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[charming_jerk]

Characters: ERRYBODY
Where: the beaches of Balicea
When: starting June 3
Summary: Johnny headed to the beach and invited everyone along with him. Time to kick back! Everyone is free to make their own prompts in this log.
Warning: gratuitous swimwear spam. Or so we hope.



Maybe the weather wasn't the warmest it could be for a beach trip, but that hardly mattered for Johnny. He just wanted to get out of town for a few days and clear his head from the events last week, and what better way to do it than while relaxing in the sun and sand?

The Hypellos who live there have graciously offered up some guest homes for free, so there was plenty of room for people to stay. The beaches weren't too crowded yet, and the weather was clear and sunny. And once the sun sets, there were plenty of stores and restaurants to see, or maybe even time for a bonfire or party on the sand.

[[ooc - This is a general open log for anyone who wants to travel along to Balicea for vacation and beach shenanigans! More info on the town can be found here. Characters will be able to return to Aqures Ixen by airship on the 5th or the 10th, with enough time to attend the next event. Have at it!]]

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open!

[makingfriends]

When he'd first seen the notice about the beach party, Ventus had virtually ignored it, still caught under that slightly sour mood in the wake of that whole memory ordeal. Regardless, he wasn't one to sulk for long, and he had probably set a personal record as things stood already; as the days went on, his heart felt lighter and he was more like his usual self, if still a bit quieter than normal. Meredy's invitation had probably been what he needed, and in the end he found himself in Balicea -- not just for the monster hunt, but to try and lift the last of his spirits and have some long overdue fun.

It wasn't hard. He liked crowds, and stepping into the one at the beach felt refreshing. He didn't take long to get into the spirit of things, and each day he could be found in a variety of places: swimming in the surf, jumping last minute into a game on the beach, or, when he was sufficiently worn down by all that, just walking along the shore or helping himself to a cold snack further up on the sands.

The longer Ven was there, the better he felt, and it wasn't long at all before he was grinning his usual grin and approaching people as comfortably as he always did. If he spotted a friend, he'd be quick to say hi; if he found himself near a stranger, even, he would do the same, and maybe try to talk them into a friendly race or game here and there.

At night, he could usually be found sitting close to the shoreline in his green swimming trunks and looking out at the water, sometimes with his Wayfinder in hand. He was distracted, thoughtful, but not upset. He held his head high now, even when the rush of daytime activity wore off and he was left to his memories, new and old alike.

open!

[whereishe]

Yuna was still wearing her bathing suit even though night had already fallen. She didn't mind the soft bite of cold that came with the winds blowing in from the sea. She missed her island and this was the first time she had came to a place that reminded her of home. She smiled to herself stepping up next to Ven and then looking down at the wayfinder in his hand.

"That's very pretty." She smiled before taking a seat next to him. She was wearing her leather side pouch even though she was wearing her bathing suit.

"I remember seeing the shape before."

[makingfriends]

He heard the footsteps, but Ven still didn't look up until Yuna spoke. He smiled back as she sat down, but the look quickly turned curious as he followed her look down to the charm in his hands.

"You do? Where was that?"

[whereishe]

"I think that Aqua had one and..." She lightly tapped her chin with her finger. "There was a girl here. I didn't really know her but she had red hair. Around Christmas she was handing out things that looked like that."

Yuna only knew that because a roommate had gotten one as a gift. She hadn't been close to the girl. "Can I ask what it is?"

[makingfriends]

Ven couldn't help beaming at the mention of Aqua, and this time it wasn't sad or wistful in the slightest. So she still had hers on her... That, too, was reassuring somehow. "She did!" he confirmed with a nod. "She made them for us -- me, her, and Terra."

As for the redheaded girl Yuna mentioned... That didn't ring any bells, although Ven had the odd feeling that it should. As if he were forgetting something small.

Ah, well.

Nodding, he looked down at the charm again, adjusting it so that one of the glass panes caught the moonlight. "It's a good luck charm. She and Terra were gonna take the Mark of Mastery exam... so she made them for us. But she based them after a story -- they're also..." He hesitated, that smile fading for a couple heartbeats, but then it returned -- brighter than before as he looked at Yuna. "They represent an unbreakable connection. They're a reminder that no matter what, we'll find each other again."

[whereishe]

Yuna's smile widened. "That sounds like a wonderful charm. You're very lucky to be connected to people like that." She was happy to hear the way Ven spoke about it. He didn't sound sad even though his friends were so far away. He had hope which to Yuna was far more beautiful than the night sky.

"They are probably both hanging on to those charms and thinking of you too." Maybe looking at the same sky. Her last thoughts go unspoken but the intention in her voice was clear.

Yuna rested back on her palms looking up at the sky.

[makingfriends]

Ven nodded resolutely. "Yeah. I know they are." They had already been through so much, had their friendship tried and stressed and strained in so little time and still pulled through. No amount of time or distance would undo what they still had, no matter what worlds they ended up in. No matter how much they might have changed.

"So," he ventured after those few reflective seconds, "having fun at the party?" He was glad he'd changed his mind about coming -- rather, he was glad Meredy was pretty persuasive.

[whereishe]

Yuna's head fell to the side with a smile. "Yeah. I didn't think it would be like this but I'm glad I came." She hadn't thought it was a good idea at first but she knew sitting alone wasn't going to help. She hadn't dreamed like the others but she had a feeling her other self had. To add to that she had trespassed on so many dreams.

It felt awkward even if she tried to ignoring it.

"It's been..." She continued softly looking out over the beach. "This is the first time. I've been to the beach since arriving here. I grew up on an island. I always thought it would remind me of home."

[makingfriends]

"An island, huh..." That wasn't Ven's case, but being here on the beach, watching the horizon like this, felt incredibly familiar all the same. At the most, he'd been on the receiving end of some intense deja vu more than once today. Still, he wasn't bothered; it was kind of comforting, somehow, even if it was still a mystery.

"What was your island like, then?" He couldn't help picturing them all as being pretty similar.

[whereishe]

Yuna smiled wistfully at the turning waves. “It was peaceful, with a small village towards its center. We would climb to the top of this big hill that looked out over the village before heading down towards the beach. There were stream and water falls.”

She shrugged a little awkwardly. “It was home.”

[makingfriends]

He returned the smile, looking genuinely comforted by that visual. "That sounds nice," he mused. "I'm more used to the mountains, but I've seen the ocean before now. Never really stopped to look at it, though." Not like this, at least, relaxed with nowhere to be. And even then, that was quite a while back.

He thought about his home -- something he'd done a lot lately -- as well as what Yuna had said before, about being in another foreign world before this one. "I guess... it's been a while for both of us," he said quietly, thoughfully, "since we've been home, huh?" There was nothing sad there, necessarily; he was determined to stay cheerful in the wake of everything that had happened recently, but his tone, the look on his face, both had an air of undeniable homesickness.

[whereishe]

"I know it's been a year... I can't remember how much more though." She had stopped counting the days since she'd been home. It only made her sad.

Yuna looked over at Ven curiously. "Do you think..." She paused and then made a weird face before continuing. "I'm worried that when I get home they won't recognize me." As it was her cousin and another version of herself were in Crystallis and being close to them was almost impossible.

She was 5 years older now and she couldn't very well tell them everything that happened.

[makingfriends]

Ven nodded once, slowly. He could identify with that, too.

When Yuna voiced her concern, he was quick to smile again and shake his head. "No way. Even if you're a little older than before, they'll still know it's you. As long as you remember each other, a few changes won't matter." He would have said the same thing a month ago; he honestly believed it. Now, however, he might have been speaking with recent events in mind.

"And hey," he added with a brighter grin, "I already know I'll never forget you." And if that was the case, then her friends and family back home would definitely do the same.

open!

[lastfonmasterguardian]

The whole dream-thing had taken it's toll on everyone, Anise included. Thankfully, a good day on the beach was just what any girl need to properly relax! ♪ Her swimsuit is tamer than most, but perfect for a day at the beach nonetheless.

When she sees Ven relaxing by the shore, she approaches, smiling.

"Hey, you were the guy that helped us out back there, right?"

[makingfriends]

Ven breaks from his thoughts and glances up and over, returning the smile as soon as he recognizes the speaker. If there was one good thing in that whole memory mess, it was that he got to meet more Heroes, at least. Even if the circumstances were less than ideal.

"Oh, hey! Yeah, I saw you a couple times." In all that chaos, they never did get to exchange introductions, so he adds, "My name's Ventus -- my friends just call me Ven."

[lastfonmasterguardian]

"Anise Tatlin, at your service! ♪ But you can call me Anise."

She sits down and takes the seat next to Ven. As it turned out, he'd picked a pretty good spot; a minimal amount of shade from nearby trees kept the sun from too severe, but it was still situated so that they had a perfect view of the ocean. After taking a moment, she'll turn back towards Ven.

"So that whole memory-dream-thing was pretty crazy, right?"

Anise actually has more than one reason for bringing it up, but she's gonna be quiet about that for now.

[makingfriends]

He grins at that, nodding. "Right! Nice to meet you, Anise." Outside of crazy battles and heart-wrenching memories, that is.

And speaking of, the mention of it subdues his smile a bit, although it doesn't fade completely. He takes his time replying as he looks out at the water again, but he doesn't make her wait very long.

"Mm." It's an affirmative, reluctant sound. "I still don't get what it was all about, but..." The fact that their memories were replicated notwithstanding, there's also the question of who did it, how they were all transported like that, the return of their original abilities, the fact that some of the memories were interactive while others weren't -- and, in Ven's case, his went on to show more than what he knew -- just to name a few. The list goes on.

"...but we made it back, and that's what matters for now," he finishes more brightly. "What about you? You've never heard of anything like that where you come from?"

[lastfonmasterguardian]

Anise shakes her head, "No, I don't think there was anything like that back home. Not that I know of, anyway."

The reply comes coupled with a long, drawn-out pause. She'd gotten off a lot easier than most of the others; she'd really only been in two memories, and only one of them had been with people she recognized. And even though it was something that affected her (although seeing Robin's memory had brought up bad memories of her own), she still felt like she got off easier than most of the people she talked to.

Not that it completely abated her fears, of course.

"I'm happy we got back, but still, it was kind of scary, right? How'd they even get access to so many people's memories, anyway?"

[makingfriends]

Ven shakes his head, but it's a thoughtful gesture. "I dunno, but I don't think it was even that simple." He hesitates, but there's no reason to hide it. Plenty of people were witness to his memory already. "One of my memories was there, too, but... it showed some things I didn't see. I saw myself in the memory, but even after I left it like I was supposed to, it kept going."

He frowns. He's been thinking about that a lot since it happened, if largely to try and keep his mind off the more depressing points. "Maybe it wasn't our memories, but our worlds' memories. I don't know how anyone would do that, either, but..." But he can't call it impossible. If a person could gain access to the heart of a world, after all... who's to say it's not a possibility?

[lastfonmasterguardian]

"Our world's memories..." She shakes her head in return. If nothing else, she knew that Auldrant had a memory, and given what she knew about this world, somehow getting access wasn't an impossibility.

But, that did bring up the thing she wanted to talk about. The other thing. "Hey, you were there for the Col--Jade's memory, right? Is there any way that you could..." she pauses, trying to find the right words, "not say anything about that?"

[makingfriends]

The name breaks him from his thoughts, although it takes Ven a moment to remember it, and then another to deduce what she's referring to. He shoots her a curious look, but it soon turns understanding, once again serious, and he nods once.

"Yeah," he confirms, "I was there." For that awful battle -- one of the most difficult he's ever been a part of, maybe the most difficult with the exception of that clash in the Graveyard -- but also for the memories before it. Even now, he can't say which was harder to bear. "Don't worry," he goes on after a moment, "I won't say anything to anyone."

It's Jade's business, after all, so there's no need to discuss it with other people, and Ven has enough tact to realize it's not a good topic to bring up around Jade himself, either. Everyone has their sore spots, he's come to see. He can respect that -- he respected that even before his own was paraded out in the open like it was. There's a time to comfort a person and there's a time to let them be, as his own experience taught him. Saying anything to Jade at this point, even with good intentions, would seem superficial.

[lastfonmasterguardian]

"Thanks." It's a simple reply, but it's clear once Ventus replies that a huge weight has been lifted off of Anise's shoulders. She was just as relieved that he'd agreed not to say anything as she was appreciative that he didn't ask why. Those reasons would stay a secret for now, and hopefully for the rest of their time in Crystallis.

But, now that heavy and un-fun business was taken care of, they could relax, right? And hopefully there wouldn't be anything else like that dream event in the future.

Her usual perky expression is back when she addresses Ventus again, "Hey, you were pretty strong back there! What kind of weapon were you using, anyway?" Anise hadn't gotten a good look at it, but she could have sworn that it was shaped like a key.

[makingfriends]

Ven only nods at her word of gratitude with another smile, but then he's also glad to put that morbid topic behind them and the look breaks into a grin. "Thanks! You were, too. I think I owed you one a few times."

After being questioned about it so often since arriving in this world, giving the Keyblade's general name no longer seems like that big a deal, so Ven doesn't hesitate this time. "It's called a Keyblade," he tells her. "It's... kind of unique. I had it before I came to this world." At present, this is only the second time since arriving in Crystallis that he's gone more than a couple yards away from it; not being able to summon and dismiss it at will is one thing he still hasn't gotten used to, so he's been pretty protective of it.

"And you were fighting with a doll or something before, right?" he asks curiously. He's seen and read about a number of different weapons, but that was a new one.

[lastfonmasterguardian]

"Unique? Does it do anything else?" She'd never actually heard of a key being used as a sword before, but it seemed pretty powerful back in the dreams. Maybe it was infused with some kind of power?

At any rate, as soon as Ventus mentions her weapon, a smile creeps back on her face. She doesn't hesitate pulling out the doll she was using in the dream.

"Yep! ♪ His name's Tokunaga. I used him back home." But not here unfortunately, since this world was a rude place that took away people's powers.

[makingfriends]

Ven catches the insinuation easily enough -- that Anise can't use it regularly here -- and he's admittedly a bit disappointed. He'd like to see it in action again, preferably outside of a serious battle so he can really pay attention to what it can do. Ah, well.

"Cute name! It fits," he compliments. He doesn't know what it means, but that's beside the point. Going back to the previous question, Ven nods. "But yeah, the Keyblade's a focus for magic, too -- it has a few abilities besides being a weapon, but none of them work here. It's just a sword now." And he can't talk about some of those abilities, anyway, rules being what they are.

He laughs, though, looking relieved. "But I'm glad -- you and I were able to pick up our old powers just fine, even if it was just for a while. I've been worried about getting rusty." Never mind that he still has his Keyblade, at least, and much of the magic here mirrors what he already knew back home -- and he slept for over a decade without "getting rusty."