid people. Then again, maybe the back of the library is close enough.

Coming upon Axel there, Roxas hesitates. It seems like a good dream at first... That's Radiant Garden, isn't it? Though he's never seen that version of it for himself, he recognizes the castle. Is that where Lea was from?

But then the image darkens into one that's quite a bit more familiar to him. Some of Sora's memories are more vivid for him than others, and above his own head flashes the image of the grand hall, and Sora holding that keyblade.

"Axel...?" he says softly.

Axel's still asleep even when Roxas approaches and in his thought bubble the image of the dark castle stays afloat, shrouded by dark, ominous clouds. Occasionally the image will flicker and a bit of light will try to peek through, but eventually it's snuffed out and turned once again into shadows.

Axel shifts a little more, his fingers lightly tensing over the surface of the table. It's certainly not a dream he fancies, that's for sure.

Roxas sighs. For someone who sleeps so much, you'd think he would figure out how to take actual catnaps, the type people wake from easily. He places his hand on Axel's shoulder and gives him a good shake.

"Axel, wake up," he says, a little louder this time, but not too loud because it is a library after all.

The truth is, Axel hasn't been sleeping very well for a while now, so it's really no surprise that he's been so tired and taking long, deep naps. He thought he would have been better at controlling himself, but that definitely doesn't seem to be the case.

The shake on his shoulder eventually does startle him from his slumber, however, and as soon as he lifts his head and looks around the visions in his bubble disappear, replaced with nothing more but white.

"Huh?"

"You fell asleep." After a second, he adds helpfully, "In the library."

He doesn't mention anything about what Axel was dreaming about, but an image of Hollow Bastion still hovers, indistinct, above his head.

Axel looks around a little more before he rubs at his eyes then flops his head back down on his arms. "What a joke," he mumbles to himself as the image in his thought bubble tints a bit red. What that might mean remains to be seen, however.

"Thanks for waking me up, though."

"Sure..." Roxas watches his friend and the brief look he gets of his face before he flops down again. He looks like he could fall right back to sleep.

"I guess you were tired. You wanna head home before you pass out again?"

With a sigh he lifts his head up again, blinking to force himself awake. Ugh, what a terrible place to fall asleep. His neck hurts and his shoulders hurt and his back hurts-- Everything practically hurts.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," he mutters as he pushes away from the table and scoots the chair out. "What're you doing here this late anyway?" he asks as he starts to close some of the books and stack them up.

"I dunno. You didn't come home for ice cream, so- I just thought I'd look for you." He wasn't worried at the time, but now he might be, a little bit. Maybe it's just him, but Axel seems like he's been sleeping weirder than usual lately.

"Oh. ... Sorry about that." Had he really been asleep for that long? Axel finishes stacking up the books and after he's picked out the ones he's going to take back to the apartment he turns to Roxas again.

"Did you already have ice cream by yourself?"