kingdomdressing | (no subject)

H-hey, careful!

[He's rushing to catch it so it doesn't fall on her, almost tripping in his haste. Luckily, his speed pays off and he steadies it.]

[B-brb taking a second to recover from almost being crushed by an easel--]

--Ven?

Hey. You okay?

[What was she doing dragging along art supplies that are too big for her to carry.]

Y-yes, I'm fine. [She paused, looking at the easel for a moment, then,] What are you doing out here?

[Although perhaps that was a question she should have answered herself.]

[His mouth curves downward as he steadies the easel at his side, eyes training on the ground.]

... I was looking for Terra.

...! Is he-- gone again?

Mm.

He left Oro with us and then went off on his own around here somewhere.

I'm sorry. ...What do you think it is he's trying to do?

I'm not sure. He even left his charm to someone else!

[This has been upsetting him for a while now.]

He--

[He what? That was something important, wasn't it? Why would he...? Her expression grew perplexed. What could have been on Terra's mind? Was there something here that was causing him trouble or was it something in him? Her mind drifted back to what he'd asked her that time in World's End. If he'd wanted her to keep Ven busy back then, did he wanted her to do the same now? Whether he did or not.... She urged her face into a calmer expression.]

...Then he'll come back.

[He shakes his head, eyes and mouth grim.]

He thinks me and Aqua are not the ones from his world.

--.... What makes him think that?

... he said his Ven and Aqua didn't make it.

....

[...If they were from an earlier time than he was-- it was a horrible thought, but,]

You might still be the right ones.

We are. Terra doesn't know the whole story.

... Aqua told me everything.

So then, did--

[...No. She wasn't sure she wanted to know.]

....

...

[And he can only smile sadly. He. Can't exactly tell her everything.]

[Sad smiles are not allowed here. She gets to go around this rule because she's not smiling.]

....

[But she couldn't just leave it at that. She needed to... to... distract him. ~~And herself.~~ So she blurted out the first question she could think of, which was,]

When is your birthday?

[The question threw him off guard, causing him to blink at her.]

... birthday?

W-well, I was in the kitchen the other day, and someone had left some cake in the refridgerator, so-- [She'd dug through some old memories to find out what that was all about.] I was curious.

[Well, that distracted him, but not fully. He thinks for a second before looking a little surprised himself.]

....

[Brb, watching carefully.]

... wow, I didn't realize. I guess I lost track of time...

... it's next week.

--Next week...?!

Mm. The eleventh.