Dash of Sweetness, Pinch of Chaos (finished)

[halen2020]

"Time for a little Chaos."

A dark corridor opened in the Second District. A girl stepped through. She looked at it hopefully for just a moment, then as it closed, looked away, a slightly sad look on her face. "Lea, we will meet again," she said to herself. She looked around, then at the sky. The moon hadn't moved an inch, but they had been at that beach for at least an hour. She shook her head, and closed her eyes. Something she hadn't told Lea was that she could track her energy in that ring as well, as it almost called to her. He was very far away. Very, very far. She sighed, and opened her eyes...

[Deleted]

He hadn't been expecting that. Not that a person randomly appearing from nowhere was a rare sight in Traverse Town. No, what Vayne hadn't been expecting was that this person had just come through a Corridor of Darkness. It had made him nauseous for a moment, but when the portal closed, his sickness went away. That person... Whoever they were, they didn't seem to be hostile.

Vayne had, in fact, just been trying to earn money as a songstress down at a bar located across the pavilion from the Hotel. Of course, he hadn't enjoyed the smell of all those weird drinks, but Vayne was proud of the small bag of Munny he now had.

"Hmmm... Let's see," he said, going back to his previous thoughts. "With that lot, now I have... 400 Munny. Two hundred more, and I can buy a bed!"

He walked past the strange person-- it was a girl-- and caught the first good look at her that he'd been able to get. She had black hair that frizzed out in every direction, and there were shocking red stripes highlighting it. She seemed to be an ordinary human. His ears twitched. Something about her seemed... different. Without a second thought, he spun on his heel and offered her his hand.

"Hi there!" he said. "My name's Vayne. I just saw you get here. Are you new?"

[halen2020]

A kid walked by her. A girl... No, wait. A boy? He was just so friggin cute he looked like a girl, and he had... cat ears? Alright, what the hell? She opened her mouth to ask him a question, but he turned around, and introduced himself very enthusiastically. "Um, hi. I'm Xaoc." She took his hand and shook it, hearing a jingle, and realized he had cash. Normally she would attempt robbery, but there was something about this kid that held her darker side at bay. "Whatcha doing out this late, sweety?" She asked him. Yes, there was something... very nice about this boy.

[Deleted]

Sweety... Was he sweet? Vayne had never thought about how he might taste. At any rate, Xaoc-- what a fun name!-- hadn't attacked him, so he figured the whole Corridor of Darkness thing was totally unrelated.

"I just got off of working at the bar," he said. "It's really fun! They pay me to sing and maybe dance around a bit."

He pointed to the bar; it was on the upper level, next to where Hatter's was. It was still lively, and since Vayne wasn't working, they had defaulted to lively dance music. Young couples walked in and out of the establishment.

"You know, now that I think about it," he said "I've only ever seen two guys or two girls come in with each other... Isn't that odd?"

He shrugged. Ears twitching in excitement. Maybe he could go down to the Accessory Shop and do some odd jobs for more Munny. Of course, Vayne would never leave his new acquaintance all by herself. She might be lost, or on the run... Maybe she was part of an intergalactic police force, here to arrest a savage criminal! ...Nah, probably just lost.

"So, where are you off to Xaoc?" Vayne asked. "I might head off to the First District to make more Munny... But if you need a guide, I can try to help."

[halen2020]

"At a bar? How old are you?" she asked. This child was working... in a gay bar? Seriously? "Um... Yes, I think I would like a guide. I wanna see the town. So, what's this first district place?" she asked.

Then she froze. A chill ran down her spine. She felt... the cold touch of darkness. And it most def wasn't Lea's darkness. She turned around, and saw a group of shadowy creatures creeping up behind her.

"Um, sweety, can you fight?" she asked him out of the corner of her mouth. She wasn't sure about her ability to protect this nice kid from the creatures.

[Deleted]

Vayne had been so distracted, he hadn't felt the sinking feeling in his stomach. When Xaoc asked him if he could fight, he suddenly became much more aware of it. There were Heartless about. Ugh... He felt queasy, like he might be sick at any moment. Of course, he had to battle it down.

"I can kinda fight..." he said, summoning up his glaive.

It felt a little heavier in his unsteady hands, but he could pull through. It wasn't like it was his first time fighting Heartless. There were only seven Shadows, anyways. Between himself and Xaoc, Vayne knew they could win. But... Was it right to be killing off Heartless? He had no time to ponder the question, as the Heartless advanced on the two.

[halen2020]

"Good. Chaos Blade!" A blade of black energy shoot out of her left arm, and she stepped forward, and sliced it through two of the Heartless. "Hmph, wimps," she muttered, stepping on top of one, and stabbing downward. The Heartless sank into the ground to avoid the hit, and scrambled away. "Stupid little thi-" One jumped on her back, but she reached aroud, and grabbed it's head, and brought its neck against her blade.

[Deleted]

Vayne had learnt how to deal with Shadows who had seeped into the ground to avoid physical attacks. He leveled his glaive at it, and focused.

"Thunder!" he cried.

A small bolt of electricity descended from a couple feet above the Heartless and zapped it, shocking it out of its two dimensional hiding place. His ears twitched as he felt something creeping up behind him. He spun, slashing through two Shadows that had been attempting a sneak attack.

"Sorry!" Vayne said. "I don't mean to hurt you, but I still kinda need my Heart!"

The two rose again, circling him warily. Vayne kept his blade up, ready to strike should they choose to risk an attack. One did come closer, and Vayne lashed out. It evaporated into a dark purple mist that slowly dissipated into the air, leaving the other Shadow to sink into the ground and "run" away towards Xaoc.

[halen2020]

She pushed her blade into the ground, right as the fleeing Heartless passed her, slicing it in two. The blade vanished, and she smiled, giving Vayne a thumbs up. "Good job. Now, lets get out of here before more show up." She stepped close to him, and took his hand, and said, "All right, sweety, lets go to the first district."
Her stomach rumbled, and she blushed and looked at it. "I'm kinda hungry. Do you know where there is someplace to eat?"

[Deleted]

Hmm... Xaoc had been so brave. All Vayne had done was keep a couple of Shadows at bay and zap one from a few yards away. Xaoc didn't seem to mind that he wasn't an awesome fighter, though...

"Somehwere to eat?" Vayne asked. "Well, there's a cafe not too far from the Item Shop in the First District... They have great pastries!"

As Xaoc took his hand, Vayne began to lead her towards the giant door leading from the Second District to the First District. On the way, they passed the fountain. Vayne took out a Munny and tossed it in, making a wish.

I wish I knew if my world was safe...

With that, he pushed open the large doors-- not an amazing feat, since they were oiled every day-- and beckoned Xaoc into the First District.

[halen2020]

She smiled as he made a wish in the fountain. She knew it was a foolish gesture,but it was still cute. She looked around. It was much better lit in this area, and it felt devoid of that cold finger up her spine. "This area is a safezone..."

She sniffed the air. She smelled the pastries Vayne had mentioned. Her stomach growled louder, but first she had to ask him something. "Vayne sweety, I need to sell a few things. Do you know anyone who would give me a fair price for this?" She held up one of the stolen golden rings.

[Deleted]

Vayne looked at the simple golden band. It looked pretty expensive.

"Well, there's always the Accessory Shop..." he said. "Or you could trade with the Moogles in the Synthesis Parlor right above it. They love to use gold for making cool Accessories."

He pointed to a door in front of them that had three windows in an almost fleur-de-lis-like pattern. The light from the Moogles working inside make the green glass glow like it was a neon sign. Beyond the shop, Vayne could spot the cafe setting out new candles on the tables.

"Whatever we do, we might wanna hurry..." he said. "They just set out fresh candles, so the Cafe is gonna fill up real fast."

[halen2020]

"You go save us a table. I'll be right there." She walked into the shop, and waved the ring at the guy behind the counter. "How much would you give me for this? It's solid gold." The guy looked at her. If it was gold, then he stood to make a killing, but, something about her made him realize he should give her a good price. he mumbled a high number.
She smiled, and tossed it to him. He bent under the counter, and soon came back up with a small sack filled with clinking noises. She took it, and not bothering to count it, left the store. She saw Vayne sitting at a table, and slid n next to him. "Alright. So, what's good here?"

[Deleted]

"Well, I really like their Kupo Nut Cookies..." Vayne said, pointing to it on the menu. "Of course, their Dark XII Mousse is really good too-- made with pure dark chocolate!

Vayne giggled at all the funny names for foods. These people were some of the few truly neutral people left. Their menu poked fun at everyone who was fighting each other. "Organization XIII Truffles"--each one with a different filling!--, the "Disney Castle Crunch", which was some of the best ice cream he'd ever had (not that he'd had too much before coming to Traverse Town), and even the "Keyblade Key Lime Pie", which they made in the shape of a Keyhole. The waitress, a young blonde girl, came over to their table.

"What can I do ya for?" she asked.

"I'd like the Kupo Nut Cookies, please!" Vayne said. "What about you, Xaoc?"

[halen2020]

"The chocolate thing he just mentioned, and some root beer, if you have it," she said politely. She wished she had that blond's figure... Then she did a little mental math. Lea had said he lived with a group of 11 others like him... The chocolate mousse was name Dark 12...

She snapped her fingers, and smiled. A small red spark went off. One mystery down, dozens to go. "Oh, and keep the drink refills coming, I don't care how much it costs."