It was a warm summer day. The perfect weather for ice cream, Xion Caelum thought to herself. Then again, it was always perfect weather for ice cream. This time, she had an excuse to get it.
Settled on treating herself, Xion quickly gathered her things to prepare to leave; her Moogle shaped coin bag, her new Key 3 phone (already cracked from an accidental trip), and her keys.
Xion examined herself in the mirror; her coal black hair was messy and greasy, but she simply pulled it back in a ponytail. Dark circles were visible underneath her blue eyes. She didn't care in the end. It would be a quick stop anyway.
"I'm heading out, want anything?" the teenager announced before leaving. Her older sister Yuffie had asked her to buy an ingredient she had forgotten for dinner, and her brother Noctis asked for a pastry from the coffee shop. Xion and her family lived right across the street from the shopping plaza so it didn't take long to walk over. Radiant Groceries was a chain grocery store with a SkyNotes coffee chain nearby. SkyNotes was always crowded, so Xion decided to go afterwards.
Entering Radiant felt mechanical; she had been here so often that she could get what she needed and go home in her sleep. The warm familiar walls greeted her as she strolled past the aisles toward the produce aisle. She grabbed what she needed for Yuffie, then headed towards frozen section in the back of the store. Xion rooted herself in front of the familiar door and stared at the selection.
"Hm… for 5 munny I can get a pint of Marble Madness… but for 7 munny I can get 6 bars of Sea Salt…" Xion hummed to herself. Xion always debated over what flavor to get. It only felt natural to her, but this time it felt incredibly important. Xion grimaced at her growing weight; she didn't bother exercising, so she had been growing chubby. It would damage her health to continue like this, but right now ice cream was too damn important. She could worry about exercise later. It never stopped her before.
Ultimately she grabbed the pint of Marble Madness and tucked it in the reusable bag. Immediately her routine started again and she paid for the groceries without a thought at the self-check-out lane. Remembering Noctis's pastry, she made her way to SkyNotes. It was across the plaza, so Xion cut through the parking lot.
"Ugh, stupid SkyNotes has to be outdoors…" Xion mumbled to herself. The temperature had risen, and Xion had worn her favorite black jacket without thinking. The familiar purple colored umbrellas were opened for seated guests, but those waiting in line were exposed to the sun. Once Xion entered the long line that trailed around, she took off her jacket and tucked it underneath her reusable grocery bag.
"Xion?" a familiar young woman's shocked voice called out. Immediately the ravenette froze. In disbelief, Xion slowly turned her head to see who called her. With a drink in one hand and a bar of Sea Salt ice cream in the other, a fair young woman with chestnut brown hair held in a ponytail and vibrant green eyes stood in front of her.
"Olette?" Xion asked quietly.
"Yeah…" the brunette answered. Her eyes were wide and a grin was visible. She cleared her throat. "Well hey, how are you?"
"Uh, f-fine," Xion answered swiftly. "I didn't know you came here."
"Ah, I actually work at Hikari Food," Olette said, lifting the black work shirt folded over her arm. Hikari Food was a simple fast food restaurant in the plaza, alongside Tiger Kitchen.
"Oh really? That's good to know," Xion said. She didn't know what to say or what to do. It had been nearly a year since Xion had spoken to Olette. It stung to remember how far they had drifted from each other – or rather, how far Xion had ran away from Olette.
"Hey, you live close by right?" Olette asked. Xion nodded. "Haha, you should come visit me at work sometime. We need to hang out again."
Xion bit her lip anxiously, uncomfortable with Olette's straightforwardness. "Oh, I don't normally get Hikari," she answered, nervously adding, "b-but I'll try." Unsure of what to say, Xion looked toward the ground, wondering if anyone had moved from the line. "S-so, Ol-"
"Oh Xi," Olette excitedly said over her, ignoring the ravenette, "I got a new phone. Here, lemme get your number."
"Oh, okay…" Xion took out her phone and opened the keypad as Olette handed hers, using one hand to hold the drink and ice cream together.
"Hey, we have the same model!" Olette giggled, holding the devices side by side. Both phones were silver with gold painted edges. Olette had added a blue crystal charm to her phone. Xion quickly added her name and number, then glanced at the line. It had moved a bit, so Xion stepped forward. "Here you go, Xi!" Olette happily handed the phone back.
"Thanks." Xion forced herself to smile politely. "It's, uh, it's nice to see you."
"Oh, you too Xion," Olette said sincerely. She took a bite of her ice cream and glanced at her phone. "Alright, I need to go, but I'll text you. See ya!"
"Later, Olette," Xion said with a small wave. She watched the brunette leave and stood frozen in place. At once worrisome thoughts clouded Xion's mind. It wasn't until the rather cute barista cleared his throat that she was brought back to earth.
Once she was home, Xion gave Noctis and Yuffie their things and stuck her ice cream in the freezer. She then went into her room and flopped onto her messy bed, ignoring the wiry mess of her tangled headphones and phone charger underneath her. She stared at her sparsely decorated walls, trying to lose herself in the familiar sight.
"Hm… sea salt ice cream, huh?" Xion said into her MeowWow shaped Dream Eater pillow. Throughout high school, sea salt ice cream had become a staple in Xion's diet after it had been introduced to her by some of her friends. It had bonded her with some of those friends as they spent their time after school eating the treat and letting go of their minds for a bit. It had been a year since graduation. While Xion still kept sea salt ice cream a part of her live, the people who made her who she was today had slowly faded out of the picture.
"BING!" Xion's phone buzzed with a new notification. Groaning exasperatedly, Xion sat up and unlocked the screen.
Sure enough, Olette had sent her a message. It read, "Nice seeing you again Xion J Hope we can hang out soon! We all miss you ya know! L"
"Hm… not all of you," Xion bitterly said under her breath, unhappily remembering the faces that caused her to lose sleep for months, making her scream at herself and want to disappear. Of course, there were memories that she cherished, but they only caused a sinking cold feeling in her heart.
"Hey Xion," Yuffie's voice called from down the hall, "come eat! Dinner's ready!"
"Okay," Xion called back. She stared at her phone, hesitant to reply. Biting her lip and knowing she would regret either decision she made, she quickly typed, "Let's see each other again soon." She dropped her phone onto her mattress and went to eat with her siblings, all while keeping the thought in the back of her head.
"Xion, are you gonna run off to your room to eat alone again, or will you actually sit with us tonight?" Noctis asked as he handed her a plate. It hadn't only been her friends Xion had grown distant from.
With a pout, Xion glared at him and answered, "I'm eating with you."
"What did I just hear?" Yuffie asked with exaggerated astonishment. "Xion… eating with us? Is the world falling apart?"
Noctis chuckled at his older sister's antics as the younger wished she had stayed in her room. However, the smell of Tom Kha Gai made her stay.
"It just might be," she finally said, serving herself some of the salad Yuffie had laid out. "I feel like sharing today."
…
"Welcome to Mickey Burger, how can I help you?" Axel Lea asked cheerfully. The customer was indecisive and changed his mind five times, to the chagrin of the kitchen staff that had to wait for the order to be fully completed before preparing it.
He pushed back a loose strand of red hair that escaped his hat's brim. His coworker, Xion, had been filling a carton of fries for the order. The two were an unlikely pair of friends who met through the job. It was only after they began working together that they found out they had both attended Bastion High School. Axel had been her senior, however, so they never interacted.
"She-own," Axel sang, grinning at the annoyed glare she gave him. "I need two large fries for the drive-through order."
"Ok," Xion nodded, grabbing the empty cartons. They finished preparing the orders, and once they had all been sent out, they began stocking utensils and dipping sauces to keep busy.
"Hey Xion, what time are you off?" Axel asked. Xion, in her own confusion, went to check the schedule posted by the dish sink.
"Mm, 5:30, so another hour," she answered. "You?"
"8," Axel sighed. Peering into the back of the room to make sure he was clear, Axel took out his phone.
"If you're caught texting, you'll get in trouble," Xion sang, going to pick up the trays left by guests who ate in.
Axel was about to reply, but a ring sounded through the restaurant speakers. Holding down a button on a cartridge attached to his belt, Axel asked through his headset, "Welcome to Mick-Burger, home of the Mick-Burger. Can I take your order?"
Xion, listening through the kitchen speakers, went and prepared what she could for Axel. She gave Axel a thumbs up as Axel continued the order. Once it was served, Axel was told to take a ten minute break by the manager. Axel had Xion make him a new Mousse Mouse Sundae the store had begun serving, teasing her for the smallest things, such as how she held the can of whipped cream.
As he tore apart the dessert, Axel looked at his phone again, checking his new notifications.
"Aethernet: Yuffie Kisaragi has invited you to the Event 'Party!'"
"Well at least it's straightforward," Axel mumbled. He went to Details and checked the invite list, taking note of the names he recognized. As he read, he glanced up at Xion, who had begun to walk around and clean messy tables now that the restaurant was empty.
"Watcha looking at?" she asked when she got to Axel's table. Axel lifted his tray for her and pointed the camera at her, and in Xion's expected behavior, she covered her face.
"Relax, it's not even open," Axel chuckled, showing the screen to her.
"What's with all the names?" Xion asked.
"Your sister invited me to a party through Aethernet, I'm checking who's going," Axel explained. He paused on the list when he read the next name and let out a worried groan.
"What's the matter?" Xion asked.
Axel's hand tensed as he gripped his phone. "I'm not really sure if I want to go. I have some close friends who said they might go, but there are also some people I don't want to see…"
"Oh…" Xion quietly murmured. She tapped her nails against the spray bottle, trying to figure out what to say. "Hm… maybe if it gets too lame you can convince your friends to ditch it with you."
Axel glanced at her, glanced at his phone, and let a thought brew in his mind before asking. "If I promise to go, you have to promise I'll see you there."
Xion's eyebrows raised in surprise. "M-me?" Axel grinned. He stood up and went to return to his shift, then grabbed the broom to sweep around Xion and continue their conversation.
"Heh, why not?" he asked. A blush began to creep on Xion's face.
"Well…" she muttered, pausing to lift the trash off one table. "Parties… really aren't my thing."
"Yuffie's going. Maybe some of your friends are also going," Axel said, letting Xion walk ahead of him to the next table.
"Well like you, there might be people I won't want to see," Xion answered. The two stopped cleaning and paused their conversation when they saw a family approach the abandoned register, rushing back to take their order.
"Your order number is fourteen," Axel grinned as he handed the receipt to the mother. She smiled and went with her family to find a table. He turned around to see Xion preparing the order, focused on her task.
"Well Xi," Axel began, "if it gets bad, you can ditch with me and my friends."
"Ha-ha," Xion sarcastically laughed. She called out the order, and a teenage boy followed his younger brother as he ran to the counter.
"Enjoy," Xion smiled as she handed the tray over to the teenager. Axel grinned as he took out his phone. He put his arm around Xion's shoulders and pointed to his temple. As Xion realized what was happening, the shutter clicked.
"A-Axel!" she whimpered, immediately covering her face. She became red quickly. She tried to grab his phone, but Axel held it above his head, exploiting their height difference.
"Ah-ah, what will the customers think if they see you attack your coworker?" he teased. Xion looked back at the family, beginning to eat their food. Axel grinned.
"Delete it," Xion pleaded, looking more angry than worried.
"Only if you agree to go to the party," Axel said. Xion gritted her teeth, so Axel pretended to type. "Hey guys, if you need a reason to go, look no further. This cutie will be there, and she's single. Got it memorized?"
"Axel!" Xion hissed. "Fine, fine, I'll go."
"Good, because I didn't send it," Axel stuck his tongue out and showed the camera screen, still open. Xion's face became red and she whimpered in defeat.
"Jerk," she said, even though she was trying to hide a grin. After some more busy work, Noctis arrived to pick Xion up. Axel grinned as he glanced at the picture. What he hadn't told Xion was that he had sent it to one friend, one who he needed to convince to go. If Xion was a reason that would work, then so be it.
"This might be worth it after all," Axel smirked to himself, tucking his phone back in his pocket.
…
A/N: hehehehe, this was surprisingly fun to write. Just to note, narration will not focus on any single character. Xion is just easier to write with for this ch ^^ it'll pass by the next chapter, where we might actually find out what all this mystery is? Hmm, it's for me to know and you to find out!
Next time, on Dragon Bal-
Oh, wait. Er, next time, on Chapter Two:
"Get some ice for Zexion, I think he's still gonna try to jump to the first floor for beer."
This story is also posted on Wattpad under the same username! Please support my work with feedback on either site! :D