Aqua limps through the streets of Twilight Town. To her dismay, time has decided to reward her hard work with yet more injuries from the Realm of Darkness. On top of that, she's still getting used to having nearly floor-length hair, so she constantly has to make sure it hasn't gotten caught in anything on her way to the herbalist.
All in all, it's slow going.
"Well, ain't this a surprise." She stops. "Little miss Master all the way down from on high."
She turns with a sigh. Now it's going to be even slower. "Hello Lea."
He flicks her a lazy two-fingered peace sign as he leans against a nearby building. "You cast a hair spell or somethin'? Can't have been that long since the fight."
"It's...very complicated." She's not about to relate her personal history to him, even if he did help out in the final battle.
"Oh." He seems almost disappointed. "But there are hair spells right?"
"...what?"
"It's just...Roxas and Xion've been experimentin'. Clothes, hair, makeup. Long as they c'n remember, they've had ta fight for who they wanna be, not who other people want 'em to be. Fer Roxas, knowin' he's got an actual twin out there, not just a Somebody, it was a bituva shock. An' Xion, well, now she's got a body that actually works right, she wants ta know what she c'n do with it." He shrugs. "Hair takes a long time ta grow, an' I wonder'd if ya could speed it up."
She blinks. Then she smiles. "That's very thoughtful of you."
"Yeah, I'm a stand-up guy." He relaxes, back on safer ground now that he's bragging about himself.
She hurries over as fast as she can manage to stand in front of him, eager to impart her knowledge of magic. "Transmogrification is possible, but it's only temporary. An illusion spell would probably be better. You can adjust them on the fly, assuming the caster has enough energy."
Lea nods thoughtfully. "That's what Xion said."
"Huh?"
"Trans-something."
She resists the urge to sigh again. "No, Lea. Transmogrification refers to a physical alteration-" She stops. "Huh."
He smirks. He'd been leading her on. "See?"
She rolls her eyes. Violently.
"I'm jus' joshin' ya!" Lea laughs, clapping her on the shoulder. She flinches, and he quickly withdraws his hand. "Ehh, sorry. Didn't know ya, uh..."
She closes her eyes, takes a deep shuddering breath, and nods.
"So..." Lea puts his hands in his pockets. "Ya come here just ta chat? Ya ain't very good at it, no offense."
"I-" Her voice catches, for no reason at all. "I was looking for the herbalist. We're missing some plants, and it seems this is where Master Eraqus got them in the first place."
"Right, Abrestos." He jerks his head to the left. "Follow me." He leads her almost to the end of Market Street, and to a little shop crammed in so tightly between two larger ones it seems like it's going to burst. "Never been in myself. Mind if I join ya?"
"Don't you have someplace else to be?" she says in exasperation.
"Not really." He scratches his chin. "I get the feelin' ya dun like me. An' I wan' people ta like me."
"And you really think spending time with me will make me like you?"
He raises his hands defensively. "Not like THAT! I ain't into yer kind!"
"My kind?!" She's almost shouting. She shouldn't be.
"Ya know, girls!"
"Then why didn't you say so?" People are staring. That just makes her angrier.
"How was I s'posed ta know what ya were thinkin'? Ya keep it all so corked up, it's a wonder ya don't explode th' way me an' Larxene did!"
She scoffs. "I have far more control than either of you did."
"Fat lotta good it did ya!"
"Children!" a new voice says. Thin, whispering, yet angry. They turn to see the owner of the shop in the doorway, hands on hips. "You're both right. Or wrong. Don't care. You buying?"
Aqua shoots another angry look at Lea, who gives as good as he gets. "Yes Master Abrestos. I'm sorry about the commotion." She follows Abrestos into the shop. Lea wavers on the stoop before he dives in after her. A riot of competing scents vie for her attention, and she sneezes reflexively.
"Not a Master. Botanist. Good one. Still not a Master. Eraqus make you call everyone older that?"
"No, it's just- Sir and ma'am don't-"
"Doesn't bother me. Might bother other folks. Good to check." Ceetap T Abrestos, as Eraqus had been clear to note, is nonbinary. Hazel eyes regard their visitors warily from out of a strikingly soft face, as if expecting another argument to break out any second.
"Very well." Aqua urges her mind to shift gears a little faster. "Did you get my letter?"
"I did." Abrestos says. "Didn't think anyone actually sent those any more."
"I've been...out of the loop." She can't meet those hazel eyes any more, scouring the counter in front of her. Snake weed, ardrigal, sito foil, volencia moss, rogue's purse... It's been ages since I've had to use any of these. But it couldn't hurt to be prepared, right? I'm going to have apprentices of my own one day.
"Mmm. Been a long time since I heard from your neck of the woods. (Figure of speech.) Eraqus never was much for small talk." Abrestos disappears into the back. Even with how remarkably quiet the shop is, Aqua and Lea can barely make out what they continue to say. "Kwuarm is going up. Some found use for it in poison. Nasty business. Right amount'll make the heart explode. The actual heart, not the one you Keyblade wielders go on about. Restricted now. Cost you extra."
"This Eraqus guy might nota been much fer small talk, but Abrestos more 'n' makes up fer it." Lea drawls.
"Eraqus was my- Our Master. He spoke well of Abrestos." Aqua informs him curtly.
"He ever get a word in edgeways?"
Aqua elbows him in the ribs just as Abrestos returns, carrying a tray with several packets of seeds on it. "You know the soil for these?" they ask.
"And the amount of sunlight and water for each. Eraqus kept good records." She doesn't mention the dread that fills her at the thought of being responsible for so many living things. No one needs to know.
"Twenty six five two nine for the kwuarm seeds. Rest are the usual."
Aqua's eyes widen at the price, but she reaches into her pouch regardless.
"Prices were worse little over a year ago. Almost four times." Abrestos accepts the special pieces without question. They're easier to carry than individual pieces of munny, but harder to convert into actual value. They tally the total, nod once, and slide the seed packets off of the tray and across the counter towards Aqua. "My regards to Eraqus and the others."
"Oh." They didn't know. All this time. They must have thought he just...forgot. "M- Master Eraqus has...has passed on."
Abrestos's face falls. No one speaks for a time, and it's only now Aqua notices that a green plant in the corner is chiming somehow. Lea muffles a cough.
"When was this?" Abrestos asks.
"Twelve, thirteen years ago?" Aqua's heart thumps against her ribs as she acknowledges the inevitable once more.
They run a hand through what little hair they have, seemingly in disbelief. "I...assumed he was busy. 'Defending the Realm.' That we'd just lost touch. It happens. Too often, it happens." They look at Aqua again. "Who killed him?"
"Why do you assume someone killed him?" Aqua asks curiously.
"The life he led. Uncompromising." Abrestos tilts their head to the side. "You didn't answer my question."
"Xehanort" is Aqua's reply, not trusting herself to say anything else.
Abrestos frowns. "Xehanort." they repeat after her. "He never spoke much of him. When he did, it was strained. Not hatred. Something deeper." They sigh deeply. "Sorry for your loss, however late I say it."
"Thank you Ceetap. I'll let you know how the planting goes." Aqua says, with an attempt to smile.
"Season's almost done. May be best to wait until fall." they remind her.
"Oh, of course. Thank you again." She tries to smile a little more broadly before she makes to leave.
"Yo," Lea says. Aqua falters in her stride. "Thanks fer lettin' me get ta meet ya Abrestos. See ya round maybe?"
They hum like the plant, which Lea takes as his cue, moving quickly so he can beat Aqua out the door. He turns, about to brag, only to find her staring up into the sky, tears welling in her eyes.
"How can you bear it?" she asks.
Uh oh. "Bear what?"
"The light. It's so- So sad."
He looks up at the sky. "It's always like this..."
She wipes her eyes on her sleeve. "That's what I mean!"
He rubs his temples with the thumb and middle finger of his left hand. "Ah geez. Y'know I didn't mean any of that junk I said earlier, dontcha?" An' now she's cryin'. Actually cryin'. Real people person. "Y-ya want ice cream or somethin'? My treat? No? Can ya stop cryin' long enough ta tell me what ya do want?"
"Hey, is this guy bothering you?" a nearby woman asks Aqua. She sniffs and (to his relief) shakes her head.
"Right, dun wanna make a scene." Lea reminds himself. To the woman, he says, "She's been through a lot. We're...colleagues, I guess." To Aqua, he says, "Hey, c'mon. There's a place I know might help ya out."
"Is that right, honey?" the woman says. She's persistent, I'll give her that, Lea thinks.
"Ye-" Aqua starts to say, interrupting herself with another sniff. "Yes. Thank you. I'll be- I'll be okay with him."
The woman looks doubtfully up at Lea, who gives her his fifth most charming smile. Lucky for him, it works, and the woman goes on her way, allowing Lea to escort Aqua back up Market Street and to the gate marked Sunset Hill Station. At a respectful distance, of course.
From there, it's another winding uphill path to the station itself. Aqua continues to cry about nothing, and Lea does his best not to let it get on his nerves. He is a little worried about dehydration, however. An' wouldn't that be ironic? On their way to the back stairs he, Roxas and Xion have really never been supposed to use, he buys two flasks of hot chocolate.
"Shut yer eyes." he tells her once they're almost at the top.
"W- What? Why?"
"Ya want it ta hit ya all at once. Trust me. I know ya dun like me, but trust me?"
She closes her eyes as he'd told her to.
"Great. Now. I'm gonna hold onto yer arm, alright? Just ta get ya out here." Lea hurries to set the flasks down before he takes Aqua by the arm and walks her carefully to the edge of the tower. "And...open." He lets go of her arm.
She opens her eyes, and for a moment he's afraid she's going to burst into tears again. She stands stock still, mouth parted in a gentle 'oh'.
Twilight Town sprawls out beneath them, accented by the train tracks that lead every which way. Beyond the outer walls, they can just make out some shapes moving along the roads in the farmland. Lea hopes they're just vehicles, and not Heartless, Unversed, Nobodies, or whatever else the forces of darkness will come up with next. That's all he can do right now: hope.
He wants to say something, talk about how much Roxas and Xion loved the view, how much he still does, ask her jokingly not to tell anyone about this spot. Instead he sits down and opens one of the flasks. He takes a drink. Perfect, he thinks, and shivers in delight.
Aqua sits down. She's still a little shaky herself. He holds out the other of the flasks, but she barely even notices. "Thank you, Lea." she says some time later, almost reverently.
"Dun mention it." he replies.
"Hot chocolate's gettin' cold though." he adds, after some thought.