Chapter 5 - Fate

[alexanderblade]

Maybe It's All A Dream...

There were indeed very few people out at this hour. The cool air, the moon, the dark skies, and the star filled night seemed to drive a great many to one place: sleep. But for Alexander, the night side environment was a place worthy of desire and what a desire did he appease almost every night. He stood in a nearby alley way, not aloof or introverted, rather, amongst a small crowd of fellow night dwellers that had gathered around who enjoyed the atmosphere of the sunless Twilight Town.

Alexander seemed to be putting on some sort of show underneath a lamp that dimly lighted the alleyway as those of the crowd all listened attentively to the words he was speaking and the words he was speaking were weaved together rhythmically and skillfully as if the fast paced poetry simply flowed from the innermost portion of his being. Such a thing was unheard prior to Alexander's arrival 3 years ago and it quickly reached the hearts of many.

"You ever wake up feeling unusual?
Maybe I lost my mind, I'm delusional,
I swear I'm living an illusion, dude,
So I wake up feeling like there's nothing to do,
I mean, I feel like I woke up someone other then me,
Like I woke up something else, something brand spankin' new,
Like I been a birth by sleep,
Still I wont forget home so I hold tight this chain of memories,
When I'm in the streets, they all wanna come near me,
I'm just a little different, it's just a little weird be,
When I'm in the hood, be just a little weary,
or maybe that's just how I was raised
Maybe thats just me, see, maybe I aint seein' the bigger picture,


There were some young women in the crowd gazing admirably at Alexander as he stood there speaking words that seemed to enrapture the listeners in a form of awe-struck hypnotism, though they were free to walk away at any point if they so chose to. The crowd slowly waned and grew as the minutes passed. Some left, others came, some came back with others, others simply did not return. This was not the first time Alexander had done this and it seemed to be a regular act of his.

Those of the crowd murmured and whispered amongst one another. Some spoke highly of his skill, others, the young women in particular, spoke of his attractive appearance, and others couldn't help but to bob their heads to the rhythm of the words. The crowd applauded and cheered when Alexander said something in particular that embodied depth and meaning.

But Alexander didn't do this for the attention, the women, nor the spare money that some of the crowd members insistently threw his way. Everyone knew Alexander wasn't from Twilight Town; He had been here 3 years and he had gained a good reputation with a majority of Twilight and everything from his brown skin to his accent screamed "not from 'round these parts." As such, Alexander often felt a subtle loneliness and a feeling of being homesick in which he comforted with the art of words he expressed so openly. He ended his show with,

"Understand there aint no such thing as fear in me,
But for the things that are dear to me I'll fight to protect,
I wont be stopped so I'll have any threat fearin' me.
Dont' try too hard to see things my way, you wont understand,
See, my extended stay isn't coincidence, but some don't understand,
It's not a random incident, so until the Lord calls me outta here I'm in for an extended stay, homie, where I'm from it's called fate."


When he finished, the crowd applauded. Some went home or to their respective business and others stuck around and socialized amongst each other and wondered who this "Lord," was whom he mentions almost always in his sessions but very few ever asked if any. Alexander's little street-side shows always produced a positive effect of unification and a lot of the Twilight citizens who did not know one another prior to Alexander's coming came together in friendship, or otherwise, because of him.

One of the young women that stuck around approached Alexander and engaged in a conversation with him in. Flirtatious words flowed from her mouth and Alexander lightly entertained this talk. The two chuckled, laughed, and bonded quite fast. Such was the mettle of Alexander's allure that women fell somewhat easily for his smooth words and demeanor. The two ended this conversation with the promise of another meeting "real soon," and the girl went her way. The crowd became smaller but still a few remained behind.

And Alexander leaned against the wall looking upward at the stars, contemplating the memories of his former home that was not so former to him. Though he lived in Twilight Town, his heart was in his own world, his own city; he made his true home in the shadow of his memories.

Or maybe it's all a memory...

[/font]

[axie]

Twilight Town didn't look right without a sunset.

Not that Axel hadn't seen it this way before, on this or that odd mission that kept him out after dark. The worlds didn't all run by the same clock, either, so while missions normally ended in time for a sunset they could also have him there at the crack of dawn. Time got all mixed up and muddled in Axel's head, so maybe that's why it always felt like they'd be coming back to this clock tower forever.

He couldn't stay. It wasn't painful to stand on the railing and know that Roxas wasn't sitting next to him, because Axel couldn't feel something that strongly. The shadows of emotions had tugged at him once, but in dying it was like he couldn't recover them. The fiery one was cold inside again. If he couldn't find his heart, he would have to make do with Roxas.

Sora.

Because Roxas could never come back. Axel had known that the last time he stood here, when Roxas was curled up asleep beside him and Axel almost, almost didn't wake him, like that would keep him around. Roxas wasn't Roxas asleep, though.

But he felt nothing. It seemed pointless to find Sora again, for that reason anyway. Even more pointless to track down Roxas. He couldn't feel the urgency that the Flurry of Dancing Flames once had, wings torn and chest breaking with every breath as the Berserkers pursued him to oblivion. It seemed more important to find Saïx again, fix everything that was wrong, and if he really wanted a heart then prove it by following the only order that would make it so. This was logical. Emotions were past him again.

And standing here and reminiscing over feelings that never really happened only wasted his time.

The portal escaped notice totally in the darkness, with Twilight Town's autumn hues painted pearly midnight. It at least felt normal here, which was more than he could say for the encounter back at the whale. The people milling about were the same, though Axel slightly missed the menacing x's that made things more private. He drew his hood up before he'd attract attention and slipped through the crowd a shadow. A stranger leaned against the wall not too far from him, staring at the sky. He didn't look out of place, reminding Axel of a thickly muscled boy in red that he'd once seen following the blond troublemaker in town. But the redhead decided to take a chance anyway, sidling just close enough to be heard.

"What's with that look? Got a hankerin' to go visit the moon?"

For the faintest second, Isa flickered across his mind, but Axel erased it with a barely visible smirk under his hood.

[alexanderblade]

"What's with that look? Got a hankerin' to go visit the moon?"

Axel's voice abruptly broke out in the still silence that served canvas to the soft blowing winds that shot gently brushed against all that stood upright in the dark. Alexander continued to stare upward at the shimmering stars that were much different then "back home," and the much larger moon that was likewise different. Without turning to Axel, Alexander spoke soft words,

"... Maybe it's where I belong."

Solemn and somber words escaped softly whilst his eyes remained casting vigil into the heavens. Alexander's prominent accent accompanied the short sentence; obviously he is not native to Twilight Town and perhaps that is the reason for his statement. Nevertheless, a moment passed before Alexander gave a slight nasal exhalation as he smiled to himself and turned his head downward for a second. Apparently he found his own statement comical.

Turning his gaze toward Axel, Alexander found himself having to, once more, look upward at the face of the individual who was, much like mostly everyone, taller then him.

"...'sup?" A friendly greeting common where Alexander came from was given. The high possibility of Axel not knowing what this word means or where it came from was stilled in his mind but it didn't matter much to Alexander. Likewise, Alexander held his hand out, palm down, in a rather peculiar manner; peculiar to this town and all he has come across, that is.

Despite the obviously foreign customs he has introduced to the small town called Twilight, Alexander was well respected and well adored, customs and all. Because of Alexander's somewhat prominent and influential standing in the small town, some of his customs have been adopted by a few of the younger, teenage, citizens and some of Twilight's customs, likewise, have found a place in Alexander's heart as well.

The winds continued to breeze,

Stars shimmered like candles lit far off into the distant void,

All was peaceful.

[axie]

Alexander was an odd one. Axel noticed the accent but didn't think much of it--he went too many places and talked to too many people (and a few objects) to think that was out of place, but also Axel was too rootless to really identify any one place with its customs or people. Still, the stranger had something too soft about him, maybe his eyes. Axel briefly wondered if he was on a depressant, since Vexen gave the redhead a full lecture on those once when Axel talked too casually about them. If he'd known what love was, he might've thought Alexander was lost in that somewhere--maybe with the night or maybe with someone special who just wandered out of Axel's radar and into the street--but he didn't. Instead, he just picked up on this guy as a laid back one and shrugged genially at the question. Maybe he'd heard it before, and maybe he hadn't, but Axel was familiar enough with general slang not to be taken aback. Saïx might've had a problem with it, but Saïx would probably brush this guy off the minute he opened his mouth and move on.

"Can't complain." Lie. Axel could, and would, but now wasn't the place or time. "Don't guess you're a local?" It was a ploy. Axel couldn't tell one way or another, but off-worlders seemed to think they were special. Plenty coordinated in whispers with gleeful little smiles, and others carried themselves apart with an aloofness born of adventuring. Sora was probably the only exception to the rule Axel had ever met. But either way--local or off-world--it was a conversation starter. And if the guy was local, the question would confuse him and Axel would know right away.

He hoped for local. Not that Axel wanted to get caught by the Organization because a stranger asking strange questions passed through Twilight Town, but a local would know the place better. A local would be aware if Sora had passed through.

A local might have seen Roxas.

[alexanderblade]

"Don't guess you're a local?"

"Nah..," Alexander replied somewhat sadly, "Nah, I aint from around here." Contemplating, Alexander remembered just how long he had been here. 3 years wasn't much to anybody but the expanse between now and when he first set foot into this town seemed a distance far less reachable then the breath in front of him.

A slight chuckle.

Alexander put his hand down. It seems Axel wasn't familiar with his "world's," greeting. That is to say, Axel, himself, was entirely normal. In truth, Alexander had no idea that Twilight Town was another world in itself and simply regarded it a small city in the Eastern Region of his country. He looked upward once more, but for a moment, before speaking yet again,

"....This place is home though." This he said with a sigh referring to his current residence in Twilight Town. Alexander wasn't a sojourner but he wasn't a permanent resident either. Suffice to say, Alexander was not a native either. The irony of the situation is that Axel found both resident and outsider this night in the lonesome Alexander.

"How 'bout you, G? Don't suppose your from this barrio." Alexander spoke half halfheartedly as he mixed common speech with his own slang along with a slight snicker to his words. He'd never seen Axel before but, then again, he hadn't seen a lot of people and assumed, by his outfit, that Axel was simply a friendly goth kid come from an event corresponding to his respective social clique.

[axie]

Axel's sigh rustled out of him, and under the cloak a habitually watchful eye saw Alexander's hand go down. Handshakes weren't Axel's deal, and he definitely didn't recognize the crook of the stranger's wrist, so he'd passed on that without comment. Alexander didn't seem ticked or annoyed by it, so Axel assumed he was in the clear.

Not a local. Hm. But the fact that he called the place "home" probably meant it was more to Alexander than just a spot to pass through on the way to something better. From how wistful he seemed about it, either he'd just moved or he was still yearning for something in the stars.

That kinda guy did not help. But, in terms of safety, he was probably better. Twilight Town wasn't exactly small enough to have one of those small-town atmospheres, but people still tended to beware those who were different. If Alexander squealed to someone about meeting Axel later, the locals would be less likely to pay attention to a foreigner.

"How 'bout you, G? Don't suppose you're from this barrio."

Axel blinked and frowned slightly, shifting his jaw forward, at the unfamiliar address. What did "G" stand for? Or was it Jee? Alexander said it too casually to be an insult, clearly not looking for reproach, and if it was an honorific then maybe Axel was supposed to reciprocate. Or maybe Alexander was recognizing him as some certain social status.

...He was overthinking this. Must be nervous.

Axel accepted that "G" meant "dude" and moved on.

"I get around," he said simply. It was true, after all--even though he hung out here, Axel hadn't put down roots anywhere but Radiant Garden since the day he was born. It was hard enough for a Nobody to get attached to a person--impossible to make a real attachment to a place. "Seems like everyone in the sky's lookin' for someone else." Greenfire eyes gleamed as Axel finally got to the point. "Seen a weird brown-haired kid around lately? Big shoes. Funny weapon."

[alexanderblade]

"Seems like everyone in the sky's lookin' for someone else."

"True..."

Axel's words held no greater truth in them then the world they were standing in; Though Alexander was not engaged in an active search, he did wait with longing for the time when he could return to his own land despite his ignorance toward the fact that his own land was actually another world all together.

The winds breezed passed with greater strength for but a single moment though they remained gentle.

"Seen a weird brown-haired kid around lately? Big shoes. Funny weapon."

Graceful thoughts of the past danced around in Alexander's mind only to be halted by Axel's inquiry. In recollection, Alexander attempted to conjure up the image that best fit the description but he found himself at a loss as to the exact person Axel was talking about. He had seen many children with large feet and brown hair during his stay here in Twilight Town but never any wielding weapons.

Alexander chuckled,

The thought of people, children especially, wandering the streets donning weapons amused Alexander. He remembered picturing, with anticipation, such scenarios as a child but, with maturity, such anticipation was quenched with responsibility, reality; life. Looking upward to the stars again, Alexander spoke softly, with friendly demeanor, in response to Axel's question,

"...Nah, dawg... Seen a bunch of kids playing around here during the day. Some got brown hair others got blond... never seen any weapons though," Alexander turned his eyes, just his eyes, toward Axel relying more on the peripheral to gaze upon Axel's face as he spoke the next words with a slight twang of excitement, "Lose someone?"

Alexander grinned rather strangely. It was as if the thought of a lost child amused him; the type of facial expression that just screamed mischief and secrecy but, as his gaze returned to the stars, something else of greater substance stirred about between the two that seemed to speak loudly yet ever so quietly, as if a barely audible whisper.

It wasn't so much the atmosphere, the soft winds, or the cold of the night air that stood prominent between the two but a strange essence, a peace unexplainable, that permeated from Alexander's being like an overflowing fountain. Perhaps Axel felt it; an essence going into him, speaking into whatever inner being that dwelt within saying, "I'm not your enemy," and, "I'll help if you need me to."

Alexander remembered home. In all seriousness he spoke his next words with determination, a sternness.

"...Lots of kids lost these days..."

Alexander inhaled somewhat deeply as he shut his eyes and allowed himself to enjoy the cool night air upon his body. His head rested upon the brick wall behind him.

All was peaceful.

[axie]

Alexander definitely talked like he was on something. Axel knew the point of that stuff was enjoyment, but when he couldn't feel something like that himself it just seemed shortsighted to entrust one's senses to a substance. But maybe it was really no different from putting it all on the line, and he'd done that before.

Well, no line to pick up on here. As a local, Alexander was probably familiar with the Struggle Tournament, but since he hadn't seen anyone with strange weapons lately maybe they were out of season. Either way it cleared up that confusion, since to a local the foam weapons wouldn't be strange anyway.

"Lose someone?"

The odd look Alexander gave him would've made someone with a heart uneasy, but it only sharpened Axel's instincts and made his mind run faster. That question paired with that look smacked of blackmail. Maybe Alexander had seen someone and didn't intend to divulge who, or maybe he was shadier than he seemed. Axel whipped through the conversation in his head; nothing seemed to indicate that the stranger had been expecting him and nothing gave away any recognition. If this guy was holding a few Struggle kids for ransom, Axel stumbled into this situation through pure chance--and Roxas wouldn't be so easily subdued. Sora might be easily won...but even if it was one of them, and Alexander was a plant, Axel couldn't afford to show too much interest no matter the situation.

Whatever essence from Alexander that sought entry found none. Axel had no inner tenderness to be cloyed, and remained suspicious--especially when he heard the stranger's next idle comment.

"...Lots of kids lost these days..."

The redhead sighed airily. "Heh, figures. Guess nobody's here." Blackened fingers plunged into his cloak, flickering with gold that made a soft ping as he flicked a few munny in Alexander's direction. It might not buy the stranger's silence, but the gesture was worth it just in case it did. "You have a nice night," he drawled, pulling his hood down a little lower as he passed.

[alexanderblade]

"Heh, figures. Guess nobody's here."

"No...body?" It was unknown as to why Alexander chose this particular word to speak with such strange curiosity. Perhaps he was questioning Axel's ignorance to the fact that Alexander was clearly standing there and was, very much so, "somebody." Then again given the context of the conversation, Axel's statement goes without question.

Swift hands were quick to grasp the munny thrown at him. The amount he was now holding in his hand was equal to about a mite in comparison to how many credits he had in his account but he pocketed the "change," anyway before staring rather oddly at what he had caught.

He didn't know why this random stranger decided to pay him. Maybe he enjoyed the show Alexander had given not but moments passed or maybe there was a hidden agenda behind Axel's motives.

"You have a nice night." Axel ended the conversation.

But Alexander was feeling lonely. The small group of young people that made up an audience before Axel's initiation had dwindled down to nothing but an expanse of cold air over stone paved streets and Alexander propped himself off the wall.

"...Hold up a second," Alexander called out to Axel's backside with somewhat of a determination in his voice, "...Say I help you find him," referring to the boy with large shoes and a strange weapon, "This chump change got an increase?" Alexander stared at Axel with a grin on his face. Not that he needed the money but he definitely needed the company.

Though he felt the cold night air set in nicely upon his skin and the thickness of the moonlight upon his head, Alexander could not help but to slowly slip into a questionable state. Axel's sudden and abrupt appearance, as well as his question, raised concern in Alexander's mind. So much so that Alexander began to question the very reality around him.

Why would such a one as Axel ask for the whereabouts of a child and why would such a child bear arms so casually as to be spoken of in normal speech. Such things as Axel's appearance also raised questions in Alexander's subconscious consciousness. He appeared to Alexander as one of the judges of his world who dealt life or death to those guilty and innocent.

A slight wince.

The atmosphere, but for a split second, became insignificantly darker. Keen eyes would behold such a swift and subtle change but perhaps to Axel, it was an insignificant or unnoticed occurrence.

And Alexander stood staring.

[axie]

If the guy went and got offended that Axel called him nobody, that wasn't the redhead's problem. He hadn't meant it that way in the first place but that wouldn't matter if things turned ugly--and Axel was good at getting out of things before they turned ugly.

Generally.

The munny shut him up anyway, or maybe Alexander just knew it wasn't worth it, but not for long. When Axel heard him call again, the Flurry only stopped, but didn't turn around just yet. Instead he only tilted his head slightly in Alexander's direction to indicate he'd heard. After the fruitlessness of the conversation in both ways--as far as Axel knew, anyway--he didn't have any clear expectations.

"Say I help you find him."

Hmm? The cloak hid Axel's look of distrust, which wouldn't be there except he wasn't concentrating.

Chump change? Well it certainly was, but the stranger probably wouldn't call it that if he didn't see a lot of the stuff. Who was he? Informant? Lackey out of work? Druggie? The last two probably paid too low, though with all the odd looks Axel still couldn't rule out substance abuse. He could also assume Alexander was just rude and grabby, but the stranger hadn't come off that way. No. This was business talk.

Axel turned back, blinking too fast just once when it seemed like something got in his eyes but not conscious of it. "I dunno." A wry smirk. "Think you can trust me~?"

That wasn't the issue at all, really. It was Axel who didn't know if he could trust this guy, and with the shady talk about missing kids it sounded like a bunch of drama he couldn't afford to get involved in. That aside, though, if Alexander had some input that Axel didn't yet know about, it wasn't like he couldn't be useful. The Flurry gave him the benefit of the doubt and spread his hands in idle speculation.

"What kinda help did you have in mind?"

[alexanderblade]

"I dunno." Alexander imagined a rather wry smirk on this man's face as he spoke these words. Whether it was truly there or not wasn't to Alexander's knowing, "Think you can trust me~?"

Trust. Perhaps Alexander was too quick to give this out or perhaps he was too stupid or perhaps it was all part of a ploy that some would be so paranoid to assume he was conducting. Either way, Alexander had nothing to worry about in his mind. Whether this hooded man would turn hostile or become a close friend was left in a future not yet realized.

Alexander smirked without giving an answer to Axel's first question. And Axel spoke yet again. Maybe Axel and Alexander both felt the mutual caution toward one another that so obviously permeated from them.


"What kinda help did you have in mind?" The million dollar question. One of many, perhaps, that were laying in wait just anticipating to be presented. Alexander grinned wryly just as Axel had done moments ago.

"It's your mind... how about you tell me?" A rather vague response. Or was it? Axel seemed to Alexander like the type of person who knew the language of the streets. Alexander didn't assume this nor did he convince himself of the notion. It was a simple observation that Alexander was taking his chances on. And in knowing this language, Axel would know all too well the truth behind Alexander's words which, if Axel's interpreted correctly, read something along the lines of "With enough cash, I'll do just about anything." Money, however, was not something Alexander concerned himself with, obviously, having called the amount Axel tossed him "chump change."

A schemer?

[axie]

Axel hadn't honestly expected an answer to the first question; it was rhetorical. Of course Axel didn't trust this guy, and if Alexander trusted Axel, he shouldn't, but it still worked for the Flurry.

The answer he did get made Axel's eyebrow go up, even though the stranger probably couldn't see it under the hood. The question was an attempt to dig at whatever Axel could use out of this guy. What did he know? Was his homeworld somewhere significant? Was there anything he'd withheld? (Speaking of trust.)

The fact that his question got turned on him like that didn't do anything to win Axel's favor, but Alexander wasn't an underling he could crush an answer out of. Yet. In this case, better to assume he could be useful and waste effort than forgo the encounter and waste an opportunity.

So in the end it was down to whether Alexander seriously meant what he said or if he was just being cute.

"Heh. Well, in that case, we're both gonna need a drink." And Axel moved on ahead with a flippant beckon, knowing Twilight Town was quaint enough to be frank about its bars since no shady characters lingered there long. Hopefully Alexander wouldn't be boring and say he didn't drink, because Axel would rather play. If he drank a lot, it meant the stranger wasn't afraid of the stuff loosening his tongue, but that didn't necessarily mean it would. And now that he thought of it... "What's your name, anyway?"