Lunch with a Starfall [Private, Alexei/June]

Alexei walked down the main street of Toon Plaza, a basket of food dangling from his left hand. He had brought the unconscious Starfall with him to the nearest town after he and Akira had gone their separate ways, which just so happened to be Toonville; he had subsequently rented two rooms at the nearby inn, one for him and one for the as-of-yet unnamed Starfall. As soon as he laid the Starfall down on her bed, he was off to the nearby market; he grabbed all manner of foods, making sure there was plenty of everything. Who knows how long it had been since she had last eaten food? Maybe this would be their first time, even. He'd like to at least give her a decent meal before he killed her with his wish.

Alexei frowned. As much as he wanted to make a wish, killing the Starfall just didn't sit well with him. She hadn't done anything wrong, had she? He'd have to ask. This whole Starfall ordeal interested him greatly; he wanted to know everything. Where she came from, who sent her here, everything. He'd make sure to get all of his questions out before the end.

Alexei walked briskly through the inn's main room onto the second floor, halting in front of the room he had rented for the Starfall. He knocked on the door and called, "I brought lunch, I'm coming in." He opened the door slowly. "You awake yet?" He asked as he opened the door.

@June

Alexei breathed a sigh of relief as the Starfall responded to him. This was his first time hearing her voice; it was different than he had expected, but it wasn't unpleasant. If anything, it simply made him more curious about her and her past. There were so many questions he wanted to ask, but making sure she was well enough to answer them came first.

Alexei grabbed a chair from the room's desk and placed it beside the bed, taking a seat next to his new acquaintance. From there, he placed the basket on the bed and pulled the small cloth atop it off, revealing the myriad of foods he had acquired from the market. There were a few loaves of bread, some cheeses, and a large variety of fruits and vegetables. There were even a few deli meats. Alexei had really gone all out; he had probably spent too much on this, but he didn't particularly care at the moment. He grabbed one of a couple apples out of the basket and bit into it, relishing the particular flavor of the Toonville fruit. "Feel free to take anything you'd like," Alexei said warmly, smiling at the girl. "I didn't know what you'd like, so I got a bunch of everything. Eat up." She'll probably need it for the next part, Alexei added to himself.

Alexei nodded as he listened to June speak. He had already been mostly sure that she was a Starfall, but it was still reassuring to hear it from the girl herself; if he had been wrong, it would have been terribly embarrassing for everybody involved. It was good to know the rules behind the wishing as well, although he hadn't been planning to use his wish in any of those ways. Wishing for death was a waste of a wish in his opinion, and he never wanted to be anything other than himself. Finally, but still importantly, she had a sense of humor. She wasn't too serious, which was fine by Alexei. He preferred it this way, rather than the stuffy people he'd known in the Pantheon.

Alexei continued working his way through the apple, watching his companion closely. She didn't seem all that different from a normal human her age; where did all of the Starfall power come from? Was it something that everybody had, and only a select few unlocked? Or was it something given to them by another, greater power? He'd ask, but it was possible even she didn't know. Alexei devoured the apple, core and all, before starting to speak.

"My name is Alexei," he began. "I'm not sure if you know this already, but one of my companions and I found you in the mountains nearby. She had to leave to take care of some other business, so I took you with me to this city, Toonville. We're currently at an inn at the town plaza." Alexei grabbed a piece of bread before continuing. "So, I'll take you up on your wish, but I'd like to talk first. I'll ask you a few questions, you can ask me a few. Do you remember anything about where you came from? Do you know where the Starfall's power originates?"

Alexei listened to June talk attentively, but couldn't help frowning as she spoke about Lawful and Chaotic wishes. He always hated the reputation chaos had as evil, and here was an example right in front of him. He wasn't sure if June herself believed that, or if it was just what the term was as far as Starfalls went; either way, it was an issue he would have to address. He would have to ask what the exact distinction was, as well; he wanted something in particular, but he wasn't going to wish for it if it meant relegating this girl to wander again for who knows how long. He was coming to realize that being a Starfall was being a prisoner to the whims of deities, similar to how Alexei was imprisoned by his role as the God of Chaos; he didn't want to subject somebody to that as long as he had the option.

"I see," Alexei remarked a short while after June had finished talking. "It seems like you're going to spend a lot of time bending to somebody else's whims. Whether it's the person who makes the wish or the deity who made you a Starfall, you won't have any autonomy for years." Alexei shuddered. "I doubt I could handle that. It'd be like cutting off my oxygen." The God of Chaos finished the loaf of bread and stretched out in his chair.

"Tell you what. I feel bad letting you go through that for who knows how long. While I can't bring it to an early end, I can make sure that you enjoy the current iteration of your stay here on Pandora. Is there anything you want to do? Anything you want to see? Anybody who you want to meet? I can bring you most places, and do things that most other residents of the world can't. Just say the world and I'll help you out, until you've seen and done everything you want to see and do."

Alexei frowned as June declined his request, but he got what she was saying. "I understand," he replied softly, "and thank you for elaborating on the difference between the wishes." He was still upset about the negative connotation chaos had in this context, but he would deal with it. The big issue now was what he was going to do with the Starfall in front of him. He still didn't want to kill her off for his own selfish purposes, but it seemed like doing so was the only way to move her along in her path to freedom. His wish was almost certainly lawful as well, so it would help her greatly. Still, something seemed off to the God of Chaos about this.

"Are you sure there's nothing I can do for you?" Alexei asked one last time, just to be sure. "I want to make sure that you're content with whatever happens next. If you truly have no desires for anything, I'll make my wish now." The God of Chaos watched June carefully, awaiting her response.

Alexei sat back in his chair, watching June eat for a bit. He sighed. "Ask questions about my wish now, eh?" He remarked. The God of Chaos rocked back and forth a bit, thinking of what questions to ask. After a short while, he found his words. "Okay, I got one," Alexei started. "If I were to wish for a weapon, would it be strong enough to rival this?" Holding his right arm out, Alexei called upon Bark of Oblivion.

The Keyblade appeared in a small flash of light; Alexei held it out to June, so she could inspect its power. He knew that the Starfall would probably be unable to simply create a new Keyblade; after all, they were extremely rare, one of a kind items. If he could gain a second weapon that approximated it, however, he would have a distinct advantage in battle. Plus, having a weapon near the power of a Keyblade that actually had a blade would be fairly useful. Her response could change all of his plans, of course, but there were backup questions in case this idea failed.

"...I see," Alexei exhaled, lowering Bark of Oblivion to his side. "Honestly, I didn't think you'd be able to; there had to be a reason why Keyblades are so rare. Right now, though, there's something even more pressing." Alexei shifted in his seat and frowned as he continued. "I'm an idiot. I should have realized that your body was still in a dire condition when I asked my questions about things you wanted to do earlier. My deepest apologies for not doing so."

Alexei was silent for a short while after that, trying to figure out how he was going to phrase his next words. He didn't want to come off as too greedy, but at the same time, he was very curious about what June had said. After a minute or so of deliberation, he reached his conclusion: He was going to just say it outright. From her earlier responses, it didn't seem like she'd care all that much. "You mentioned that each Starfall has their own amount of power. How much power do you have? Do you know?"

"So vague," Alexei groaned after June's response, throwing his head back in an exasperated manner. "That's probably not your fault, but it's still obnoxious."
He was probably being a bit blunt with his responses, but he'd already decided to say outright what he was thinking; no use hiding emotions from a person who would vanish soon. Plus, Alexei hated hiding his emotions in general; the more time he could spend without worrying about his words, the better.
"Well, if it depends on what I wished for, there are a lot of things I would consider," Alexei mused. "A new weapon, a mystical trinket, maybe just some more raw strength-"

Suddenly, an idea bolted into Alexei's head. He froze immediately with the realization that, just maybe, he could do something crazy. "...Can you-" Alexei cut off, choking a bit. "Can you bring a person back from the dead?"

The God of Chaos' eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "Seriously?" He muttered softly. "It's that easy?" Sure, it sounded like there were some complications, but from her words it seemed like he could regain a lost portion of his life very easily. All he had to do, was ask. Would she really want to be brought back like this, though? He might be making a very selfish wish, bringing her back from whatever realm she found herself in just to satisfy his own desires. At the same time, however, her distance from Alexei had torn a hole in his heart; he imagined that she might be feeling the same thing somewhere. Bringing them together couldn't possibly be that bad. Alexei cleared his throat, still reeling a bit. "Alright, I'm prepared to make my wish. I hope you're ready to grant it."

The white-haired man stood up from his chair, stretching lightly before facing June. "I'm not sure what counts as wishing, but I'll make a vow," Alexei said solemnly. He placed his right hand over his chest, a serious look on his face. "I, Alexei Sarona, God of Chaos and Freedom, hereby swear that I am indebted to all Starfalls. Should I come across one in the future, I shall do everything in my power to protect them and prevent them from being misused. In return..." Alexei's gaze fell upon June, his eyes filled with determination.

"I wish for the return of my partner, friend, and the closest thing I've ever had to family. Please, bring Vivian Carmello to this world from wherever her soul might be."

Alexei watched with rapt eyes as June granted his wish and was consumed by light. He took his seat on the chair once more to watch the light show, his heart elated. Finally, he was going to get her back! Vivian would return to him! He could finally be free from the shackles of the past!
The final words of June, however, caused his grin to fade somewhat. The realm of Pandora? That meant he'd have to go searching. Oh well. He couldn't ask for everything to be served to him on a silver platter, after all.

The God of Chaos sat in his chair for a while, considering his options. He had no idea where his wish would drop Vivian; it was equally possible that she was across the world or in the room next to him. The best course of action would be to go on a hunt for her. Ask around the world, see if he could find anything about her.
Alexei rose from his chair once more, but not before offering up a prayer for the Starfall that had granted him his desire. Clasping his hands together in a semblance of prayer, the God of Chaos and Freedom muttered, "May your life be filled with freedom and joy. Thank you for granting my wish." With a light heart and with the memory of June forever imprinted in his heart, the God of Chaos lowered his weight and catapulted himself out of the window, taking to wandering once more.

--

Somewhere in Pandora, a soul streaked across the sky...

[THREAD END]