All Good Things 8
Dec. 8th, 2012 09:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lumelleFor story summary, warnings, pairings, etc, see the first chapter.
Chapter: 8/25
Chapter title: Relationship Advice
Chapter rating: PG
Chapter summary: Lea's trip to Agrabah takes a surprising turn when he has to give advice to a hesitant groom.
Agrabah is dry and hot as always, which rather delights Lea. After Atlantica and the sea air of Neverland, it's a welcome change and a chance to let his powers recharge. Though he's not quite as tied to fire as he used to be as a Nobody, it's still a major part of his magic, and the preference for warmth hasn't gone anywhere. He just functions better when it's hot, regardless of whether he's using fire or not.
Roxas once called him a lizard, after somehow finding out about the whole cold-blooded thing. Lea won't even move if it's not warm enough, he'd said, and Lea had chuckled and pointed out he kept running after the kids anyway whenever they got into trouble.
Okay, he does kind of hope he'd locate Roxas before having to go to the Land of Dragons. But that's just because he wants to find Roxas as soon as possible, of course. If he has to, he'll go anywhere for Roxas' sake, hot or cold.
Light, he hopes he won't have to go there. He's heard they have snow.
As he wanders around the city, though, he notices that Agrabah is not quite the dream place it usually is. While it's indeed delightfully warm and dry and he can just feel his hair standing up again after the humidity of Neverland, it's also swarming with people. Now, it has rarely been empty, but usually he's seen relatively few people around outside the marketplace, the locals doubtlessly preferring to stay indoors during the hottest hours of the day. Now, though, he can't take two steps without almost running into someone despite it being around noon.
Well. This warrants investigation, and not just because it'll be hard to find Roxas in a crowd like this.
Thankfully it is easy enough to pick up the rumors going around, what with everyone talking excitedly. Apparently the city is preparing for a royal wedding as the princess is planning to marry. This suits Lea just fine. Sure, during an Organization mission this would have been a disaster, with far too many people around to do anything without detection. However, he is not with the Organization anymore, and does not have to worry about getting detected. After everything, it's kind of refreshing to be around so many people again. It's a nice confirmation that he is indeed alive, alive and human and with a heart of his very own, despite all the attempts to the contrary on Xehanort's part.
Wandering over to the marketplace, he buys some fruit, snacking on it as he continues walking along. The fruit is sweet and juicy, just what he needs —
To be snatched out of his hand, apparently. Looking around, he can't locate a culprit at first; people are milling around, but nobody seems to be suspiciously hasty in their retreat. Why would anyone want a half-eaten fruit when he had several untouched ones at his arm, anyway?
Peeking around a corner into a shadowed nook, he finds the thief. Sitting at a window, a small monkey is busy eating what little remains of his fruit. And, as though he needs more proof, there is a man scolding it for the crime.
"Abu! Where'd you get that? Some vendor's going to —"
"Yo." Lea interrupts his tirade. "That your monkey?"
"Ah, did he steal from you? I'm terribly sorry, sir, I'll be sure to —" Now the man turns around, eyes widening as he sees Lea.
"Something wrong with my face?" Lea raises an eyebrow. Okay, so the one eye deal is pretty unusual, but it usually just gets him another glance at best, not a look like he were a ghost.
"Uh. No. Right, no, not at all." The man pauses. "That coat… you wouldn't know Roxas, would you?"
Suddenly, Lea's heart skips a beat. "Roxas?" All the fruit scatter to the ground as he rushes forward, the monkey making a beeline for the closest, but Lea doesn't give a damn as he grasps the man's shoulders. "You've seen him? When? Where?"
"Uh… no, not exactly." The man seems startled. "I mean, a friend of mine saw him. I just thought, with that coat…"
"Ah." He lets his hands fall, shoulders sagging just a bit. "Right. Sorry."
"So. I take it you know him, then?"
"Something like that." Lea manages a half-smile. "The brat's gone missing, so I got pretty eager at the thought of you having seen him."
"Uh, sorry about getting your hopes up, I guess." The man scratches the back of his head. "The name's Aladdin. Roxas helped me and my friends out before. I mean, I didn't know it at the time, but I heard about it later from my friend. When I saw your coat, I thought… maybe he could help me again."
"Assuming that I know him. Well, yeah, you're right." Deep breath. Act like an adult, Lea. "I'm Lea. Now, I'm not sure what kind of help you need, but if it's monsters, I can handle that."
"Afraid it's nothing quite that straightforward." Is Aladdin… embarrassed? "I was hoping to… well, talk."
"Talk? I can do talking." Sometimes too much, as some would say.
"Well, it's kind of personal." Even more embarrassed. "My friend, well… he said Roxas was pretty good at that kind of things."
"Roxas? Good with personal things? Makes me wonder about your friend, no offense." Lea rolls his eyes. "Try me. I mean, what do you have to lose?"
"Right." Aladdin sighs, seeming a bit hesitant for another moment. "I'm getting married."
"Okay." And that's a problem? "So why'd you need help with that? Fear your bride will be unhappy when he compares your wedding with the royal one coming up?"
"If only." Aladdin makes a face. "See, my wedding is the royal one."
"Right." This guy? In his ratty clothes, with a thieving monkey, marrying a princess? Sure, and Lea looks so much better with blue hair. "So what's the problem?"
"I'm not sure if I want to." Another dramatic sigh. "I mean, of course I want to get married, I love Jasmine and everything, but… I'm not sure I'm ready yet."
"What's there to be ready for?"
"It's not exactly a little thing, marrying a princess." No shit. "I grew up on the streets, you see. I'm used to coming and going as I please. When we're married, I'll really be a prince. I can't just run around without a worry anymore."
"That's your problem? You're going rags to riches and that's a bad thing?" Lea snorts. "At least you're not marrying her for the status, I guess."
"Never! Jasmine's just the sweetest and most beautiful woman in the world~ And I love her so much." Well, those at least sounded like pretty legitimate reasons for marriage. "And I want to have her as my wife, I'm just… not sure if I'm ready for the change. All I want to do is just run away, except I can't do that to Jasmine."
"Right." Lea leans against the nearby wall. Damn kids and their stupid relationship problems. "Well, I happen to think you're an idiot."
"What?!" Great, at least he's paying attention.
"I said, you're an idiot." He rubs the bridge of his nose to ward off a headache. It's like dealing with Demyx, except he's at least never had to see Demyx being lovesick. "You know why I'm trying to find Roxas?"
"Because he's your friend?"
"No. Because he's my heart." Damn near literally. "Because I happen to want all the things you're considering running away from. I want to see his smile when I wake up, no matter where I fall asleep. I want to know that no matter where I go or what I do, I'll always have him by my side. I want to make a home with the person dearest to me, so even if we go away for some time, we can always come back to a place full of bright memories and smiles. I want to be able to reach out my hand and touch him, just to make sure he's real and not just another desperate dream." He's being so sappy now, but he really doesn't care. "I've been running around for the last dozen or so years, and believe me, it's not worth it. It's not worth going to sleep alone, or waking up and seeing nothing familiar, or looking to your side and not finding the one you're dreaming of. You'd take up that loneliness, just for a little bit of freedom that'll go sour in a handful of lonely mornings? If you seriously considered that even for a moment, you're a damn idiot."
"I — I didn't think of it like that." Aladdin looks almost startled. "I mean, I never wanted to give up Jasmine!"
"Well, she's a princess. She deserves to be treated like one. She's not going to put up with you sneaking around and dropping by when you feel like it. You want a princess, you act like a prince. It's kind of part of the package." If Kairi were there, she probably would have some sharp words about his treatment of princesses. But then, he isn't planning to marry her.
"I… guess you're right." Aladdin scratches the back of his head again. Light, this shouldn't be so difficult. "It's just… kind of scary, I guess."
"Commitment tends to be." Lea shrugs. "I can't tell you what to do or what not to do, really. Some people put more weight on the freedom bit. Light knows that when I was younger, I'd have been terrified at the thought of getting tied to one place, or even just one person. Now I'd give damn near anything to have Roxas with me and never let go of him." Well. He already gave his life once just to allow Roxas to exist.
"What should I do, then?" Has the kid not even been listening?
"I told you, I can't say what's right for you. You'll just have to weigh your options. Think about whether running free wherever you want is worth never being close to your princess again. And believe me, if you abandon her right before your wedding, it's going to take more than a cute face for her to take you back. Even I know that, and princesses aren't exactly my specialty." To say the least.
"Right." Aladdin draws a deep breath. "Freedom or Jasmine. That's not a difficult choice."
"Great. Be sure to inform her when you've made up your mind, too. I've got the feeling she'd like to be kept up to date on any such developments.
"Oh, I definitely will." Aladdin smiles faintly. "Any way I can thank you?"
"If you could keep an eye out for Roxas, that'd be great." Of course, he's still going to check around as always, but another pair of eyes can't hurt. "You know. Black coat, sandy spiky hair, blue eyes. Don't have a picture at hand, sadly."
"Well, sand-colored hair and blue eyes would certainly set him apart from the crowd around here." Aladdin nods. "I'll definitely be looking. Oh, and of course I have to pay you back for the fruit Abu ruined." Right. By now, the monkey's eaten most of it, and taken bites out of any pieces it hasn't entirely devoured. No way is he touching that.
"Just looking for Roxas will be quite enough, thanks." It's worth far more than some sandy fruit. "If you do find him, tell him that Axel's looking for him, and to go to The World That Never Was." And from there, Terra, Ventus, and Aqua will get him forward. Hopefully. "I'll probably stop by later, too."
"Right. I'll pass the word on if I see him. Good luck on your search!"
"Thanks." He almost adds that he'll need it, but stops himself just before the words get out. No reason to get negative just yet.
There'll be plenty of time for that later.
Chapter 7 - Thinking of You
Chapter 9 - The Beast in the Shadows
Chapter: 8/25
Chapter title: Relationship Advice
Chapter rating: PG
Chapter summary: Lea's trip to Agrabah takes a surprising turn when he has to give advice to a hesitant groom.
Agrabah is dry and hot as always, which rather delights Lea. After Atlantica and the sea air of Neverland, it's a welcome change and a chance to let his powers recharge. Though he's not quite as tied to fire as he used to be as a Nobody, it's still a major part of his magic, and the preference for warmth hasn't gone anywhere. He just functions better when it's hot, regardless of whether he's using fire or not.
Roxas once called him a lizard, after somehow finding out about the whole cold-blooded thing. Lea won't even move if it's not warm enough, he'd said, and Lea had chuckled and pointed out he kept running after the kids anyway whenever they got into trouble.
Okay, he does kind of hope he'd locate Roxas before having to go to the Land of Dragons. But that's just because he wants to find Roxas as soon as possible, of course. If he has to, he'll go anywhere for Roxas' sake, hot or cold.
Light, he hopes he won't have to go there. He's heard they have snow.
As he wanders around the city, though, he notices that Agrabah is not quite the dream place it usually is. While it's indeed delightfully warm and dry and he can just feel his hair standing up again after the humidity of Neverland, it's also swarming with people. Now, it has rarely been empty, but usually he's seen relatively few people around outside the marketplace, the locals doubtlessly preferring to stay indoors during the hottest hours of the day. Now, though, he can't take two steps without almost running into someone despite it being around noon.
Well. This warrants investigation, and not just because it'll be hard to find Roxas in a crowd like this.
Thankfully it is easy enough to pick up the rumors going around, what with everyone talking excitedly. Apparently the city is preparing for a royal wedding as the princess is planning to marry. This suits Lea just fine. Sure, during an Organization mission this would have been a disaster, with far too many people around to do anything without detection. However, he is not with the Organization anymore, and does not have to worry about getting detected. After everything, it's kind of refreshing to be around so many people again. It's a nice confirmation that he is indeed alive, alive and human and with a heart of his very own, despite all the attempts to the contrary on Xehanort's part.
Wandering over to the marketplace, he buys some fruit, snacking on it as he continues walking along. The fruit is sweet and juicy, just what he needs —
To be snatched out of his hand, apparently. Looking around, he can't locate a culprit at first; people are milling around, but nobody seems to be suspiciously hasty in their retreat. Why would anyone want a half-eaten fruit when he had several untouched ones at his arm, anyway?
Peeking around a corner into a shadowed nook, he finds the thief. Sitting at a window, a small monkey is busy eating what little remains of his fruit. And, as though he needs more proof, there is a man scolding it for the crime.
"Abu! Where'd you get that? Some vendor's going to —"
"Yo." Lea interrupts his tirade. "That your monkey?"
"Ah, did he steal from you? I'm terribly sorry, sir, I'll be sure to —" Now the man turns around, eyes widening as he sees Lea.
"Something wrong with my face?" Lea raises an eyebrow. Okay, so the one eye deal is pretty unusual, but it usually just gets him another glance at best, not a look like he were a ghost.
"Uh. No. Right, no, not at all." The man pauses. "That coat… you wouldn't know Roxas, would you?"
Suddenly, Lea's heart skips a beat. "Roxas?" All the fruit scatter to the ground as he rushes forward, the monkey making a beeline for the closest, but Lea doesn't give a damn as he grasps the man's shoulders. "You've seen him? When? Where?"
"Uh… no, not exactly." The man seems startled. "I mean, a friend of mine saw him. I just thought, with that coat…"
"Ah." He lets his hands fall, shoulders sagging just a bit. "Right. Sorry."
"So. I take it you know him, then?"
"Something like that." Lea manages a half-smile. "The brat's gone missing, so I got pretty eager at the thought of you having seen him."
"Uh, sorry about getting your hopes up, I guess." The man scratches the back of his head. "The name's Aladdin. Roxas helped me and my friends out before. I mean, I didn't know it at the time, but I heard about it later from my friend. When I saw your coat, I thought… maybe he could help me again."
"Assuming that I know him. Well, yeah, you're right." Deep breath. Act like an adult, Lea. "I'm Lea. Now, I'm not sure what kind of help you need, but if it's monsters, I can handle that."
"Afraid it's nothing quite that straightforward." Is Aladdin… embarrassed? "I was hoping to… well, talk."
"Talk? I can do talking." Sometimes too much, as some would say.
"Well, it's kind of personal." Even more embarrassed. "My friend, well… he said Roxas was pretty good at that kind of things."
"Roxas? Good with personal things? Makes me wonder about your friend, no offense." Lea rolls his eyes. "Try me. I mean, what do you have to lose?"
"Right." Aladdin sighs, seeming a bit hesitant for another moment. "I'm getting married."
"Okay." And that's a problem? "So why'd you need help with that? Fear your bride will be unhappy when he compares your wedding with the royal one coming up?"
"If only." Aladdin makes a face. "See, my wedding is the royal one."
"Right." This guy? In his ratty clothes, with a thieving monkey, marrying a princess? Sure, and Lea looks so much better with blue hair. "So what's the problem?"
"I'm not sure if I want to." Another dramatic sigh. "I mean, of course I want to get married, I love Jasmine and everything, but… I'm not sure I'm ready yet."
"What's there to be ready for?"
"It's not exactly a little thing, marrying a princess." No shit. "I grew up on the streets, you see. I'm used to coming and going as I please. When we're married, I'll really be a prince. I can't just run around without a worry anymore."
"That's your problem? You're going rags to riches and that's a bad thing?" Lea snorts. "At least you're not marrying her for the status, I guess."
"Never! Jasmine's just the sweetest and most beautiful woman in the world~ And I love her so much." Well, those at least sounded like pretty legitimate reasons for marriage. "And I want to have her as my wife, I'm just… not sure if I'm ready for the change. All I want to do is just run away, except I can't do that to Jasmine."
"Right." Lea leans against the nearby wall. Damn kids and their stupid relationship problems. "Well, I happen to think you're an idiot."
"What?!" Great, at least he's paying attention.
"I said, you're an idiot." He rubs the bridge of his nose to ward off a headache. It's like dealing with Demyx, except he's at least never had to see Demyx being lovesick. "You know why I'm trying to find Roxas?"
"Because he's your friend?"
"No. Because he's my heart." Damn near literally. "Because I happen to want all the things you're considering running away from. I want to see his smile when I wake up, no matter where I fall asleep. I want to know that no matter where I go or what I do, I'll always have him by my side. I want to make a home with the person dearest to me, so even if we go away for some time, we can always come back to a place full of bright memories and smiles. I want to be able to reach out my hand and touch him, just to make sure he's real and not just another desperate dream." He's being so sappy now, but he really doesn't care. "I've been running around for the last dozen or so years, and believe me, it's not worth it. It's not worth going to sleep alone, or waking up and seeing nothing familiar, or looking to your side and not finding the one you're dreaming of. You'd take up that loneliness, just for a little bit of freedom that'll go sour in a handful of lonely mornings? If you seriously considered that even for a moment, you're a damn idiot."
"I — I didn't think of it like that." Aladdin looks almost startled. "I mean, I never wanted to give up Jasmine!"
"Well, she's a princess. She deserves to be treated like one. She's not going to put up with you sneaking around and dropping by when you feel like it. You want a princess, you act like a prince. It's kind of part of the package." If Kairi were there, she probably would have some sharp words about his treatment of princesses. But then, he isn't planning to marry her.
"I… guess you're right." Aladdin scratches the back of his head again. Light, this shouldn't be so difficult. "It's just… kind of scary, I guess."
"Commitment tends to be." Lea shrugs. "I can't tell you what to do or what not to do, really. Some people put more weight on the freedom bit. Light knows that when I was younger, I'd have been terrified at the thought of getting tied to one place, or even just one person. Now I'd give damn near anything to have Roxas with me and never let go of him." Well. He already gave his life once just to allow Roxas to exist.
"What should I do, then?" Has the kid not even been listening?
"I told you, I can't say what's right for you. You'll just have to weigh your options. Think about whether running free wherever you want is worth never being close to your princess again. And believe me, if you abandon her right before your wedding, it's going to take more than a cute face for her to take you back. Even I know that, and princesses aren't exactly my specialty." To say the least.
"Right." Aladdin draws a deep breath. "Freedom or Jasmine. That's not a difficult choice."
"Great. Be sure to inform her when you've made up your mind, too. I've got the feeling she'd like to be kept up to date on any such developments.
"Oh, I definitely will." Aladdin smiles faintly. "Any way I can thank you?"
"If you could keep an eye out for Roxas, that'd be great." Of course, he's still going to check around as always, but another pair of eyes can't hurt. "You know. Black coat, sandy spiky hair, blue eyes. Don't have a picture at hand, sadly."
"Well, sand-colored hair and blue eyes would certainly set him apart from the crowd around here." Aladdin nods. "I'll definitely be looking. Oh, and of course I have to pay you back for the fruit Abu ruined." Right. By now, the monkey's eaten most of it, and taken bites out of any pieces it hasn't entirely devoured. No way is he touching that.
"Just looking for Roxas will be quite enough, thanks." It's worth far more than some sandy fruit. "If you do find him, tell him that Axel's looking for him, and to go to The World That Never Was." And from there, Terra, Ventus, and Aqua will get him forward. Hopefully. "I'll probably stop by later, too."
"Right. I'll pass the word on if I see him. Good luck on your search!"
"Thanks." He almost adds that he'll need it, but stops himself just before the words get out. No reason to get negative just yet.
There'll be plenty of time for that later.
Chapter 7 - Thinking of You
Chapter 9 - The Beast in the Shadows
