IC Inbox for Empath

[innermonologues]

Messenger Bird/Voice/Image/Action

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[darkearth]

[At first, Terra thinks Squall might be busy, but he waits until he hears the sound of crunching snow. His very faint smile is a surprised acknowledgment.] Hey. Sorry if I interrupted.

I wanted to say thank you for your gift.

[He’s a mostly in-person sort of guy. Behind him, hovering a foot or so off the ground, is a gold and blue glider.]

[innermonologues]

[ Terra would probably think Squall was crazy if he found out Squall was on the roof when he contacted him. He shook his head with a faint smile. ]

a-ah... you're welcome. It wasn't a wayfinder of any sort, but I thought it might be as useful.

[ Curiously he tries to glance behind Terra. ]

[darkearth]

[Squall.... why are you on the roof, hello....]

That's okay. I appreciate it because it was a gift from you. [slowly, he steps back and to the side, revealing more of the glider since Squall is trying to look at it. He keeps his hands in his pockets.] I still want to thank you.

Were you busy...? I can come another time. If you need something to the markets, I'll take you on my glider. Or I could just ride you around for a while. If you're okay with flying. As a thank you.

[innermonologues]

I'm not busy. I was just relaxing. [ on the roof... ]

That thing can fly...?

[darkearth]

[He nods.]

Yep. It's only meant for one person, though. I've flown with someone else, and we managed. But it isn't comfortable. So it's up to you.

Have you ever flown before?

[innermonologues]

[ Squall gives him a small head tilt. He glances from Terra, to the glider, back to Terra. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't somewhat curious. ]

Not on something like that, no.

[darkearth]

[The skepticism gets him to offer a small, reassuring smile.]

That's okay. You don't have to do it. [But... Squall knows (""knows"") Sora, so... maybe if he explains it.] My keyblade. It can turn into a glider. It's... [Weird even now to be able to so freely tell others this.] ...how we travel between worlds.

The glider is... connected to me. [He touches his chest over his heart.] Because it's made from my keyblade.

[innermonologues]

When you put it like that, it almost makes it sound like you're trusting me with your heart.

[ Which is really really sappy, but also important to these keyblade people. Squall knows that by now. ]

Lets do it.

[darkearth]

I guess I am.

[In a way. But he's also letting Squall know the glider is under his control. It's relatively safe.]

Alright. Tell me where you want to go. You might like Ven's glider better, or even Aqua's, if they ever show you one day. Ven's takes a lot of practice. Aqua's is nice.

Oh. It'll be cold, too. Will you be okay with what you're wearing? I can wait if I need to.

[innermonologues]

I don't really have a place in mind to go, and as for the chill in the air, I'll be fine.

[ He let out a soft huff, a small smile forming on his lips again. ]

While you run more earthy, I run more stormy.

[darkearth]

[Very funny, Squall.]

Okay. [It's easier if he gets on first, so he turns back for the glider with a faint smile.] Come on. [Even if Squall wasn't fine, Squall would be behind him and, therefore, mostly protected from the wind.] The way it's designed, I'll sit in the front and put my legs back.

[Which is easy when it's only him, climbing up onto it; definitely made for one rider. But he makes room behind and offers an elbow out in case Squall need something to grab when getting on.] You'll have to put your legs forward over mine. [It's all fine to him. Hopefully Squall won't have a heart attack being this smushed.]

[innermonologues]

[ Luckily for the both of them, Squall has grown a little less squeamish being close to others after being here for a few years. It helps when the king of friendship somehow made himself one of Squall's closest companions in this world.

In a way it was similar to sharing a chocobo with someone. There wasn't much room on a chocobo, but as long as it was old enough and strong enough, it was doable. ]

Sounds easy enough...

[ Squall gives him another glance before finally reaching out his hand to him. ]

[darkearth]

[With his elbow, he helps Squall get on behind him, but also reaches around to take Squall by the forearm so Squall doesn't fall over and through, up until Squall is too far settled behind him to reach.]

You'll have to hold onto me. I won't go as fast as it can, but it's still fast. If you feel sick, or if you want to stop, just tell me.

Ready?

[innermonologues]

[ Squall gives him a small nod as he tries to make himself as comfortable as he could on this glider. Awkwardly Squall reaches out and puts his hands on Terra's waist with a firm hold. ]

Ready as I'll ever be.

[darkearth]

Alright. Here we go.

[The glider is an extension of his keyblade, and his keyblade is an extension of his heart. That's how it functions, sort of, essentially. But here, it's a little more than just "the heart," like back home. It's emotions, too. The more hopeful he is about a good flight, the better it glides.

They take off, straight up; not exceedingly fast, but quick enough the ground sweeps out from beneath their feet and begins to shrink. If Squall was relaxing on the roof, this may be better. Not in relaxing exactly, but in view: higher than the roof, higher than most of the other roofs, up far enough to have a good look without being wildly in orbit.]

You okay?

[innermonologues]

[ Squall didn't mind high places at all. It's probably why the roof top was one of the easiest places to find him. His hands on Terra's waist seem to grip on a little tighter as he stares off around them. They were so high up and this strange glider could actually lift the two of them so easily. This was... incredible.

A soft wind blows past the two of them, the scent of a warm spring rain. No rain in sight though. ]

Yeah... this is. Fine.

[darkearth]

[Terra nods in acknowledgement. The spring rain scent is strange, but he hasn’t quite parsed how to read emotions. But in any case, Squall gets a ride.

There had been no plan for where to go, so Terra simplies flies. Going forward isn’t much different than going up. Everything zips by without being too fast to see. The city is more elaborate when all of it is taken in at once. Bigger than it seems on the street, bigger than just a roof.

Once they are further into new territory, he slows down some. The glider takes them around the observatory, though not close enough to get in trouble. And he pauses again to glance over his shoulder and check on Squall.]

[innermonologues]

[ He'll notice that Squall wasn't looking at him in return. Instead his sights seemed to be around the new sights instead. His eyes had a strange sparkle mixed in with his usual stormy hue. Is this how Terra got to travel all the time? Because Squall had to admit, this was actually pretty cool. He had a flying school back home, but somehow that seemed to pail in comparison to the glider, at least to Squall anyway.]

[darkearth]

[For a second, Terra is surprised, but then he’s a bit amused and smiles faintly. Yeah, he looked the same way the first few times too. Squall helps him appreciate what had become second-nature to him. Flying from world to world with his focus on other things.]

It’s nice, isn’t it? Sometimes, flying would help me think and clear my head. I could hear what my heart was trying to tell me better when there wasn’t any other distractions.

If you ever want to go, you can let me know.

[innermonologues]

I can't believe I'm going to say this... but you guys are starting to make me wish I had a keyblade.

[ Squall gives Terra a look before laughing a little. Don't get him wrong, he loved his Gunblade. But still...]

[darkearth]

[This gets Terra it actually, for once, smile. It isn't big, but it's genuine. He pushes the glider on, a pretty slow and easier pace than before, so the wind isn't too loud to talk over.]

Have you talked to Sora about it? All it takes is a strong heart. It won't be easy, but... even you could wield a keyblade.

[innermonologues]

Sora's already busy with a lot of stuff. I wouldn't want to bother him with

[ Squall pushes his hand through his bangs and mimics himself. ] "Hey I know I made fun of your giant Key before for not being as great as a Gunblade, but can you show me how to wield one?"

[darkearth]

[Is he... is he mimicking himself? Squall...]

You teased him? [Terra doesn't look angry, just a bit disappointed in a scolding way.] Only those with very strong hearts can wield keyblades. It isn't easy. They're powerful enough to protect worlds.

I don't know about the gunblade. If you want to try learning to wield a keyblade... we can help you, but... [He shakes his head.] You're going to have to apologize to Sora.

[innermonologues]

It's not like I knew it was connected to all this heart business when I first met him.

[ A small pause. Did Terra just-- ]

Wait you want me to apologize?

[darkearth]

It's the first step in strengthening your heart. [Terra so did.] Being able to apologize to Sora for teasing him about the keyblade.

Saying sorry isn't about being afraid. Saying sorry is about having the courage to tell someone you made a mistake. And then, with practice, you might can show him.

Even you can wield one of your own.