[OPEN] It's Long Past Sunset, The Weather's Less Than Mild

[twilightskey]

Who: Roxas and YOU!
When: Throughout the first half of September
Where: Throughout Aefenglom
What: Orphanage work, Wilder training, and a general Catch-All for September!
Warnings: N/A

I-A - Orphanage Part 1: Fun and Games
[Truthfully, it had been Sora who had convinced him to accept this job this month. Roxas didn’t really know the first thing when it came to looking after young kids. But it turns out that working with kids can actually be quire a lot of fun.]

[It doesn’t take long for Roxas to be pulled into games with the other Turnskin children, playing sports with them and encouraging good sportsmanship. Though he tries to keep his competitiveness in check, the kids seem to enjoy it when he gives them a challenge. He does let them win most of the time, though, but he still has fun doing so.]

[If he’s not playing sports with the kids, sometimes he can be found just keeping an eye on some of the quieter kids or doing some crafts with them. As fun as it is to play games and sports, these quiet moments are nice too. If someone approaches, he’ll give them a smile and a wave to the papers and craft supplies.]

Hey. Wanna try?

I-B - Orphanage Part 2: A Dog’s Day
[It isn’t just playing sports or doing crafts that Roxas does while at the Orphanage. Occasionally, Roxas can be found trotting around in his fully shifted form, sniffing at some of the kids or chasing them around in a game of tag. It’s good practice for him to practice this new ability, and it’s also something he can help other little Turnskin children with. Transforming, he’s come to realize, is a bit tough to do without the full moon, and so he appreciates the chance to practice.]

[To those unfamiliar with him, Roxas may just look like a dog who’s playing with kids. But occasionally, this dog will speak out, especially if one of the kids pulls his ears.]

Ow, ow! Hey, don’t pull so hard, okay? That really hurts.

II - Wilder Training
[Roxas is always willing to test his skills in the Wilde, and the Wilder training seems to be the best way to do it. He figures that helping the Wilders out in the dense forests will not only help keep the city safe, but it’ll also offer him a chance to keep his skills sharp. He may not be actively looking for hero status, but he does like helping out where he can, and if that means fighting back monsters and keeping the walls safe, he’s okay with that.]

[Roxas will make his way out into the Wilde with the other trainees, his two Keyblades, Oathkeeper and Oblivion, strapped to his back and in easy access should danger arise. Once they are left to their own, he will turn to his current partner.]

Where should we start first?

III - Around Town
[When he’s not helping out at the Orphanage or participating in Wilder Training, Roxas can be found around town, either running errands or exploring both in human and shifted form. He can also be found at the Keyblade House either practicing with his Keyblades or just hanging out, and sometimes he can be found on the rooftops of tall, quiet buildings around town, an ice cream in hand as he watches the sunset fall over the city.]

[Come say hi to him! He won’t turn away good company and is always up for a good talk.]

IV - Wildcard
[Got an idea for a thread with Roxas? Feel free to create your own, or send me a PM or message at pocketnoivern!]

Comments

i-a

[oathkeeper]

[Since it was Sora's big idea for them to take on some work like this it's not a surprise at all to find Sora keeping himself busy with his own little horde of children following at his heels.

This time Sora happens to have one little faun-girl in his arms and she has a big red ball in her grasp. He gives her a wink and then slowly stalks up to where Roxas is playing sports with some of the turnskin-children. Sora whispers to her with a playful smile,]

Alright, Nia. When I count to three you're going to throw your ball as hard as you can at the back of that blond boy's head. Okay? Don't worry, he's really fast!

[Or is he...?]

One... Two... Three!

[The girl shouts with glee as she then tosses the ball right at the back of Roxas' head! If it hits, who knows! But both of them are chortling with delight!]

II

[spirialink]

[As far as partners go, Roxas definitely hit the jackpot today. Who better to be his partner than his very own Bonded, Kor?

Kor bounces on his heels, eager to get to work. He's always wanted to get involved with the Wilders after seeing how hard they work to fight for the city, so this is his chance to prove his stuff!]

Let's just dive right in!

[twilightskey]

[With Roxas so preoccupied with his game of soccer with the small gaggle of turnskin-kids, he doesn't notice the plotting puca behind him, or his little faun-girl companion. Nor does he notice the incoming danger, aside from his ear twisting at the shout of glee.]

Huh--?!

[THUNK! It's pretty comical how Roxas flinches as the ball makes contact with his head! The turnskin-children all gasp, then burst out into giggles. After a second, he turns with a small frown on his face.]

Hey!

[twilightskey]

Fine by me!

[His Bond-mate is a perfect partner! Roxas reaches behind him and pulls out Oathkeeper and Oblivion, a smirk on his face.]

Lead the way!

I-B

[piromare]

( he's been cleaning up some of the messes around the orphanage, mostly keeping to himself... it's not that he doesn't like kids. no, it's that he has very few experiences with them in the first place. he was more focused on making the future brighter for burnish children and not so much on their present state.

but when he hears roxas, lio stops what he's doing and goes out to see what's going on. just a dog and some kids, but it doesn't look like the orphans are the ones chiding themselves about being careful... )

Huh?

( and lio looks at the dog. he doesn't know too many turnskin, but being in aefenglom for so long, he has a clue. )

You okay?

[oathkeeper]

[At least it was just a gentle toss! There's only so much strength a small girl can have when chucking balls at people's heads!

And as the kids burst into giggles Sora also starts laughing and patting the girl's head with proud affection.]

Haha! See?! I told you that'd work! He's fast but he's really strong too! That didn't phase him at all!

[He looks at Roxas and grins at him playfully. Hello, Roxas! Hello!]

[twilightskey]

[The little puca-child who'd been pulling on his ears does let go, and goes off to giggle with her faun-child friend. Roxas shakes out his fur, his ears flopping a bit as he does. At the question, he blinks and turns to the newcomer.]

Yeah, I'm okay. I didn't expect it to hurt, getting my ears tugged like that...

[twilightskey]

[It was a gentle toss, and it didn't really hurt. It was more surprising than anything.]

[As he sees Sora laugh, Roxas's frown falls into a grin, a small chuckle escaping him.]

Oh, hey Sora. I didn't see you there.

[He casually picks up the ball that was tossed at him, a grin on his face.]

Showing off to the kids?

[piromare]

( he watches the kids leave with a glare, only slightly agitated. )

You're saying that if you weren't currently like this, an ear pull wouldn't hurt about the same?

( lio reaches out with a half-smile which quickly fades as he realizes what he's doing. )

Sorry. I should ask first. Do you mind if I...

( also touch those ears??? )

[spirialink]

[Kor's fully ready to just charge right on ahead to bolder adventures, but he stops dead in his tracks seeing Roxas draw his Keyblades like that. It reminds him of something that's been on his mind lately.]

Oh, yeah. Hey, Roxas. How come you fight with two Keyblades? Everyone else just seems to use one, even though I always see Sora carrying around a couple.

Sorry about the delay! Got caught up with work

[twilightskey]

Yeah, that's true. I just didn't think it would hurt that much if someone else did it. I mean, it's fine if I tug my own ears...

[Then again, you could pinch yourself and be fine but have someone else do it and have it hurt a lot worse.]

[He perks up when he sees that hand, but then lets out a chuckle.]

It's okay. You can.

[twilightskey]

Huh?

[Roxas blinks at Kor, then looks at his own Keyblades.]

Oh, well... I think it's because of my connections to Sora and Ventus. A Keyblade's meant to reflect the wielder's heart, and I came from both Sora's heart and Ven's heart. So that's probably got something to do with why I have two Keyblades.

And, well, I have two hands.

o7

[piromare]

( he snorts. does roxas make it a point to tug his own ears on a regular basis, or did he do it once to test it? either way--- lio can't relate, every time he plucks a feather it hurts the same way.

and then his eyes brighten. )

Thank you. ( he nods politely before holding out his hand promptly resting it on roxas' head. ) It's been a while since I've gotten to pet a dog. Not saying you are one, but... you know what I mean.

( he takes a moment to rub each one of those ears, careful to not nick him with a talon. )

Those kids looked like they were having a lot of fun. Have you played with them before?

[twilightskey]

[As Lio rests his hand on Roxas's head, Roxas can't help but lean into the touch a bit. Roxas isn't one who's had a lot of physical affections throughout his short life; living a good chunk of his life with other Nobodies who couldn't feel emotion didn't exactly breed much in the way of such actions. But it's clear he's enjoying the ear scritches, if the way his curled tail wags is any indication.]

A little bit, yeah; not before this month though. A friend of mine convinced me to help out here this month with the orphans here, so I said yes. It's helped me practice my shifting, and a few of the kids here remind me of friends from home.

[piromare]

( they're similar in that regard, then. all of the affection he's received has come from aefenglom. the few pleasant times were always dwarfed by something menacing on the horizon. no time to rest and no time to relax; always busy, concerned about the future. )

You have a good friend, then. ( a smile, as lio continues to focus on the turnskin. ) Are they someone you know from your home?

( ugh what a cute doggo he is )

[twilightskey]

Yeah, Sora's pretty good. He's a friend from my world. He was really excited to help out the kids here, and I think he might have been onto something. The kids here are a lot of fun to play with. More than I thought they'd be.

[That tail-wagging doesn't stop, no sir.]

What about you? Have you been helping out the kids long?

[spirialink]

[Only about half of what Roxas says makes sense to Kor. He understands that Roxas is Sora's Nobody and that's why they're connected, but he's not sure why that gives him two Keyblades. But the part about his hands checks out at least.]

Uhh... I'm not sure I get it, but... makes sense to me! [Which is it, Kor?]

Anyway... [He takes the time to get his weapon ready, grabbing the sword handle stored inside the buckler on his left arm, holding it out in front of him. Focusing his magic, a golden blade crackling with electricity sprouts out from it.]

Alright, now let's get going.

[oathkeeper]

Hey, Roxas! There's nothing wrong with a little showing off, right?

[The little girl blushes and laughs happily in his arms.]

Were you impressed with us?

[Praise them, Roxas!!]

[piromare]

( oh. well, that stops him. there's a flicker of recognition which shows as a grin as he cups roxas' puppy face in his hands, the top of his wrists touching as he holds that muzzle and lets his fingers (without clawtips) rub those cheeks. )

No. Actually, this is probably the first time I've ever really had a chance to do something like this.

( in a peaceful, non-violent sort of way. )

Sora... so you know Vanitas and Ventus. ( which means, more than likely, this doggo is a good boy??? ) Then, of course you're helping the orphans. That makes sense.

III

[synchroswim]

<sub>[One upside about the whole Merrow thing? The chill of the water as the temperatures drop doesn't bother him nearly as bad as it would've in the past while he was still human. Or at least what counted for "human", what with the whole Nobody thing.

It's for that reason alone that Demyx hasn't left the makeshift pool he'd rolled into the yard months ago while he watches Roxas, arms folded over the edge and his chin nestled in the crook of one. Even the last foot or so of his tail hangs over the edge to his left, the end of it curling every so often. No matter how many times he sees them, and no matter how much time he spends around them, those Keyblades always manage to keep him on edge.




Even if they are pretty gnarly in their own way.]</sub>

Man, I still get tired just watching you go ham with those. How do you not run yourself ragged with 'em?

[twilightskey]

[Roxas chuckles a bit, shaking his head.]

It's ok. I don't fully understand all of it myself.

[He's just. Got two Keyblades. It works for him.]

[Roxas jolts in surprise at the electricity, his ears and tail sticking up as it does.]

Woah!

[twilightskey]

Oh yeah. Totally impressed.

[He tosses the ball up in the air before catching it.]

But I'm disappointed, Sora! You were so excited to show off my skills, you didn't show off yours!

[...that sure is a devious little turn his grin's taken.]

[twilightskey]

[Roxas's ears perk up at the unfamiliar grip on his face, and he does stiffen a bit, but when Lio rubs his cheeks, he eventually relaxes, even opening his mouth in a doggy grin.]

[Who knew pets felt so nice..?]

Huh? Oh, yeah. I know them. You know them too? [He's not surprised about Sora and Ventus, though he's surprised that Lio knows Vanitas.]

Normally I wouldn't try something like this, but Sora can be pretty persuasive. But it's not so bad, really.

[twilightskey]

[Roxas goes through a couple more swings before he replies to Demyx, and he lowers his Keyblades before looking at him.]

Well, you just get used to them. I practice with them a lot. Do you get tired carrying Arpeggio around?

[synchroswim]

Carrying is a lil' different from swinging 'em though, isn't it?

_{[Out of habit, he rolls his shoulders and pulls himself to the other edge of the pool, leaning further over the edge to grab the aforementioned instrument and hauls it up and into the water. It's not perfect, but he manages to coil and knot his tail up in a manner that it acts as a 'lap' for it to rest on.]}

Besides, she's never been crazy heavy, y'know?