Vacation ( Open )

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Hero sped along the dark, dimly lit corridor, his heart racing, beads of cold sweat running down his pale cheek. He gulped, and steadied his shaking grip on his crowbar as he advanced forward. It seemed as if anything were about to jump out and attack him at any moment.. Hero had to stay strong. Simon said he was just up ahead.. There was no reason to die now. Hero took a right turn and headed through a door. It was pitch black - not a thing was in sight. Hero could only distinguish a small outline of everything in the room. He decided that this was not the path, and turned to leave when suddenly, a half growling and groaning noise reached his ears. Hero's body stiffened. As he slowly turned his head, a great, beaming pair of deep eyes stared back at him in the darkness. Suddenly, it came at him. At a great speed, one of the monsters leapt on to Hero. Grunting with effort, Hero whacked it's face with his crowbar and kicked it off. It's body flew a few feet before landing in a disgruntled heap in an island of wooden crates. Snarling, it stood up, baring it's sharp teeth at him. This was no time for fighting.. Hero could hear other's emerging from corners of the hallway and other empty rooms. With no other choice, Hero turned and decided to run as fast as he could. The footsteps echoed in the hallway, Hero's heart was beating like a drum, going wild and fast as he lifted himself over a wheelbarrow of bricks. He quickly kicked the rear of it, sending the bricks tumbling down on whatever amount of monsters where chasing him now. Hero finally came to what seemed like the exit, a large, bolted, steel trapdoor. Hero pulled on it's handle, but it was no use � it was stuck. Hero frantically pulled at it, but it didn't give away. He could hear them catching up.. Then, on the door he had locked, bulging marks started to appear as loud clanging sounds rang throughout the room. Hero breathed heavily, as if wheezing, unable to get enough air. The door burst open, and they emerged..

“NOOOOOO!

He woke with a start, upsetting his leftover teacup beside his bed. Hero tried to regulate his breathing, but it was as if he were in the dream itself.. like he was that person.. Whoever he was. He was swimming in sweat, but it didn't matter to him. The room was dimly lit by the emerging sun. The clock on the table beside hid bed began to alarm softly. Hero shut it off with his free hand, while wiping sweat off his forehead with the other.

”Feeling down, pretty boy??

Again, that voice greeted him almost every other day of the week. Hero shook his head and stared at his legs, hidden under the bedsheet, letting his lazy blue hair be pulled by gravity. Sweat eventually dripped off the sides of his hair. What was that dream? The boy sat there for a minute and thought. It felt familiar.. too familiar. Hero kicked his bed-sheet's aside and stripped his pajamas off. All that remained after that was a large grouping of white bandages, all tightly wrapped around his legs, torso, and arm, only barely reaching up to his neck. Still in deep thought, the sharp, violet eyes went into trance. It seemed his mind and body were two completely different things now. He covered the majority of his chest with a small, blue jacket, and a pair of swimming pants that met the description. As he closed up his closet, he noticed his headphones hanging on a nearby jacket rack, and slipped those comfortably on his head. Not really in the mood for breakfast, Hero skipped stopping at the stove to make something and opened the door outside. There it was, Destiny Islands. It was a beautiful place � it was always nice to come here for vacation. Work in both Traverse and Twilight Town took heavy tolls on him, so a break was always nice. Even in the morning, here, the air was always warm. Hero's small, 1 story cottage was only a little away from the main residence of Destiny Islands, on a small island that was connected by a bridge. Many kind people lived here, and presumably, this world was the most comfortably rid of darkness, which Hero didn't particularly bode well with. In the back of the cottage lay his old Gummi ship, looking slightly battered and old, but was in a probable working condition. The sun was now beginning to edge it's way into the sky, above the border of the horizon. Hero stuck the mp3 cord to his headphones in his breast pocket and continued forward, on to the bride to Destiny Islands. If it was not that he was used to it, Hero would have been very self conscious of the fact that besides his thighs, knees, torso, and elbows, every inch of appearance that showed on Hero was bound together by white bandaging. Except for his face.

The headphones did not play any music, but he was just fine with that.

The warm air was a symphony by itself.

Traverse Town, Twilight Town, and Radiant Garden were all the worlds Hero had - and presumably, they were all he needed. He was kind of an errand boy, working a multitude of jobs and wandering around constantly. It seemed Hero's curiosity had no boundary but the thin lining of his skull. As Hero reached the islands, Hero remembered to do something very special. Upon putting foot into the sand, Hero took a flight of stairs up to a circular area where the famed "Papou Fruit" Tree stood, bending in an awkward way, but was elegantly smoothed. Heros eyes scanned over the sand - it must have been somewhere. Then, the very edges of his mouth curved into a grin as he found the spot. Shoveling out a few mounds of sand, he found an odd, oval-shaped rock with many tallies on it. Hero looked around for an open spot, and carved another line into the rock. This was, apparently, his 47nth visit to Destiny Islands, and yet, the same scenery, people, and just apparent mood removed him of breath. Hero reburied the rock and sat, watching the sun rise higher into a center-point in the sky. Hugging his knees, he frowned.

He thought about the dream.
He thought about his memories.
The ones that were crudely flattened, rolled up, and tossed aside, as if they were never meant to be recovered again.

[Era]

Vacation.

That's what they called it! That thing where you take a break from the everyday stresses of life - work, school, or otherwise - throw aside all worries, and just enjoy the short life you have. Well, she'd definitely come to the right place for this! It was high time for one of these "Vacations", she'd told herself. And the beach was a perfect place. Temperate. Fascinating, but most of all Playful (all important deciding factors where to retreat and recalculate life), Destiny Islands was where she cast her vote. And where else would she go than the most fun Island of the lot? Not to mention it was close, as her new job was only a hop away, on the Mainland.

But enough about her normal life, Era was coming here simply to enjoy herself.

Pushing open the door of the familiar shack here on the Island, a flood of bright sunlight poured in, overwhelming the dark room and temporarily blinding her. A few bounds, and the warm sunlight caressed her skin, openly welcoming her to this small but wonderful getaway. Once her frost-colored eyes had adjusted to the light, they froze, laying hold of the perfect teal waters, waves gently lapping at the pale sand below. The perfect Ocean stretched all the way to the horizon, and for a few long seconds, it took her breath away. She gasped, pleasantly surprised at the beauty, allowing the wonderful sight to sink in.

And then, she got an itch to do something crazy. And, driven by innocent impulse, she complied.

Without hesitation she had removed the black and purple striped, thigh-high boots and tossed them aside. Seconds later, her socks had landed in the sand, not far from their protective counterparts, and the delicate female trotted right into the water. She couldn't help but allow her happiness to overflow in the form of a giggle of sheer childlike amusement. The noise was enough to interrupt other company, if anyone else was around, but she was far too interested in the experience to be perceptively aware of others' presences. The sight of the Beach. The sound of the waves. The cool feeling of the water, it was all so extraordinarily fascinating to her, and she wandered a little deeper, splashing into the clear liquid until it was a few inches above her ankles.

Her smile broadened further at the tickling fascination of the sand gliding around her feet, pulling away, then rushing back, and she wondered if, given enough time, the waves would bury her feet. A deep breath filled her lungs with briny Ocean air, and she exhaled a sweet relief.

Sure life came with its troubles. Its worries, its fears, its dark chapters... but Era was highly aware of the fact that life was short. Too short, in fact, not to enjoy.

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Hero noticed that the sun was now rising to an admirable height above the horizon. Hero brushed the sand off of his bandages and prepared to head back into the cottage when he heard an odd noise. Someone giggling? Who was awake at this time of morning? Curiosity took over Hero. He turned back and slowly ambled down to the beach, where he could now distinguish the figure of a girl. With an oddly shaped portion of strikingly orange-like hair, Hero peered at her quizzically, his head cocked to one side.

Who was this young girl? And why did she appear to just be standing in the waves of the ocean, staring into the distant mainlands? Despite the fact that he looked very odd himself - an array of bandaging all over his body from his finger's to his toes, excluding his face and neck, with only a small jacket and a pair of swimming trunks to cover a portion of his torso and chest - Hero walked into the waves, a few feet apart from the girl, his vision cast over the mainlands of Destiny Islands.

Then, he spokes, his voice surprisingly soft and reminiscently British, the two mixed like cream in coffee, creating a tone full of rich jovial emotion and feeling.

"Hello there. Pleasant day, isn't it?"

[Era]

She was partially surprised to see another here on the Island. It was a pleasant surprise - not unwelcome in the slightest. Her head turned toward the origin of the voice, to set her frost colored gaze on a boy with calmingly blue hair. His gaze seemed gentle. Even... slightly welcoming?

"It's gorgeous," the comment overflowed with a strange characteristic. She seemed excitable on the outside, but her very presence blossomed with a tranquility few were able to sport.

Curiosity filled her thoughts as she lingered on the boy's numerous bandages, and while she said nothing of them for tact's sake, curiosity had been turning the gears of her mind. What kinds of wounds had been inflicted beneath those white coils? And curiouser yet - if he was injured, why was he walking around out here?

After a few lingering seconds, her gaze drifted back toward the Main Island. She tried to enjoy the fantastic sight of their vibrant colors, even from this distance, attempting to get her mind onto something else.

Hopefully, he wouldn't have noticed the slip of her eyes.

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"It's gorgeous"

Hero pulled his gaze from the girl, to the vibrant shades of orange, yellow, and red that flowed like a river across the sky, illuminating a distant cloud every now and then. The looming shadow of the mainlands shimmered on the ocean's surface, parting the sparkling, light blue of the ocean that swished and swiveled in between. He could see what she meant.
Hero noticed the lighted-up eyes slip for a moment, looking quizzically at Hero's odd appearance. Hero didn't feel embarrassment very often, but still felt ever-presently uncomfortable, immersing himself in zipping up the jacket he was wearing at the moment.

"I do look odd, don't I? Should have dyed these tight things green when I had the chance to do so.."

His voice trailed off blankly as he consumed the scenery for a few seconds with the girl. Hero felt then it was a valid time to make acquaintance with her.

"I'm Hero." said he jovially. He set his odd, cat-eared headphones on his shoulders as he turned his face to give the girl the slightest smile. The air whipped past, slightly upsetting his messy clump of blue hair.

"What should I address you as, if you would be so kind?"

[Era]

Era had to do a double-take. She wasn't used to anyone being so proper. At least, not as proper as she tended to be. She was so taken aback that for a moment, she'd completely forgotten about his introduction. Mentally she scolded herself for getting distracted. Now then, what was that name he just told her? Herold? . . . Hermes?

Hero.

Hero. That was it. What a peculiar name! But it was said that people had a tendency to live up to what they were named. He had quite the expectation on his shoulders then, didn't he? But enough about his name. It was likely that this boy had been awaiting her reply. And more likely still, that the time he'd been waiting was a lot longer than he should have been.

Refocussing her mind on the present, the girl curtsied. "Nice to meet you, Hero." She kindly extended a hand to him. "I'm Era."

[Deleted]

A small boat approached the small pleasant isle. A tall dark figure stepped out of the boat and onto the docks. The sun was in the sky now and Renzo could feel it's warmth. He didn't know why he was here he was supposed to be taking his daily hike up the mountains but he was here. Well he did need a break of some sorts from all his work.

Renzo slowly stepped of the docks and onto the sandy beach. He felt the cold sand that was slowly warming around him. He told himself he was going to enjoy that day.

Renzo continued along the small beach but stopped at a small shack of sorts. What a strange place for a shack, he thought. He saw a small door and opened it. He took a quick glance around the small shack. He saw absolutely nothing except a stairway.

Renzo slowly made his way over to the stairway and took a few steps up it only to be stopped by another door. He slowly reached out and he opened the door. Light shot back on him as he entered the island again. His face turned to see he was on small ledge not to high he could easily jump down if he wanted to. He turned his head and saw a bridge leading to another ledge. On that ledge he saw a bent tree and two kids talking. What a weird looking tree, he told himself. He crossed his arms and continued to watch.

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"Nice to meet you Hero."
"I'm Era."

"Era," Hero repeated to himself, reaching out to grasp the hand she offered. Hero grinned genuinely. "That's a cute name." As soon as he felt his finger's grasp hers, he sensed a wave of curiosity spread from her consciousness. Perhaps it was just him. Hero ended up grasping her hand longer than usual, inspecting the girl with innocent eyes. Among every world he went to, there were always interesting tourists and visitors who came every now and then - many people that Hero took a keen interest to. He was rather ill-informed of the outside world and to people's general emotion, but he felt some form of selflessness that radiated from the girl's eyes. Weirdly enough, Hero noticed alot of these things often. Suddenly realizing, Hero broke their grasp on each other's hands, feeling uncomfortably uncomfortable, looking back to the sea once more.

Something caught Hero's attention, the small sound of crackling sand that he was under the influence of so often. Quizzicaly, Hero turned to look at the direction of the source. Unable to identify the shadow of whatever man or woman sitting on the bending tree, Hero decided he was watching the dawn just as they were. He decided to walk back a few paces and sit promptly in the dry portion of sand, the slight waves of the ocean tickling his ankles every now and then. The silence on the seemingly vacated island was comfortably cozy to Hero. The warm air was like a blanket over him. Letting his eyes close for a second, he remembered the dream. He shook his head nonchalantly and opened his eyes. The vibrant colors of the sea and sky were growing stronger. Hero thought about his introduction to the girl.

Whenever Hero introduced himself, it felt as if something was missing - like his name wasn't really what it was supposed to be. Nevertheless, Hero stuck with it, because it was one of the only things he could recall quickly when he came out of remission in the cryogenic gummi ship.

( Did I seriously just spend like 5 paragraphs on rambling nonsense... )

(( LOOONG POST ))

[Era]

An innocent grin embraced her features and she responded with a simple "thanks", but was quickly distracted by their handshake. The moment he grasped her hand, Era felt a sharp jolting sensation jump from his hand to hers and up toward her Heart. The uncomfortable pang only evoked a few unsuspecting blinks from the girl. Sometimes she got strange sensations when shaking others' hands, so this was nothing particularly new. However, it was uncommon enough to catch her off-guard. And the sensation told her a lot about this kid. Things she didn't need to hear from his mouth to understand. For instance:

The jolt told her that his Heart had been tainted by the Darkness. How she still wasn't sure... But that foul zap, much like a cold spark of static electricity, said that his Heart had been warring with Darkness. Obviously, though, the good side was winning out. Judging by the depth she felt when she looked into his eyes (and felt his Heart), she could tell, the good inside him was winning.

She could also tell that his Heart, though troubled, was strong. Extremely strong.

Then, Hero jerked the connection away, his attention turning toward the second level of the Island. She also turned toward the Paopu tree, eyeing the figure and giving him a simple wave before turning back toward her earlier acquaintance.

"And by the way," Her frost-blue eyes returned to Hero's. There was a purity to her gaze. Something that said she had nothing to hide. The words that came next were both content, and highly sincere. "You don't look strange at all. You just look like you." From what she could tell, he had nothing alienating about him, only peculiarities that made him unique.

((No worries. x3 I don't mind some length to the post. I'm for posts being as long or short as the character and circumstance call for.))

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"You look just like you."

Hero looked smiled blankly at his feet.
"Thank you."

I don't get that very often

Hero brushed the sand off of his pale blue swimming trunks and stood up. Ripples of water emnating from his ankles fought against the approaching tide. Hero spent his life generally coming near people only to recollect information, deliver products, or pass on notes and documents to gain a steady income. Unfortunately, he did all this for a high-paying, sincere company run by a trusted man, but rumors were already spreading that his intentions were evil, and therefore, passed the reputation on to his best employee also. People looked at Hero like some form of a slug when he walked in the streets of Radiant Garden, Twilight Town, Traverse Town, practically anywhere, and rarely met his eyes when being in his service.

A crab pushed itself out of the sand, shaking a few bits and pieces of the grain off of him before ambling sideways towards Hero's direction. Absentmindedly, he bent down and lent the crab a finger. It hesitated, but then, slowly traveled up the finger and on to the surface of his hand. He stood straight and looked at the crab. It peered back, clicking it's claws affectionately.

He couldn't quite believe people could be so friendly though. As hard as he tried, Hero never received much feedback from society as much as others would. This girl - no, Era's voice was sincere and pure - it was the truth, and Hero liked that in a person. He set the crab back down to the sand. As if digging it's grave, the sand pushed and pulled until the bright-red shelled creature was submerged into fine grains of pale yellow.

[Deleted]

Renzo saw one of the kids wave at him but he remained motionless. There truly was no reason to wave at the kids other than being social which Renzo wasn't. He was still unsure of what he wanted to do on this bright and exuberant day. The sun showered him warmth and Renzo made a quick smile.

Renzo peered up at the weird bent tree and saw innocent star shaped fruits. He had never seen a fruit such as those ever. His hand slowly pulled one of the star shaped fruits of the tree and he gazed at it. It was yellow in color and it looked like a normal fruit other than the awkward star shape but Renzo knew there was probably more to the fruit.

Renzo gently put the fruit on the ground and walked away from the weird bent tree. He slowly made his way to the ledge and looked down into the crystal clear water. It was a nice day wasn't it. He grabbed a handful of dirt and sand and he threw them into the water making the water cloudy before all the particles settled to the bottom.

Renzo scratched his chin. Perhaps I could swim, he thought and with that he did a somersault into the water. As he felt the water touch him he felt rejuvenated. The warm touch of the sun and the cold feel of the water was a perfect match.

Renzo slowly made his way over to the more open area of water and away from the ledge. This was semi-fun to him he still needed to think of more things to do before the day was done.

[Era]

"Hmm..." the girl nodded once, chipper expression flowering on her fair face. "You're welcome."

She watched with fascination as the crab crawled onto Hero's hand and leaned closer to the little red creature. Her emotion sparked with curiosity, head tilting ever-so slightly as she took in its awkward shambling movements and the sounds of its clicking claws.

Unlike many people, Era remained fascinated in all the small things -- the sunsets, creatures, the smells, the sights, the sounds -- all of these made up the experience. These things were like a burst of fresh air, allowing her to escape the recesses of her mind for awhile, and truly focus on how amazing the worlds really were.

The little beast was quick to return to his home beneath the sand, and she watched the grains bury him beneath the gentle waves, and her icy blue shifted back up to Hero. "So where are you from?" It was a common conversation-starter... but the way she'd asked it implied not smalltalk, but a genuine, unrefined desire to know.

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"Where are you from?"

Hero looked politely glum. His biological "birthplace" was a gummi-ship sent in to a state of cryogenic freezing, and he didn't have any memories before that. He wasn't even sure he was completley human. Sure, a lot of people from different worlds had special abilities and powers, but not knowing where his actually came from made him slightly insecure.

"I don't know, really." he said, a small smile etched upon his face, but his eyes telling a different story. Speaking of his eyes, they suddenly began to water up, and a shining tear ran down the side of his cheek. Hero was used to this by now - any time he felt any slight emotion related to sadness, hapiness, or etc., his body would zoom into an exaggerated overdrive. It was a strange way of crying, because all it seemed to be was an excess of water. Nothing about his features showed that he was actually in emotional pain. He quickly wiped it away, but couldn't stop the small dripping sound it made when it hit the waves of the water beneath.

"I don't think I'll ever know."

[Deleted]

Renzo continued to swim in the cool water. He felt better now that he was actually doing something. He swam closer to the shore until he could stand again. Once he could stand again he walked to the shore and he shook himself off drying his fur. He quickly looked over at the two kids but quickly reverted his gaze to a tree.

What else could he do for fun he had walked, he had gone swimming, what else was. Perhaps the two kids would know what is fun and relaxing to do but that would require talking to someone which Renzo wasn't a fan of. He tried his best to think of something but all of his ideas seemed dull or pointless. Fine I'll go ask them, Renzo told himself.

Renzo slowly walked over to the two kids talking. "Hello," he said in a quiet deep voice. He tapped his foot making a loud thump thump noise on the sand.

((Sorry for the short post))

[Era]

Era was taken aback by Hero's strange actions, having to do a double-take. She was partially frustrated with herself. She didn't mean to provoke such a reaction. But then again, he didn't look too heartbroken over the subject. So then, why was he crying? Well, it probably didn't matter why. She'd already decided she wanted to cheer him up.

So then, how exactly could she go about that? She wasn't very good with jokes. Talk about feeling socially awkward! Maybe she could dance for him? But, she wasn't that good at dancing, either. Not to mention splashing around in the water would only soak both of them further. And, she was saving every last piece of munny she had so that she could keep looking for her memories.

Her memories. That's what she told herself she'd been after. That's what she told herself, but she'd been lying. Really, she was after someone special. Someone she had to make sure was still all right. Someone who meant the world to her.

So, this meant no jokes, no dancing, and no munny. She was at a loss. The last thing she could do was offer him a sincere word.

The girl tilted her head slightly, bright smile infected with her positivity. "That makes two of us." Hopefully it was enough to tell him that he wasn't alone in the world.

"Hello,"

An unfamiliar voice pulled Era's attention toward the dark-furred humanoid on the beach. He was unlike anything Era had ever laid eyes on before... and yet a distant part of him seemed so vaguely familiar. He stood on two feet, but had claws, fur, and a long tail. It was as if he were part human and part Feline. And... was that a horn on his head?

She couldn't help but offer a friendly wave to the stranger. "And hello to you!" Something was scratching at her insides. She was sure she'd never met him before... but part of him stirred her stomach with an uncanny, deja-vu type feeling that she just couldn't put a finger on.