don't mess with mama bear's cubs

[needmetoo]

Characters: Xion, Aqua, Ven
Date: August 3rd
Location: KH Apartment
Situation: Aftermath of This
Warnings/Rating: Mentions of attempted violence against children

Less than a minute after Aqua confirmed her location, there was the crash and bloom of a corridor opening, directly into the housing. A few seconds after, Xion half-tumbled out of it, her legs becoming increasingly like so much rubber as the adrenaline began to peter out. But that wasn't important now. She was home. Aqua was where. She was safe now.

Looking up, she looked around and caught sight of her Master. And wordlessly she pushed herself back to her feet and flung herself at her, clinging to Aqua as if her life depended on it. Taking deep, gasping breaths, Xion tried to reign her emotions in, to calm down. She would never have expected that being shot at again would make her panic as much as she had and yet...

There was no point denying that it had.

Comments

[aquanimity]

The sudden presence of darkness made Aqua whirl from the console, just in time to see the portal dissipate and to catch Xion as the girl hurtled to her. Instantly she wrapped her arms around Xion, holding her tightly, reassuringly, while softly speaking. "You're safe now, it's okay, I'm here," she murmured, all the while fighting back the unpleasant twisting of her stomach that the girl's panic had wrought. Something had happened, and it had scared Xion.

After a moment, she started moving toward the couch nearby; Xion needed to sit down. As she guided the girl to the sturdy comfort of the furniture, she urgently called out to Ven, elsewhere in the house.

"Ven! I need you to bring some blankets here, quickly!" Anything to help the girl steady her breathing. The dark corridor was all but forgotten for the time being.

[risingwinds]

Ven had no idea what had happened, but as soon as Aqua called, he was quick to scramble for the blankets. Was everything okay? Probably not. Not by the sound of her voice. Still, he dashed toward his friends, hopeful that it was nothing serious.

But when he finally reached them, he fumbled those blankets, nearly dropping them in the process. He tried to speak, but the words got caught in his throat, refusing to form. His face paled, and he shook off his daze, dashing over to the couch. The ragged breathing, the obvious fear. This couldn't have been a small fluke.

So he draped the blankets over her, finally finding a few weak words.

"What happened...?"

Not the most supporting words, but he'd try to offer proper assurance soon.

[needmetoo]

Xion sat, still clinging to Aqua, even leaning into her hold, glad for the support in a distant sort of way. Time was moving oddly; no time at all seemed to pass between being seated on the couch and Ven dropping blankets on her shoulders. The weight was another comfort though, and slowly her breathing started to even out, though she still hiccuped occasionally.

As her heart rate likewise slowed, Ven's question began to really register, and Aqua's from across the radio when Xion had contacted her. What had happened? Slowly she tried to speak, her voice stuttering and coming out in fits and bursts.

"There was a Foreigner. I'd never seen him before. He had a gun, and he..." she made a choked noise, "I don't know what I did but he was... he was shooting at me. I ran and-"

Her grip on Aqua tightened and her breathing picked up again and Xion closed her eyes, trying to calm down. If there had been something to be said about Jintou, who hopefully wouldn't hear or be upset by all this, it was that he hadn't been aiming to kill.

[aquanimity]

Aqua nodded in gratitude for Ven's help. First and foremost, they needed to make sure Xion knew she was safe. She felt her stomach plunge when Xion answered Ven's question: shot at. Again. Unbidden, memories of that night a few months earlier rose again, the mugging which had left Xion severely injured and brought Jintou into their lives.

When Xion's voice faltered, Aqua pulled her closer into a reassuring hug. "He didn't hurt you, did he?" She couldn't see any visible injuries on the girl, but she had to make sure.

The idea that a Foreigner had attacked Xion alarmed Aqua, but until she knew her friend was alright, it was pushed to the back of her mind. She'd ask for more details on the attacker once Xion was calmer.

[risingwinds]

"What?!" A Foreigner trying to shoot? To kill? Ven's face reddened, his hands balled into fists, arms bent and shoulders hunching. "But who would do that? Why would they do that?"

It didn't make sense. Sure, he'd seen villains before. He'd fought them, too, but with Maleficent, he faced magical threats, and with Hook, the bulk of his fighting involved speedy sword thrusts. Sure, they might've intended to kill, but this was different. It was obviously much worse. Why else would Xion be so shaken?

Furious, Ven took a glance at the door, half-tempted to run out and find this Foreigner. Somebody had to stop them if they were trying to kill people. This was way too huge to ignore!

[needmetoo]

Xion shook her head at Aqua's question. "Barrier spell." The one Aqua had taught her. "And I- I used a corridor... before he could catch me," she stammered. The hug was doing its job well, some of the tension starting to leak out of her again. Physical contact was doing a good job at having that effect in general. Especially hugs.

Ven's agitation though, made Xion's shoulders snap back up, her grip tighten again. She didn't know who he was, or why he was even going after her. That was part of the whole problem!

It was probably lucky she wasn't looking at him, wasn't seeing his obvious desire to do something about what had happened. The last thing she needed was the panic of seeing someone want to go tear off into a dangerous situation for her sake.

I prostrate myself in shame at how fucking late this is

[aquanimity]

She felt some relief as Xion confirmed she was uninjured, and a bit of pride that the girl had picked up the barrier spell effectively. The use of a dark corridor to escape was less favorable, but Aqua was not about to chide Xion for taking a familiar course of action when she was so unsettled already. "You're safe now, and that's what matters."

Ven's heart was in the right place, as it always was, but the way Xion tensed up again at his outburst led Aqua to address him softly. "Ven...." It wasn't a scold, simply a caution to calm himself some. She understood his fury; indeed, she'd be a liar if she denied her own anger at the Foreigner who would aim to kill at innocent lives.

Briefly she pulled back, to look Xion in the eyes. "Is there anything we can get you? Something warm to drink?" She brushed a strand of hair out of Xion's face.

I am also late, so it's all good

[risingwinds]

He was still looking at the door. Still fidgeting. He had every intention to rush out then and there and find this stranger, but then Aqua gave her... not quite a warning, but the blatant concern in her voice was enough to temper the raging fire building inside him.

His upper body drooped forward, and his gaze fell to his feet. Xion mattered more right now. She needed support, and going out and risking his own safety would probably just worry her and Aqua.

He still wanted to, but for now, he shifted toward his friends again. "I can get it if you want! It's okay." They looked comfortable, and he needed a distraction to keep him from doing something crazy.