Day 01 - Fish Out Of Water

[notquiteanobody.livejournal.com]

Characters: AU!Roxas, AU!Xion and YOU(Yes, you)!
When: Early to Mid-morning
Where: Starting in what's now an abandoned subway station
Rating: G to PG-ish? No swearing, but mild horror undertones.
Summary: Guess what Nesreca people. You've got some fresh meat.


It was a strange development for Roxas. Not more than fifteen minutes prior, he was certain that he'd just been riding the subway in Haven, enjoying some out and about time with Xion. It was something new; regularly spending time together like that and honestly, it started out being a little awkward. His memories of their days in the Organization had settled into returning at a steadier pace, but true to her word, she'd been helping explain the things he remembered, giving context when something would return that was exceptionally out of sequence. Plus it helped him get a feel for the friendship they had back then. Overall, it'd been nice and it was an experience he'd been gradually growing more and more fond of -even looking forward to. But that was beside the point.

The strange development was that one moment he'd been dozing lightly on the train, guitar case between his legs and skateboard across his lap with Xion not too far away and the next, he'd realized that something had gone rather horrendously wrong with the world. For starters, when he woke again, he found the train completely deserted aside from the two of them. Furthermore, a glance outside revealed that the subway station that they'd stopped at was in complete shambles -the whole thing looked like it'd been taken right out of a post-apocalypse movie. So he'd wasted little time in rousing his friend from her sleep, who seemed just as shocked as he was to see their new environment.

Gathering what belongings they had with them, they got off the train and gave their surroundings an immediate once-over. Then as icing on top of an already eerie cake, when their backs turned, they saw but a flicker on the wall before the lights from the train they'd been aboard abruptly went out. To their dismay, what once had been a car from a commuter train that could've been from any town was now a dilapidated, rusted mess that looked like it hadn't seen use in ages -despite the fact that they'd been on it only moments prior.

As they walked about to investigate, their first thoughts had them drawing their phones, expecting to find a cluster of shards with an army of shadows either using or protecting it. But both were only greeted with 'No Service' messages on their small LCD screens. At a loss for what to do next, they merely proceeded through the station, looking for a way out. It seemed that whatever catastrophe befell their surroundings, it'd taken place quite some time ago. Light poured in from the larger sections of ceiling that had collapsed in, leaving piles of rubble and almost enchanting beams of light shining down from the world outside. What little light they had to go by showed the walls where they could see varied vines taking root in whatever crevices that time and the elements had opened up. After a little more than ten minutes of wandering, listening to the echo of their footsteps mixed with the occasional murmured comment, they found themselves ascending the stairs leading up and out of the station. Up and out to a world almost completely alien to them.

Rather than the familiar scene of Haven, the pair find themselves faced with a ruined city; signs that life had once existed there scattered about in the varied debris left behind. But at least immediately, there didn't seem to be another living person in sight. His shoes crunching on the gravel as he took the first steps on the normal ground level, Roxas stared about, mouth agape at the scene before him. Not once had he ever seen a place in ruins quite like this -at least nothing that wasn't a picture of some ancient city in a school text book.

Without turning to her, he simply commented to his friend, "I don't think we're in Haven anymore."

Comments

[tothelastbreath]

Given the state of alert Roxas and Xion are in, they probably won't take long to pick up what sounds like a minor landslide, or maybe something wild and very, very carnivorous heading their way. The odd growling sound gets closer and closer, until its unlikely source ― an English boy with white hair and a livid scar running down the left side of his face ― pops around a corner, wearing a simple black coat and a look of utter surprise. He's trailed by a winged orb of gold.

"Oh."

Pause.

"Did you just get here?"

*A* You~

[seasaltblues]

The sound of that... Whatever it was, it put her instantly on alert. As if anticipating one of those shadow creatures to come around the corner and they would be in for another tiring fight. Not that Xion wasn't accustom to the fights. But after those nightmares they had dealt with, she wouldn't have minded a little reprieve from all things shadow-monster-fightin'. But that didn't stop her by any measure from grasping at thin air at the side.

Reaching out... and feeling nothing come. Her grip was empty and so with it did something feel like it was sinking within her. A sense of that sickeningly vulnerable dread that made her almost weak at the knees before she would hold herself sturdy. It only lasted for a moment though because shortly thereafter, a boy- about their age, really. At least physically. While she didn't lower her hand quite yet, she did... at least manage the slightest of nods to his question. Studying him cautiously... and whatever was flying along with him. Subconsciously stepping nearer to Roxas but still side by side with him.

And now we party

[notquiteanobody.livejournal.com]

Hearing that sound, he dropped the guitar case and left it with the package. He figured that he could always grab both if they needed to beat a hasty retreat. While the expectation for a fight was the first thing that came to mind -by the time he whirled about, he saw the cloaked figure emerge. Admittedly, he had a bad experience with people wearing cloaks, but something about the way he seems as surprised to see them as they are to see him, Roxas decides to err on the side of discretion.

Not willing to go entirely trusting off the bat, he takes a modestly defensive position near Xion, doing his best to hopefully avoid showing he was any more panicked than he already looked.

"Where's here, exactly?"

\o/ /hands out cake! ...and remembers to track thread this time. /fails

[tothelastbreath]

In contrast, Allen's body language was carefully passive. Appeasing, even; both hands held up at chest level with his gloved palms facing the new arrivals, both in an attempt to reassure and also to show he wasn't armed.

"Ah, sorry if I startled you, I wasn't expecting to find anyone out here... And this is going to sound a little― Far-fetched, but you aren't in your own world anymore. We're in an abandoned city called Nesreca, somewhere in an alternate version of Russia."

...Assuming you guys have heard of Russia.

/o/ /gets the ice cream

[seasaltblues]

Xion held to her defensive stance a little longer, studying Allen as he raised his hands. He... seemed harmless enough. Even perhaps a little nervous. She listened to him quietly, her arm lowering notch by notch although she still held closely to Roxas. Watching this new guy she was certain she had never seen before. But then there were many residents in Haven she was unfamiliar with. Perhaps what was really strange was how open this one was being. He already knew they weren't from Nesreca, that they had even been taken from their own world and...

Russia... She had heard of that name before. In her history class, actually. Something about World War II and it being called the Soviet Union back then. ...But there was a catch all the same that she wasn't quite getting at.

"...An alternate version?"

[notquiteanobody.livejournal.com]

That was something new. Admittedly, some part of him could appreciate that this stranger was putting some effort into showing that they meant no threat. While he didn't want to entirely extend too much in the way of trust, getting the idea that they didn't -at least at the moment, have any ill intentions toward the pair was welcoming. Though the information provided was almost stranger than the locale.

As Xion had, he too had heard of Russia in his classes. Though both Lucen's brother and Quentin also had mentioned the country as one of the places that you could supposedly order a bride from by mail. And he remembered that they had some great ballet there... not that the strange dancing could ever really hold his attention for too long.

"So... what makes this Russia different from the normal one?"

[tothelastbreath]

"That depends on what Russia is like in your world, I suppose. I call it an alternate version because it's not what I'm familiar with. Back where I'm from, people usually refer to it as the Russian Empire―"

He took a step back, turning to motion at their dilapidated surroundings with a hand. The odd growling sound had yet to subside, and should the pair pay attention, they would likely realise it's coming from the boy's... Stomach.

How embarrassing.

"―and I've never heard of a Russian city named Nesreca before I was brought here..."

Gray eyes settled back on the new arrivals, sympathetic but also dead serious.

"...Like you."

[seasaltblues]

She could have gone to technicalities... like how Russia hadn't even existed in her actual home world as far as she knew... but it wasn't a matter she exactly wanted to discuss with a stranger. Instead, prompting a small, uneasy nod.

"...I see."

If she hadn't been in Haven before, she might have been less inclined to believe him... but then she had spent nearly an entire year traveling different worlds, too, so it wasn't something completely out of her reach, consideration-wise. She studied the other boy a little longer from the strange almost comforting familiarity to the white hair he had to the odd tattoo on his forehead. He wasn't exactly someone she felt fearful towards if only a little hesitant. But his posture was nothing threatening and... and... Uh...

"...What's that sound?"

[notquiteanobody.livejournal.com]

Sparing a loose mirror of at least a few of Xion's thoughts on the matter regarding the country that the stranger had mentioned, Roxas nodded a little as he mulled the idea over. Thinking about it, the mention of the Russian Empire that the stranger mentioned sent his imagination off on a completely unrelated tangent of questions he'd probably ask for curiosity later on.

He'd just started giving the young man a once over, making note of his features and committing them to memory -making sure he had it memorized, so to speak. If nothing, the stranger was proving to be an amicable fellow and Roxas was just about to ask for a name when that familiar sound filled the air. As if serving to break the tension of the moment's seriousness, he couldn't help but to chuckle a little.

"Wow, I haven't heard mine complain like that in a while." The blond's expression reflected his amusement with the situation, "Been awhile since your last meal?"