Ventus

[It's been about four months now since he had his talk with Lea. Most of that time he's spent trying to keep his spirits high. Socializing with friends, going on with his day-to-day routines.

But a recent talk with Masaomi and the whole lantern ceremony a few weeks back smacked him in the face and brought those words back into the forefront of his mind. The fact is, his future's far from pleasant. All signs point to one massive failure for him and his friends.

So here he is, journal in his lap. Maybe it's time to finally air those thoughts.]

So, um... I know at least a couple of you guys have bumped into people from the past or the future, but have you ever been hit with some really bad news? Like, say you had this goal to save a friend. Keep 'em from losing themselves, but it turns out you failed. That friend doesn't just lose themselves: they become somebody else's vessel.

If something like that did happen, what'd you do? 'Cause for me, knowing really hasn't helped. I'm stuck with the fact that I couldn't save my two best friends, and when I get back, I'll probably forget that I ever found out.

I just hate feeling so helpless.

[There, he got that off his chest. That's the first step.]

But it got me thinking about something else, too. Say we find a way to get back home without forgetting everything. Do you think it'd be wrong to try and change that future? Because I feel like I should so that my friends don't end up suffering, but doing something like that means changing the futures for everyone else, doesn't it? And I dunno if that's really fair.

[Sigh. What a mess.]

I dunno. It's all way too complicated. Makes me wish they were here now so I could ask them about it.

[It wasn't hard to tell when he woke up that morning that something was amiss. He'd been so used to seeing her around the house that when he stumbled upon Aqua's empty room, he knew exactly what had happened. After all, it'd happened before. Twice.

But rather than open his journal to lament over another lost friend, Ven opts to scoop it up and climb out onto the roof, where he gazes up at the sky at nothing in particular. Once the words come to mind, he finally addresses the journal.]

You know, I've been here for a really long time now, and I've seen loads of people come and go. My best friends have been here at least twice now, but now I'm the only one left. It's kinda crazy to think about... I mean, I remember when the three of us were inseparable.

[Granted, he still believes that their connections will bring them back together. Nothing's ever gonna change that, but it's still... sad.]

How do you guys handle that? I'm sure I'm not the only one who's seen friends go or come and go a bunch of times, only to forget this place when they come back. And would you rather have 'em here with you, or do you think it's better if they leave?

I've always thought that, as long as you keep your friends in your heart, they'll always be right there with you, but that sure doesn't stop me from missing 'em.

[ooc: Still mostly on hiatus/slowatus, but I'll try to answer tags as soon as I can!]