A dustbowl. That was the best way to describe this town. The stomping of feet on the dirt roads created an ever present atmosphere of dust and debris. Riku did his best to keep Kairi close to him to prevent her from breathing too much of it in. He could already feel it caking onto his hair, resulting in a more pissed off look than usual. The instant they had arrived, all eyes looked their way. It was obvious they had been in a fight, most likely looking like they had just stepped out of a blazing inferno which was pretty much true. Sora hadn't said much since they left for this town, simply keeping close to Riku. It would take time to process everything. After all, these two hadn't seen anything like that living in their safe little bubble kingdom or at least not anything that they remembered. Sora did seem to brighten up some once they had arrived at the dusty town, excited to find a place that was monster free and full of people living their lives. The sudden attention probably had to do with their keyblades as well. There was a time when keyblade wielders were quite common, but times change after all. Now, simply seeing one was enough to fill everyone with hope.
Walking into a small shop, Riku and Sora shook themselves off, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake. The older man at the counter was about to greet them, nearly falling backwards at the company standing before him. He looked between the disgruntled elf, the unconscious woman he carried, and the other guy with a bright grin on his face.
"You just gonna stare at us all day?" Riku gave an expectant look, shifting into high and mighty prince mode.
"O-oh! Forgive me! You just took me by surprise is all. It's not often I see an elf along with all of you bearing keyblades," he said quickly, beckoning them to come closer. "What can I do for you?"
"We're in need of some potions along with new equipment as well. I'll need three sets of chain mail, the best you have for the three of us, along with some armor." He glanced at Sora, looking over his outfit. The fight had really done a number on their clothes too. "Looks like new clothes too, protected and enchanted ones would be preferred. We'll take a look at what you have and what needs to be made." Riku pulled out a pouch that had been tied to his belt. He plopped it onto the counter with the unmistakable cling of large coins inside. "This should more than cover the costs."
"Riku! You don't need to pay for everything. I'm just as mature and responsible," Sora protested, feeling his head spin just from hearing the list of stuff.
"Oh? Do you have any money to contribute?" Riku cocked his head to the side, slumping down to his level slightly or as best he could while still carrying Kairi. "Something tells me I already know the answer."
Even though he already knew the outcome, Sora dug his hands into his pockets anyway, and of course, finding nothing but small trinkets he had brought from home.
"Yeah, well, I'll pay you back for this somehow. That's a promise!" Sora stuck his tongue out, disliking whenever Riku flaunted being taller.
"Not to worry. These Elven coins are of much higher value than the common currency. It'll more than cover the costs," the shopkeeper ensured, fretting that the two were going to keep on arguing. "Follow me. All of my wares are in the back."
Riku stuck his tongue out at Sora in return before following him.
Despite his magical energy still being low, he cast another healing spell on Kairi, gently setting her down on some nearby cushions. She most likely depleted all her energy going berserk like that. Eventually, with the help of some healing potions, her eyes slowly opened. She groaned as she stretched her arms as if waking from a deep sleep.
"Kairi! You're okay!" Sora was already by her side not unlike some happy puppy.
"Good, you're awake which means I don't have to keep carrying you around. Now, come pick out some armor and such before I have to choose for you," Riku said matter of factly, tapping his foot expectantly. It would save some whining in the long run if they just picked out their own stuff.
"Gee, thaaanks, Riku. You're so kind," Kairi said back with a roll of her eyes.
"Haha, I think he just has his own way of being nice." Sora offered her a hand, seeing that her legs were still shaking slightly.
Riku went ahead and picked out enchanted chainmail for all of them, choosing not to get much armor for himself. His jacket wasn't too badly damaged, going for new dark pants and a tank top. He left Sora and Kairi to pick out whatever they wanted as he went to change.
He decided to wait outside the shop for the other two, letting them take their time. He felt the wood of the side of the building dig into his back slightly as he leaned against it. Their combat was decent that was for sure at least in tense situations. Still, should he have brought them along? He had been doing just fine on his own, but orders were orders. They hadn't even run into any of "them" yet which sent a shiver down his spine just thinking about it. He met any stares he received with an icy one of his own which sent people briskly walking away especially seeing the size of the keyblade he carried on his back. Riku couldn't really blame them much for being curious. Ever since all of this started, elves had been scarce. His kingdom was one of the last remaining. After closing his eyes in contemplation for roughly three seconds, he heard a "Rikuuu!" which was unmistakably from Sora. Peeking one eye open, he saw them dressed relatively in the same way they had come in. They had most likely used magic to mend their clothes aside from new black and silver leggings that Kairi was wearing. Sora donned gauntlet armor with a plate of it that also protected his forearm and another by his shoulder. The chain mail peeked through by his collar. Surprisingly, he looked almost battle ready. Kairi's armor went along her shins to her knees which would deal more damaging kicks.
"Wow, I'd almost call you two warriors now," Riku teased, easing himself off of the wall he had been leaning against.
"I do feel like I'm actually ready to take on some Heartless," Sora said, missing Riku's sarcasm completely.
"Heh, right, whatever you say." Riku turned his attention to Kairi. She seemed alright, at least on the outside. He could sense her magical energy again, full to the brim. "How are you feeling, Kairi?"
"Ready to take on the world and kick some ass!" She flexed, looking quite pleased with herself. "So, where are we headed anyway? You never really clarified that."
"To my kingdom. One of the last Elven kingdoms left. We can make a greater plan from there," Riku said, walking over to glance at a map of the town. "But it won't be easy, and we need to be prepared. We'll stay in this town for the night and head out refreshed and ready in the morning." Riku took a moment to survey their surroundings. Beyond the main town, a lake sparkled against the sun not too far away. He always found it easier to rest and meditate by water, away from the bustle of the crowds. "Can I trust you two to get us a room at an inn while I go relax over there." He pointed over towards the lake.
"I'll take care of it. I should do something since I was out of it for a while." She leaned in by Sora to whisper by his ear. "Go with Riku. Find out more about this angsty elf." She didn't give him much of a chance to reply before running off, soon disappearing in the ever present cloud of dust. Sora gulped at the scrutinizing stare from Riku before Riku shrugged and started heading towards the lake. Not having much of a choice, he followed after him, keeping his eyes towards the ground. He focused on the way Riku walked. Most of his weight went to the balls of his feet. He hardly ever had his heels touch the ground. He figured it was out of habit to be stealthy. After all, his footsteps were hardly audible. Sora couldn't help but admire the way Riku walked, head held high in absolute certainty of where he was going with such graceful steps. He really could watch him walk or do anything all day..and he shifted his focus towards what was in front of them: the lake. It wasn't huge but still a marvel to behold. With little to no wind whisping through the air, the surface was still, reflecting the distant forest almost perfectly. Once they arrived, he copied Riku in sitting cross legged by the shore. Calm, lazy waves lapped at the gravel, hardly moving the stones at all.
"So, um, are we meditating? Everytime I try to, I just end up falling asleep," Sora laughed in an attempt to break the silence. Trying to start a conversation was always so nerve wracking, resulting in Sora constantly moving his feet around.
"Meditation takes focus and practice," Riku began, trying to give advice though the twitch of his ears gave away his slight irritation as he opened one eye. Trying to focus on the sounds of nature around him was just a bit difficult with Sora talking, but he couldn't blame him for being curious. He didn't know why he had a soft spot for him already..all he could say was that he just did. "I guess your dreams are a sort of meditation, right?"
"Right! They do show me things..though I don't understand half of it most of the time." Sora perked up at the response. He took the opportunity to admire Riku's side profile: the strong figure, his jawline..and he focused back down at the gravel beneath them. He ought to stop doing that, knowing how much Riku hated being stared at.
"Yeah, I do feel a strange connection to those dreams of yours..a pull I guess. And that pull lead me to you." Riku felt a heat rush to his cheeks as soon as he turned his head, and their eyes met. Why was this so familiar? "But, uh, it could just be a coincidence." He cleared his throat, looking towards the water instead.
"Well, maybe they'll be more concrete and give me actual answers now that I'm out in the real world, so I have to thank you." Sora dug his fingers into the gravel, feeling the small rocks slide against his fingers.
"Thank me? For dragging you into a world plagued by monsters. I've already shown you the tragedy and horrors, and you still want to thank me?" Riku was expecting anger or something of the like, curses of his name.
"I know it had to be done. Kairi, you, and me have a purpose here. We never would've realized that on our own without you. It may be scary, but I'm excited to see everything in this world." He swore Sora's smile was enough to blind someone.
"W-well, you're welcome. I'm..not used to people thanking me." There was that rush of heat to his face yet again. There was no way any sort of meditation was going to get done now.