risingwinds | Twenty-Eighth Shooting Star

Entry tags:

Twenty-Eighth Shooting Star - voice/action;

[Late at night, those who dare venture the woods may hear a sharp snap. The rustling of leaves, and... a cough? Seems someone's in the neighborhood, though from a distance, it looks like nothing more than a disembodied flame.

Should one venture closer, they'll find Ven with his clothes smudged with dirt, twigs poking outta his hair, and big, baggy circles under his eyes. Quite a departure from his normal, tidier appearance.

He continues on his way towards the village, eventually stopping at the plaza and plopping down at the edge of the fountain. Briefly, he catches glimpses of familiar faces walking by. Fuuko. Terra. Aqua. Vanitas.

Minako...

And each time, he shouts out their names. Tries to get up, but his legs are about as sturdy as rubber, and he finds himself back where he started.

After a while, he finally opens his journal and speaks.]

So, uh... I guess I've been missing a lot, huh? [Cue some sheepish laughter.]

Guess that's what happens when you go to the beach before a big Shift! I couldn't even use the teleporters to get back, so I kinda had to... walk. A lot, and then I got kidnapped.

[Tsk. What a pain.]

I'd ask what was up with that Shift, but I'm honestly just glad it's over. Couldn't even summon my Keyblade while that was going on.

[After a long pause, he heaves a soft sigh.]

Anyway, all these weird ghosts showing up got me thinking... A lot of my friends are gone now. Some have been gone for years. So I guess what I'm trying to say is... well, does anyone wanna be friends? My name's Ventus, and I've been here for a really long time. So if any of you guys are still new, I'm more than happy to give pointers. Or talk about some of my adventures in other worlds, maybe. Just uh... I think I could use some company right now.

[Anything to keep his mind off of those images.]

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I don't really get it - maybe there was more to it? But you'd have to ask someone else. I just got asked what I did at uni, but I didn't have a clue what they were talking about...

[ Luceti is so weird. ]

What's your Keyblade, anyway? Is that some kinda device?

Oh, that's my weapon! Guess you wouldn't know what it really looked it, but it was that Glider we used during the draft, 'cept it usually looks like a giant key.

[Hence Keyblade. Boy, explaining his weapon's always a surreal experience.]

Huh? [ dot....dot... PING ] Oh! You mean you're that guy in that comicbook outfit! The one that covered you head to toe? That guy?

Comicbook outfit? Huh, I didn't know they wore armor in comics...

[Shows what he knows. Now he really oughta go check that out.]

But, yep, that's me! Can't go around wearing that suit all the time.

Well, they wear outfits that cover them all up... [ Not that Red reads many comics anymore anyway!!! ]

But I don't think I got your name that day! [ Or he forgot, which is likely. ] Have you been doing okay since then? Or before you got stuck on a beach, anyway.

Yup! Can't really complain, 'cept it's gotten a lot harder to keep busy since I'm not in school anymore. Kinda makes me wish I was around for that Shift.

But what about you?

I've just been training. I started learning more magic and how to use a weapon in case I ever ended up gong back out there again.

But do you go to the school here? The one with the lady called Raine?

Well, I used to! I went there for a bout three years, but one f my friends thought it was time to move forward, I guess.

And I mean, he kinda had a point. I'm... geez, I'm like nineteen now, and I think most people that age are out working a real job, living on their own. It's actually kinda scary to think about.

Are there? [ Well, there's all the older people with jobs wearing suits... ] I guess... but what do you want to be doing? Do you know?

Actually, I don't.

[Which is probably the problem.]

Back home, I had a goal. I was supposed to train as an apprentice so I could become a Keyblade Master one day. But here, I can't really do that. And without Master Eraqus or Terra and Aqua, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do. I've just kinda been taking it one day at a time, but it feels like there's a lot more I could be doing.

[ Training to become a Master, huh? So understandable. ]

Can't you train to be a Keyblade Master by yourself? You can do all those cool moves already... so you've just gotta keep training! [ despite that energy, his voice relaxes. ] But, if you want to do more than that... [ and he pauses, just to think. ] What does being a Keyblade Master mean? Maybe there's an answer there? I don't know anything about it, but if you work with pokémon in my world, you could be doing a lot of things.

Well, being a Keyblade Master's a huge responsibility. They're supposed to protect the balance between light and dark, train apprentices... Plus, you can only become a Master if you pass the Mark of Mastery exam. Guess that doesn't mean I can't keep trying, it's just tough to go all the way in a place like this.

[Still, Red's got a point. Better to keep an upbeat attitude where he can.]

And I'm sure there's other stuff I could be doing. I just dunno where to start. Other than the art club, I don't have a lot going on these days.

Going to an art club's not what I think about a guy when he talks about protecting balances of light and dark. [ It's said jokingly. ] But even if you can't become an official Master, it's what you want to do, right? So... can't you become a Luceti version? Or a Luceti Keyblade Master Trainee?

I mean, you probably can't do the same things you're supposed to do if you're a Master, buut... can't you try doing stuff like it? You could train with people, train by yourself... whatever else that's Keyblade Master-ish...

Hey! I can have hobbies too, y'know. Wouldn't be fun if I trained all the time.

[Heh. But he kinda figures it was a tease. Growing up with Terra makes him at least somewhat privy to jokes.]

Hrmm... that's true. And I could try and show people how to use magic. Might not be the same as passing on the wisdom of past wielders, but it's a start.

Heheh! [ Okay okay, but let's get to the main point. ]

Sure, it sounds like a good idea to me! I mean, you could still slip in a few wise-sounding words when you're teaching people... [ oops, wait, no joking. ] But magic's really useful. Can you use it without your Keyblade thing?

I think so! The Keyblade just makes it easier to focus. Like, if I wanted to use a Firaga spell, it's a lot easier to aim with a Keyblade than if I shot it outta my hands.

Oh yeah, I know about that; my friend has a gun for channelling her magic too. [ BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY. ] What does a Firaaga do?

It makes really big fireballs? It always seemed straightforward to me...

[But then, he's been trained in recognizing spell suffixes for quite some time.]

What d'you mean, straightforward? [ ?? ] Does firaga mean really big fireballs or something?

Not exactly. It's just... well, lemme put it this way.

Most elemental spells have three different levels of strength. You got the base spells like Fire, Blizzard, and Thunder. Then you go up to Fira, Blizzara, and Thundara, and theeen you get to Firaga, Blizzaga, and Thundaga.

The ga just means it's really powerful.

Oh. [ Well. ] It's straightforward when you explain it like that. But I've never heard anyone talk about firas or thundergas before, at least not in my world. I just call my pokémons' attacks after what they look like.

Well, some spells are sorta like that. One of the toughest fire spells is called Mega Flare because it creates this huge flame! Big enough to fill a whole room.

Huh, and you call it Mega Flare? I don't know, it sounds cool... but doesn't flare make you think of a really bright light? Not a really strong fire attack. Why not something like... Mega Flame? Or Fire Blast? Fire Blast sounds way cooler.

Hmm... I dunno. Maybe 'cause it's more of an explosion than a blast? Or at last more like a big fireball...

But some of my spells are straightforward, like Tornado! Can't get more obvious than that.

Tornado works! But I still think Mega Flare sounds weak -- but Mega Explosion works if you say it's like an explosion!

I mean, I guess it'll throw off your opponent if you say Mega Flare and it turns out to be a big boom than a big noisy light. [ oh oh ] Is Fire, Fira, Firga, and Mega Flare the only fire moves you know?