A Moment of Respite (Finished)

There was only so much Antique could do to keep herself from being bored; she was Jadis' apprentice, but even still, there was still so much time to kill! Sure, she met so many interesting people, but the architecture---this place had lost it's interest. Tomorrow she'd find something wondrous about her second home, but for the moment, she was bored.

So, making her way from the Second District to the First, she sighed, thinking of ways that she could entertain herself. The Heartless cured that for a few hours when they tried to steal her heart and whatnot, but even that got old sometimes.

Lifting her electric pink and blue head, she thought something was off--there was a particular smell.

Roses?

In Traverse Town?

The smell sent nostalgic feelings of her adopted father's garden, and the month of May, the one month of the year where there was enough sunshine to have the flowers bloom.

"What a lovely smell..." she sighed out loud.

Antique took in the sweet smell while she could, letting herself smell the flowers that reminded her of her adopted father's garden. They used to remind her of wonderful things, but as time went on, like anything that was good, it brought images of death, blood. Then again...burning bodies of knights with fires along with roses probably didn't make the association any better. Granted she didn't smell any burning wood at the moment, the smell was...gentle.

"Maybe you would instead prefer a rose; to see it in an almost falling pose...? With my hair and neck filled with sweet smell, I would be wrapped in death's scent as I fell..." she sang lightly as she looked up at the eternal night sky, folding her hands behind her back. She was unaware that anyone else was here--she tended to wander around, even when the rest of the town was sleeping.

"I do not believe we have met before, I take it you are new here then?"

She paused for a moment, and turned around to face him full, her skirt swaying with her movements, fluidly. Tilting her head, she wondered how long he had been there. He seemed to carry the smell of roses with him.

"Ah..." she said, her lips breaking into a delicate, almost carefree smile. "A few months now, actually," she said with a bit of a laugh, her eyes squinting warmly at him, a smile painted over her face.

"I'm Antique...and you are?"

Roze was his name? Antique unconsciously brought her hand over her heart. So, Roze it was. Roze, the man with the delicate face. Roze, the man who smelled of roses. When he bowed, Antique looked a little bit shocked--the only person she had come across who was that formal in Traverse Town was perhaps Jadis--though her Lady had no idea to bow to anyone else.

Stepping back delicately, her head bowed, footwork allowing her into a graceful swoop of a curtsie. It was obvious the girl was very familiar to formal gestures, considering the ease she did it, like second nature.

"Nice to meet you, Roze," she said quietly, wondering what he had meant about names. "It seems your name fits you very well," she smiled. It did seem to fit him in a way, with his red hair and delicate appearance. Not to mention the smell. It was a contrast to how she perceived her name fitting her, anyway. But it was one of the few things she owned her entire life--Antique didn't perceive herself as aged or delicate or worth a significant amount of money--not a name that fit the word very well.

"So tell me Antique, what brought you to this city of never ending night, were you whisked away from your world by the darkness? Or did you simply come here of your own will?"

She straightened up, and looked up to the sky again, knowing that every time she looked up, there would be less and less stars. It was a delicate topic for everyone here, she could have said.

"I wish it had been the latter option," she chuckled, shutting her eyes. "The first, though...I wouldn't blame the darkness," she said quietly, not usually liking to mention that she thought it was her fault.

Antique smiled. His words were almost flattering without intending to be--she never did do too well with kind words about her. She was something rare to find? An inward chuckle--someone had called her an angel once, and it was hard to believe. Nothing, nothing of the sort. Don't get her wrong, she appreciated things like that, but she never really took any of it to heart. Well, she rationalized it....well, as if rare meant she were a little bit strange, then okay, yes, she could understand it.

It was funny how he had guessed what she was thinking though. Perhaps he was just a very empathetic person.

"That is why I believe your name fits quite well, your heart, though containing darkness, holds quite a large amount of light."

Once again, unconsciously, her hands rested over her heart. She looked at him curiously. Could he see hearts? Or was he being metaphorical?

"Tell me Antique, do you believe Heartless can feel emotion, that they can feel anger, sadness, love, envious, prideful, depressed?"

Curiouser and curiouser. It was a strange question, really, none that she really ever considered. And yet, she felt a hint of sorrow within the man who smelled of roses--she wanted to comfort him, though the physical distance between them made it a little bit awkward for her to approach. And, perhaps it was just a metaphor, but, she had tended her adopted father's garden before, and though she had taken care of the roses, she had also game out scratched as well.

Could the Heartless feel? She bowed her head. She was certain they could. Her former Queen's face. Eyes widening, she knew very well that they could. She had to shake the image from her mind, for it brought too many thoughts that were unpleasant--so she smiled. It was soft, though it was strained.

"I'm positive that they can," she said, and smiled at Roze. "Feelings and emotions," she said, and sighed. "I mean, there are always exceptions. There are humans I believe that cannot feel them, and there are Nobody's that can feel emotions, too."

She thought about Caxnon. She was positive he felt emotions. Her first friend in Traverse Town. "But the Heartless...I'm certain that they can, or at least, some kind. Perhaps it varies. I'm not sure..." she said softly. "I mean, I've never personally been one. But I'd like to believe they do..."

She shut her eyes to think. "Just because I don't understand them fully doesn't mean I can't give them the benefit of the doubt, right?"

Antique's eyes widened at the sight of rose petals, then relaxed at the display, as if she were in a daze. She sensed such sadness, such anger in the kind faced man. Emotions that were so strong they were almost overbearing. Her arms traveled up hold herself, to keep everything in--it was almost too much of a cognitive dissonance; lovely rose petals, a gentle face, but such anger and sadness. Spite.

She didn't think it was his intention to try and hurt her though, so she carefully took a couple of steps forward, palms open as her sides. He had said he was a Heartless--a Heartless with a human face. Her Queen. Immediately, guilt. Mixed feelings.

She stopped a few feet from him. Oddly not afraid. Curious, but not afraid. Guilt ridden, but not afraid.

"I..." she started lightly. If he was a Heartless, then he could see what her heart bore, though she had personally never seen it before. "I don't believe I can even imagine to understand what you've gone through...to say that would be me lying..." she said, sighing. "I do agree with you on some points though..." she said, looking at him with fuchsia eyes. Eyes that tried to understand. "Humanity...we're not as squeaky clean as we say we are...and there are...really...really bad people out there that do bad things in the name of good. I mean, alot...I would know," she said, and sighed. "But at the same time, there are also very good people out there--at least, that's what I would like to believe. So when I side with humanity," she said, tilting her head. "It's because I want to believe that there are good people out there. The innocent, the ones that need to be defended."

She touched her chest. "And it's possibly because we're afraid. When I first saw a Heartless," she said, looking at the ground. "I didn't understand. But it's probably what lies under it all is a lack of understanding."

She looked at him. "I've only met one other with a face like yours..." she said, and trailed off, shutting her eyes. She didn't like the flood of memories that came with it. "And what I did was probably unforgivable. It's not an excuse that I don't understand. I simply do not. Not everything."

Fighting back tears, she raised a sleeve to her eyes to wipe them, though a few managed to escape. But she wasn't crying for herself. No, these tears were for him.

Antique was a silent crier, really. Perhaps it had come from years of practice; but the only evidence of it was on her face. Very rarely did she cry in front of anyone--perhaps it was the cultural distress that coming from a new world put on her. She was always so cheerful and happy, and smiling! But to do something like this was...a little bit weird for her. When it was time for bed, or when she was alone she'd shed tears sometimes for fallen comrades, or even enemy knights from other kingdoms.

"I wish I could predict what would happen," she said quietly. "I can't say that the next generations children will be good hearted or bad hearted...all I can do is protect what precious things there are now," she said lightly. She smiled. "I can't say, I mean, that I aim to make a utopia or anything of the sort--there has to be a balance with everything...kind of like how darkness needs the light, and how daytime needs the night? It's like the two are always one...a harmony, almost," she said. "As long as there are both..." she said, and paused. "Everything is fine. It's when there's too much of something....I fear the day when there is too much light....but...I could say that for the other too."

He held the rose out to her, and she smiled a little bit, wiping off more tears. "I'm sorry...I really don't do that too often..." she said, cautiously reaching out for the rose, which had turned dark violet. She paused though, and looked up to him. Not that she was suspicious, but she wasn't used to things like receiving gifts--her eyes questioned him if it was really okay.

"People might not want to understand because they're afraid," she whispered. "I'd like to know more," she said. "You seem very kind, Roze. I'm not sure I could dislike you just because of what you are. But if you're willing to put up with a girl who seems to want to cry today," she said, smiling softly, "I wouldn't mind learning more," she said quietly, holding her palm out to him, innocently, perhaps too trusting--not for the rose in his hand, but for him.
She rubbed her eyes again with her sleeve, biting down on her lip.

((Yes, I'm a meany mean person <3))

"Or maybe because the Heartless plant seeds of fear in them, like when they kill innocent people?" His voice was loud, but still calm. The man had managed to lower his aura, and he had succeeded. He had been drawn nearby by the sweet smell or roses, just before the red headed has asked if the Heartless could feel. The Heartless... those damned creatures of darkness. Sure, this one seemed way more pacific and less dangerous than the other ones, but Mikael wasn't one to trust immediately, specially when talking about Heartless.

Jumping down the building where he was standing, the fire user landed near the other two, looking at Roze carefully. "Excuse me for the sudden entrance, and for interrupting your conversation. I believe some introductions would be appropiate," he said, smiling at the son of darkness. "My name is Mikael, Mikael Darrow, nice to meet you Roze." He held out his hand for the man to shake. Why was he willing to shake hands with a Heartless? One, Roze didn't look hostile. Two, he didn't deserve to be judged. And three, Antique was there. "Good to see you again, my curious rabbit."

Mikael glanced the red crystal hanging on his neck, dark energy being its core. Memories of Mira came to his mind as his eyes became watery. But he did not cry; not even a tear escaped his eyes. She wouldn't have liked that... Mira. She has been strong and skillfull; she didn't need anyone to cry for her. Looking at Roze once more, Mikael spoke, ready to defend his believes against the Heartless ideals.

"Well, I think Heartless can feel emotions, but their strength depends of their heart power. For example, you, a human shaped Heartless, can feel the same as a human. But a Shadow's emotions wouldn't be as strong; they would be vague and fading, like a shadow. About humanity's "innocence", I also believe that we, humans, aren't sweet, white doves of peace. Our kind has made many mistakes, but that doesn't mean that we must all perish. There is something called redemption, which will forgive our sins. Now, if you disagree with this, let me ask you something. Why should the Heartless be forgiven for the destruction of the many worlds and the death of people? While many of those people did terrible things, others were innocent, some even pure hearted. I mean, if you are against all the human race for things some people, but not all of them, did, then why should we not be against the Heartless?" Mikael paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Light, darkness... they are the same. How we use them makes the difference." The young man was wary, mad at, and maybe even afraid of darkness. But now, after the many things that had happened, the fire user learned that darkness was not evil.