The Convention
Level One: Cloud the Noob
AN: Yeah, that's right. Another story. I decided to test out my new idea for a story and see what kind of feedback it would get. I'm actually very excited about this, so if you guys enjoyed, I'll be happy to continue! I even have a second chapter almost completed!
Warnings and Disclaimers: Rated M for language and such. I don not own anything from KH or FF, only my plot.
Full Summary: Eldermore, a new and extremely popular MMO, has captivated the hearts of thousands of gamers across Kingdom Hearts. The Downtown Bastion Convention Center has been chosen to host ELDR-Con for the first time. Here we have Cloud, a humble and responsible pizza delivery boy, who doesn't like to play MMO's, and he certainly doesn't like CONS. Unfortunately, his brothers do, and they are about to ruin his life...or make it less boring.
PART ONE- (Server-name: CLOUD) Welcome to the Strife Zoo
The house began to rumble and shake with the force of one thousand elephants stampeding down the stairs...no, that was just my brothers actually. I suppose it's close enough to a safari here, or maybe just a zoo.
"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT YOU ASSHOLE!"
"NO WAY! I WARNED YOU NOT TO DO IT!"
"I DIDN'T KNOW LAVA WOULD KILL ME! LEARN HOW TO GIVE DIRECTIONS PROPERLY!"
"MAYBE YOU SHOULDN'T BE SO DUMB!"
"I'M NOT DUMB!"
"YES YOU ARE!"
"I AM NOT!"
I rolled my eyes and turned to walk into the kitchen as a pile of flailing limbs and blond hair crashed to the foot of the stair-case with a thud.
"Cloud, Ventus is being stupid."
"You are!"
"How about you two take your dork selves somewhere else before it rubs off on me," I said, waving my hand over my shoulder at them, but I could feel the baleful sting of sibling hostility pulling me back to the root of the problem that was my brothers. I, being the good elder brother that I am, made the awful mistake of turning around. They sat on the ground kicking at each-other like five year old, and I cursed myself for being too caring as I walked back to the base of the staircase.
"What happened this time? Only one explanation at a time please." My hands were on my hips, a stance I was not all too proud of and one that seemed much too womanly, but it was a stance that said, "I want no nonsense." It got the point across, so I used this power stance quite often when it came to dealing with my little brothers.
Ventus was the first to speak.
"Roxas made me die because he is a fuck-face!"
"Stop swearing, and I'm not so sure, you don't really look like a ghost to me." I laughed because It was supposed to be funny, but all I recieved was a deadpan look from Ventus and Roxas. Fine, don't laugh then.
"It's his own fault. He didn't have to listen to my directions."
"Yeah, well I did and it made me fall into lava with rare loot. I hate you so much."
"I hate you too."
"Oh for fucks sake, not that stupid game. This is what this is all about?"
"Stop swearing Cloud."
"Yeah Cloud, practice what you preach."
I grabbed their heads and banged them together, letting them sit there on the ground in their pain. That was satisfying.
"I'm the oldest and the only responsible one in this house, I can do whatever the hell I want. I promise you that if you two complain one more time about anything to do with this stupid game, I will cut off the internet and you can see what it's like to be normal teenagers. Capisce?"
"You wouldn't dare!" They said in unison. You know, that creepy twin thing they did way too often.
"I recall my measly pizza delivery boy wages paying for our internet, so yes, I would so love to cut off the internet and watch you two suffer and at the same time save a few dollars."
"You're a tyrant!"
"Yeah like Et-Hin, the evil ruler of the Southern Wilde Orc kingdom!"
"Ugh stop talking like that, it's so...so nerdy I can't handle it."
"Eldermore is what's in with the cool people Cloud, it's not nerdy, it's art at it's finest! Artists aren't nerds, they are artists!"
"Yeah so that makes us Eldermorians, not nerds."
"A-huh. Well I'm going to go eat something. You two have fun with," I twirled my finger in a circle around them," whatever this is."
"Boo! Cloud is no fun!"
"Yeah Cloud, I don't see why you won't join our clan."
I groaned and walked into the kitchen on the hunt for food. My stomach felt hungrier than the Sarlacc Pit. I was no nerd, but I strongly believed everyone needed to watch Star Wars at least once in their life.
"Hey, Roxas, we aren't fighting anymore."
"Holy crap, you're right!"
"Cloud is magical. He'd make a good warrior mage."
"I agree."
Wow, there was no way I'd ever choose to be a warrior mage, if I played-and I wouldn't- I would be something cool, like an archer or a knight. I really gotta stop thinking like this, I'll leave that to my brothers.
I sighed and shook my head as I opened the fridge, only to see an almost empty and expired carton of milk, some fruit, and a few slices of pizza I had brought home from work the other night. I decided against eating anything despite the loud protest from the Sarlaac Pit(My stomach.) I rubbed my hand in a circle over my stomach and frowned, I needed to go grocery shopping or I would get in trouble for child neglect. Responsibility blows sometimes but I also didn't want Social Services to come take my brothers away.
Dad left when I was five and the twins were only one at the time, so they can't remember him, but there isn't much to remember to be honest. All I can remember is that he liked to smoke vanilla cigars occasionally and that he played cards on Fridays with his work buddies. I recall having to watch the twins in the other room so we wouldn't interrupt Dads card games. Ahh good times with dear ole dad.
Our mother was around for a while, but she became distant towards us when she started moving up in her career. She became busier and busier and by the end of elementary school I had grown accustomed to not being able to spend time with her.
I remember middle-school well, because it was by then that I had practically been taking care of the twins on my own. I would make them breakfast and we would walk to the school buses together, only to come home and have to console them when Mom wasn't there. Then I would make them dinner, get them ready for bed, and we wold repeat the process.
Three years a go, she got a promotion and moved to the next city over for work, so we never see her and have been living on our own ever since. It's not like she doesn't love us or anything, she just prefers her high-end job rather her own children. Okay, now that I said that it sounds horrible, but at least she provides for us a little but. She pays the rent and utilities, and sends a little extra money if we ever need it, which i never ask her for it. I raise my brothers and feed them. I've been taking care of them all of their lives, I'm accustomed to it by now and I honestly wouldn't have it any other way.
I got a job working as a pizza delivery boy fresh out of high-school. We needed a little extra money to get by at the time, and I took what I could get. I started making enough money to afford internet, and it was a huge mistake, seeing as my brothers got addicted to this super popular MMO I had bought them as a birthday present last year. Mom didn't send them anything, not even a card. I had assumed she had forgotten because she was too busy. So, I went out in the middle of the night in the freezing snow and spent almost my entire paycheck to get them each a copy of Eldermore. The next day, I set up an appointment to get the internet turned on. I wont lie, I felt pretty great being called the best brother in the universe that next morning.
I'm glad they liked their gift, but they are way too into it now and it has caused five-hundred-too- many fights to break out between them. They even want to go to some dumb convention called ELDR-Con, next week. They said they had to go because this CON is "Parallel to none." Of course I'm going to let them go because I have the status of being the best brother in the world to uphold, but there is no way I am being dragged along. I will never understand the desire to dress up, or play a game for hours on end only to get carpal tunnel and pancake-butt from sitting down for too long. Well, my butt is kind of flat already so scratch that last one, it wouldn't make a difference.
Uhm well, with that said, basically my life kind of blows. I'm twenty years old and I don't have a girlfriend, I deliver pizza for minimum wage, get tipped like shit and hit on by old creepy cougar ladies, and I take care of my two dorky twin brothers full time because our mother is too busy to do it herself. I do love them more than anything, they just get really annoying sometimes. Like really really annoying. I'm happy enough, but I wish there was a little more to the tediousness.
I kicked the fridge to let it know that I was highly disappointed in it's lack of food to inspire some culinary creation(aka no sandwich supplies), and then felt bad for kicking it because it's not the fridges fault it has no food in it, it's mine. Then I felt dumb for feeling sorry for kicking the fridge because fridges don't have feelings or thoughts.
"Alright! Gotta go to the store!" I poked my head out of the kitchen to see of the twins were still at the foot of the stairs or if I was talking to myself. It wouldn't have been the first time.
Amazing. They were sitting and talking like they hadn't just been ready to rip each-others throats out. They never cease to amaze me.
"Do you guys wanna go to the store?" I held onto the arch-way frame to the kitchen and swung forwards and backwards a few times.
"Does this trip to the store entail, oh I don't know, Lucky Charms perhaps?" Roxas asked curiously.
"Ugh name brand stuff is so expensive, didn't I teach you better?"
"They're so goooood though!" Ventus said
"Nope."
"Fineee. I wanna get out for a while anyways." Roxas said and got up from the bottom step.
"Yeah, no way I'm playing Eldermore right after I lost that loot."
"Alright meet me at the car in five minutes then."
"Aye-aye cap-i-tan!" They both saluted and raced up the stairs.
It's fun being a mom sometimes.
PART TWO- (Server-name: CLOUD) The Grocery Store of Destiny
It was really hot out, it's Summer, so yeah, it would be hot. But come on, over one hundred? I was dying even with the windows down. The ac in my car was broken, among many other things(my car sucks), and there was no way I was going to ask my mom to pay to get it fixed. I had too much pride and it was bad enough that we had to depend on her as much as we did.
The twins sat together in the back seat. After twelve too many fights over who got shotgun, I started making them sit together in the back. They were used to it, but now it seemed a little lonely without a front seat companion, at least when I'm working I have pizza in the seat next to me to keep me company. Holy shit, that is so lame. As lame as my lame life. I really said pizza keeps me company. I need a girlfriend.
Twenty minutes later finds us at the local grocery store we frequent, with sheer willpower and a terribly written grocery list in hand(I have the hand-writing of a kindergartener), mission 'Stock the Fridge' was a go. As soon as the automatic doors opened, the sweet sweet air conditioning blasted into our faces making our blond hair swish like we were in some epic hair commercial. Yes, the Strife trait was definitely our signature spiky blond hair and blue eyes.
Oh look, there go the twins taking off in a sprint.
"HOLD IT!" They froze and turned around.
"Stop running around before we get kicked out! Roxas, go find milk and cereal. Not name-brand- and check the date on the milk! Ven, you find some eggs and bread so we can have breakfast like a normal family. Don't talk to strangers!" I glanced at the list I had hurriedly written down. I could hardly read my own handwriting. I frowned and shoved it back into my pocket.
"Yessir!" They yelled and marched off in opposite directions, leaving me standing in the middle of the store, horribly embarrassed as an old lady eyed me curiously. Creepy creepy old lady. Well, who cares what you think old lady! I certainly don't!
I went down an isle and was now having a seriously tough debate over which soup to buy. I don't like making decisions. I shrugged and threw both into the cart. The twins came running back with a few things, firmly refusing the cookies, and then chips, and then soda. I let them each pick one snack and then I smacked myself in the face as soon as they left to go find more food.
I was getting worse and worse each day. I was becoming too much of a mom. A dad would let his kids have junk food right? I'm not Mom or Dad, I'm their brother and I have no idea how a brother is supposed to act anymore, but this feminine side has got to go. I'd never get a girlfriend at this rate. Unfortunately the only women who seemed to like me were cougars. I shuddered at the thought as an older lady smiled to me as I walked by.
I sent Ven and Roxas on missions to find a few things I thought I wrote on the list(I gave up on trying to read it), and they came back to the cart, with their arms full and dropped everything in. I surveyed the contents in the cart for any junk, but they didn't seem to be trying to sneak anything in. I made them eat somewhat healthy. I guess we got the things we needed seeing that the cart was almost overflowing
"Alrighty, let's check out. We got enough I think."
I pushed the cart to the end of the aisle and- holy hell when did the store get so busy? I maneuvered the cart through the isles, avoiding running over small children and old people. Ven and Roxas followed behind me, squirming through the crowds of shoppers fighting over boxes of food like hungry lions. Alright, so maybe they weren't literally fighting over boxes of food, but they were still rude and annoying.
We finally made it to the shortest check-out I could find, like with ten freaking people ahead of us. I tapped my foot to amuse myself as we all examined the gum, candy, and magazines. Roxas found a magazine with Eldermore on the cover and I mentally sighed as the two got into a fervent discussion over it. Leaving me to look around at everything aimlessly.
It was finally our turn to put things up and the boys were still discussing their magazine so I put everything up myself, no thanks to them and their lazy asses. I almost fell trying to pick up the water from underneath the cart making the little girl standing behind me in line laugh hysterically. I stuck my tongue out at her, thank God her mother didn't see.
"I could have just scanned it with this you know."
"Huh?" I looked up, having been distracted by putting the water up. The cashier waved the little scan gun in one hand as he scanned items with his other hand, not bothering to look up.
"The water." He added, making me blush. He must have seen me almost fall.
"Oh, yeah. It's alright."
I stood awkwardly and rocked on my heels as he scanned the items; occasionally he glanced my direction but didn't say anything. Weird guy.
"Lucky Charms are on sale you know, do you have a coupon?" My eyes went wide and I turned to Roxas and Ventus who were cowering behind the magazine. I narrowed my eyes and pointed at them.
"You, what was the one thing I ask of you? But nooo, you can't listen to Cloud, can you?" I turned back to the cashier who raised a single eyebrow at me.
"Your kids?" One thing after another. Why me? Do I look that fucking old?! For fucks sake.
"No, they're my brothers. I don't have a coupon either but I'll get them anyways." I glared back at them as they retreated behind their magazine again. Knew they would try and sneak stuff into the cart.
"Ah, it's alright. I can type in the code."
"Can you hurry it along sir? If he doesn't have a coupon then you shouldn't waste our time typing it into the computer. I have places I need to be."
I looked to my left to the bitchy lady and her annoying daughter who had laughed at me. The cashier looked at her unamused. Did anything faze this man?
"If you have a problem with my pace, then there are seven other checkouts to choose from."He said it firmly, his face not faltering once.
I had to hold back a laugh, but the twins were snickering behind their magazine.
"How rude!" She grabbed her daughter by the wrist and yanked her away, her basket swaying harshly in her other arm. I smiled as she walked away and looked back at the cashier.
"Won't you get fired for that?"
He shrugged as he bagged the Lucky Charms.
"I don't really care if I do or don't, she shouldn't have been so prissy." I smiled again trying not to laugh.
"I won't lie, that was pretty great."
"It's nothing, I just don't like when people are rude for no reason."
"I know what you mean." Do you know how many mean people I encounter delivering pizza?
The cashier put our bags into the cart, and the water on the bottom. I was glad I didn't' have to risk almost falling again. I cried as i read the total and opened my wallet, pulling out my card and slowly swiping it. Goodbye my sweet, hard-earned, pizza dollars.
"Thank you for your business, please come again."
I squinted at his name-tag as he handed me my receipt, his hand accidentally bumping mine.
"Thanks...Leon. See you next time. If you aren't fired that is." He gave me a tiny smile, which was kind of surprising, he didn't seem like the type to smile. I pushed the one ton cart ahead, calling for my brothers.
"Come on boys, put the magazine back and say thank you to the nice man who did all of the work while you stood there."
"Awhh you sir." They put the magazine back and waved to Leon, who saluted them in return.
"Have a nice day."
PART THREE-(Server-name:LEON) A Questionable Cashier
I was curious as soon as they had entered the store, yelling and bringing attention to themselves instantly. Their hair blew from the ac briefly, making them seem as if they were in a hair commercial. They all looked alike, with crazy blond hair, blue eyes, and pale skin, but one was obviously the older brother- and in the less unlikely case, their father. He was taller and I'll admit, good looking. Not that I'm into dudes or anything, it's just obvious when someone is good looking, and this guy was.
I stacked some cans onto the shelf and watched the other two run off before the older one called after them. He scolded them like he was their mom, it was kind of funny, but they seemed to listen to him unlike most kids who came here with their parents.
I'm not usually creepy, (but why should you take my word, you don't know me)I couldn't help but sneak around the store, watching them. They were fascinating and the older blond drew attention from people around him like he was some famous person. The funny part was that he didn't seem to notice at all.
I laughed to myself(Mentally of course) as he seemed to be having a really intense debate as to which type of soup to buy. He settled for both and I stalked off down another aisle as he pushed his cart on.
The store was getting busy and Demyx paged me asking if I could help at check-outs. I was a little disappointed that I couldn't follow the blonds around the store anymore, but I was happy when I saw them standing at th very back of my check-out line. It seemed to take ages to get everyone checked out, or I just suck at being a cashier. Whatever.
I almost broke my usual calm and neutral composure(it's not easy for me to smile), when the blond almost fell trying to lift the water, the little girl behind him laughed at him. He turned and stuck his tongue out at her and right then I realized that I liked this guy, he's the kind of guy I could be friends with. I don't really like talking to people much. I find most people rude and falsely nice to your face. Bad experience, won't bring that up now.
That is, except my friends that will be at ELDR-Con next week. I'm a Eldermorian to the core. I wish I was home playing it right now, rather than working this dumb job that my brother insisted I get, I wasn't cut out for customer service. Responsibility would always come first for me though. Demyx is alright and my only friend at work, plus I got to be creepy and watch this weird blond guy today. I would scare people away if they could hear my thoughts. What is wrong with me?
"I could have just scanned it with this you know."
"Huh?"
I waved the scan gun in one hand, not looking up.
"The water." I said, and I could see him blush out of the corner of my eye. Do guys normally blush like that? Or is it just him? Maybe because he's so pale.
"Oh, yeah. It's alright."
I occasionally dared to glance his way while he stood there awkwardly, shuffling and rocking on his heels. Must not be too social either. He was a curious guy.
"Lucky Charms are on sale you know, do you have a coupon?" His eyes went wide and he turned to the blonds reading the same Eldermore magazine I had read on break. Cool, they must play too.
"You, what was the one thing I ask of you? But nooo, you can't listen to Cloud, can you?" I raised a single eyebrow at him curiously. So his name was Cloud. That's a really strange name.
"Your kids?" I asked and his face was priceless. I was just wondering if they were, because he would have been like ten years old when he had them, and that's really fucking weird. How old could he be though? Surely not any older than me.
"No, they're my brothers. I don't have a coupon either." That's what I thought. I pulled up the coupons page and typed in the coupon number.
"Ah, it's alright. I can type in the code."
"Can you hurry it along sir? If he doesn't have a coupon then you shouldn't waste our time typing it into the computer. I have places I need to be." The lady who was next in line had the look of someone who was impatient, and I, oh I was very impatient with impatient people. So what did I do, I laid out the truth as politely as I could. I had to be polite because of work, but oh how I wished I was off the clock right now.
"If you have a problem with my pace, then there are seven other checkouts to choose from."
The twins were laughing behind my magazine at what I had said. I think I like them too.
"How rude!" She grabbed her daughter by the wrist a little too roughly if you ask me, and stomped away. Yeah, that's right, go to Demyx's check-out instead. That guy will talk to anyone and it's hard not to like him because he's so impossibly nice.
I met the blonds eyes by accident, actually maybe for the first time, and I had to look away. It was hard staring into such intense blue. My eyes were blue too, but his were brighter than neon signs. Mine seem so grey and dull compared to his.
"Won't you get fired for that?"
I shrugged and put the Lucky Charms in a bag. I wouldn't really care if I did, it's just a job.
"I don't really care if I do or don't, she shouldn't have been so prissy."
"I won't lie, that was pretty great."
"It's nothing, I just don't like when people are rude for no reason."
"I know what you mean."
I put the bags into the cart and decided to put the water on the bottom so he wouldn't have to fall over again.
"Thank you for your business, please come again." I said the usual lines we were trained to say. I wanted to say something else, I just don't know what.
He squinted at me oddly, and I realized he was reading my name tag. I handed him the receipt, accidentally bumping his hand. I don't think he noticed.
"Thanks...Leon. See you next time. If you aren't fired that is." I couldn't help but smile which is significant for me. Maybe I'm getting sick.
"Come on boys, put the magazine back and say thank you to the nice man who did all of the work while you stood there."
"Awhh you sir." They put the magazine back and waved to me, and I saluted to them.
"Have a nice day."
Cloud huh? I wonder if he plays Eldermore too.
AN: Couple of things. I haven't abandoned SAND, it's just taking me a while to write the next chapter. The next chapter for KICK! is under way as well, and I can't wait until I can post it. I'm a busy person okay! I hope you will also take the time to read these other stories of mine. Writing for me is worth-while, if there is even just one person who likes my stories!
Thank you for reading.