-Nothing Like A Good Book-
-A 'Kingdom Hearts' drabble-
=^w^=
Tora absentmindedly read the spines of the row of spellbooks on the shelf in front of her in the Library, idly picking at them mentally until either Leon or Cloud came looking for her. Why it was always one (or both) of them, she had no idea; it wasn't like the spells she was researching were detrimental to anyone's health or longevity. If there was one thing her father drilled into her about research and development, it was to find out everything that there could possibly be to know before any experimentation.
That way, all failures could be explained should something go wrong.
"Tora, it's me! Leon sent me to find you!"
"I'm on the upper floor, Sora!" Footsteps echoed off the high stone walls as the Keybearer traversed the maze of shelves on the lower floor, coming to a stop only when he'd climbed the stairs to the upper floor and spotted the magician sitting at the single desk surrounded by various pieces of paper, some crumpled and some flat, some soaked with ink and some blank.
"What are you working on?" he asked.
"A simple colour-changing spell, but there seems to be no decent record of a decent base spell," Tora replied, "What did Leon send you up here for?"
"He told me that he wanted something to read – it's lazy of him, I know!" Sora immediately held up his hands defensively when he heard the electricity crackling in the magician's long hair, lowering them only when he was certain that she wasn't going to drop a Thundaga on him. Tora growled quietly and stood slowly, facing the bookcase directly behind the desk and examining the middle shelf of books. She ran a finger over each of the spines before randomly selecting one and throwing it onto the desk. Sora peered at the book, reading the title, before recoiling a little and wrinkling his nose slightly at the corniness of the title.
"That looks so cheesy!" he exclaimed.
"At least it's Leon I'm getting it for; he reads most things I pick up for him," The magician picked up the book and slipped it into the pouch on her hip, "Cloud, on the other hand, reads mostly suspense and fantasy."
"Cloud reads?" Cobalt blue eyes widened in awe, "Really?" Tora laughed at the surprise in Sora's voice.
"It was one of the few luxuries he was allowed while he was a contracted fighter at the Coliseum. He mostly used it as a method of falling asleep, but the idea of reading stuck with him long after that."
"What about Leon?"
"Leon reads merely to feel busy and to keep his hands occupied. Being who he is, he believes that he's not doing anything if he's not holding anything." Sora whistled lowly as he followed the magician out of the castle toward the Bailey, completely impressed by how much she knew about her two friends. He wondered if he'd ever know that much about Kairi and Riku, or even what Roxas was like before the two of them became one. Knowledge like that, he supposed, had to be earned and not tripped upon like accidentally finding treasure in the Agrabah desert.
He did have to admit, that Mega-Potion had been an awesome find.
Tora opened up a dark portal as the two of them reached the Castle Gate, whisking them to the cobbled front step of Merlin's house, where the two swordsmen they'd been talking about only a moment ago were sitting on deck chairs with books near their person; Leon's resting on the small table he'd set up beside his chair, Cloud's on his chest as it rose and fell evenly.
Tora pulled the book from her pouch and tossed it to the Gunblade wielder. "Here." she said, heading inside when she heard a sharp gasp coming from the kitchen. Leon caught the piece of literature and glanced at the title, shrugging and opening it to the first page. Sora watched the elder brunet's shoulders visibly drop as he immersed himself in the story, his posture relaxing from its usual stick-straight position and one leg carelessly dropping over the other to form a casual pose.
"She was right..." he breathed, jerking Cloud out of the Land of Nod.
"Wha – huh..." The blond stretched his arms above his head, the book sliding off his chest and hitting the cobbles at his feet. He turned sleepy azure eyes to the Keybearer, "Did you get Tora?"
"Yes Cloud, he did," the magician replied for him, leaving Merlin's House, "Aerith made some fresh juice if you boys want some." She indicated the tray she held, laden with glasses and a large jug of a golden orange liquid. Leon took the tray from her and placed it on the table, then waited patiently as the magician poured some of the liquid into four glasses and passed them around to everyone present. As soon as everyone was settled with a drink the two swordsmen resumed reading.
"They'll be out of it in five minutes." Tora murmured to Sora, grinning.
"What was that?" asked Cloud.
"Nothing." Sora replied, grinning also.
=^w^=
DISCLAIMER: The disclaimer applies to the characters and settings of the 'Kingdom Hearts' series – Disney and SquareEnix – and Tora – me.