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Ienzo ran a hand over his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. He’d been working for who knew how long but still hadn’t made much progress in figuring out the portion of coding in the Digital Twilight Town and why it seemed to be corrupted. Perhaps it had just been an error in the transfer that caused it or… Well, if he knew maybe he wouldn’t be agonizing over it at the moment.
The others had long since left him be to his work. He was grateful for it, as it gave him the silence he needed to concentrate; Right now, what Ienzo wouldn’t give for a break.
Which, ironically, came at that moment in the form of a particular red-head waltzing his way into the lab with an entourage of children on his tail. Ienzo blinked at Lea blankly, trying to formulate some kind of reaction or thought.
“How did you even get in here?” Lea stopped in the middle of telling Hayner not to break anything to shoot him a smile and a cheeky wink. Ienzo’s brow furrowed as he looked at the sudden crowd with discomfort. Perhaps he should have been more exact in voicing his wishes. This was not what he meant at all.
“Heya, brainiac! We heard you were stuck up in here and decided to visit is all. Place hasn’t changed much, huh?” In the background, Pence waved a hand and smiled. Ienzo nodded duly and folded his arms across his chest.
“That doesn’t necessarily answer my question… but alright, I suppose. I simply wasn’t expecting company. I wish you had called me ahead of time.” Olette looked up from where she had been investigating the transferring machine and shrugged slightly.
“But that would ruin the surprise!”
“Do you want us to go?” Roxas asked, ducking under Lea’s arm and stepping forward. Seeing him out and about was still strange to Ienzo but it also filled him with a sense of pride. He’d helped do that. In the end he shook his head and waved a dismissing hand.
“No, no. You’re already all here, and I know that’s no easy feat. Can I ask what it is you all came here to do? Besides visit that is.” Xion took a seat on one of the examination beds, smoothing her skirt down and looking around curiously. Pence plopped down next to her.
“Just to hang out, y’know? We wanted to make sure you weren’t working yourself too hard.” Hayner explained, picking up one of the tools that was necessary to make heart transplantation work. Ienzo walked quickly to him and gently snatched the delicate instrument away. Hayner huffed softly at this but didn’t object.
“Hang out… I prefer if we did not do that in my laboratory, if I could ask so? Not for not wanting you all in here… but I do not want all of you in here.” Isa at least laughed. Ienzo was still getting used to him, of all people. Roxas and Xion had not changed much, aside from being happier and more outgoing. Lea was Lea. Isa though…
“Sure, why not! It’s kind of stuffy in here anyways.” Xion spoke, kicking her feet to and fro before hopping from her seat. She held out a hand and Olette rushed to be the first to grab it out of the group. Several soft complaints were given at this. Ienzo couldn’t help but smile. Everyone was so happy… It was nice.
“Say, Ienzo, how about we take you back home with us? Have you eaten lunch yet?” Casting a glance to Pence as he cleared up his work space the best he could, Ienzo frowned. He hadn’t eaten lunch… Nor had he eaten breakfast. Or dinner the night before. Really he was surprised he wasn’t hungry. Or perhaps he had simply been hungry for too long and his body had decided that it didn’t need food after all. Nonetheless, at the thought of his food, his dormant stomach gave a pathetic churn that almost made Ienzo nauseated.
“Ah… Uh, well, I have not, no. I would love to join you all but I’m afraid I don’t have much to say of currency at the moment. It would be rude of me to make you all pay for my food.”
“No such thing! We get free meals at the bistro sometimes, so I’m sure we could ask a favor for you. It’s the hottest spot in town, the food is totally awesome!” Olette chimed in, swinging Xion’s hand in her own.
“They’re right. The food is amazing.” Roxas admitted, smiling slightly. Ienzo shuffled in place slightly and debated on it. On one hand he really would like to go with them… But… He looked to his desk and cringed. So much work to be done… Files to sort through… Reports to read… Research to be reviewed… And what would Ansem say? Even?
“Please, Ienzo? We would really love it if you came with us.” The sincerity in Xion’s voice caught him off guard. It made his heart beat a little faster as heat rushed to his face. How embarrassing! It wouldn’t hurt to spend some time with kids his own age, right? Smiling, Ienzo brushed some hair from his fair and nodded.
“Alright, alright! You’ve convinced me. I’ll come along. Just know I have high expectations for this bistro you’re talking about. It must be of high caliber if even Roxas is fond of it. Goodness knows he’s quite the finicky eater.” The tease was tentative but when Roxas snorted softly and shook his head, Ienzo knew that he was in the clear.
“Then let’s go! Daylight’s a’wasting!” Lea announced, waving his arm as he started to corral the youngsters along. Ienzo shed his lab coat and hung it up, smoothing a hand down his shirt and fixing the pockets of his slacks. Hayner’s laugh behind him startled him slightly.
“Ha! Wow, look at that. Sometimes I forget that even comes off.”
“Oh, very funny. It’s important to wear your uniform when you’re working. You never know what you might be handling. I wouldn’t want to get something unsavory all over my clothes. The dry cleaning bill would be a nuisance.” Hayner nodded with an admitting shrug.
“Yeah, you’re right. I remember one time during science class, Pence totally spilled a whole beaker of goo on me.”
“Hey, I thought we agreed we wouldn’t tell anyone about that!” Pence whined, already halfway out the door to follow Lea and Isa back through the facility. Ienzo’s eyebrows were up at this. Hayner grinned and chuffed.
“Ienzo’s not just anyone! Anyways, my clothes were wrecked after that. My mom was so mad.”
The walk out of the facility was quiet and mostly uneventful save the whole group being caught by Aeleus and Dilan. They seemed surprised to see anybody exiting the building, implying that Lea and Isa had taken some other way inside than the guard’s station. The group got a short earful about that before they were sent on their way, neither man seeing it as too important to yell at them. Ienzo gave them an apologetic smile nonetheless.
The trip to Twilight Town was perhaps the longest part. The means of traveling were still more or less by gummiship and to say it was a tight fit was perhaps an understatement. Ienzo spent most the ride gazing out of the window. The Ocean Between was absolutely stunning. Ienzo had not spent much time traveling between worlds any other way aside from the dark portals. He’d have to make a note to ask for consideration on exploration of the Ocean Between...
He really needed to stop thinking about work. Closing his eyes, Ienzo relaxed for the rest of the trip, listening to the group talking among themselves. It was benign talk about normal subjects. School, vacations, part-time jobs, gossip. It was really, really nice. Ienzo couldn’t recall a time in his life quite so normal.
When they arrived, they touched down by the old mansion. It was strange to see it again. Honestly it was strange to be in Twilight Town at all again. It looked better than he remembered though and the walk through the forest to town was peaceful. He could have perhaps gone for not traveling through the sewers though. Xion pointed out some spot where she exclaimed that it was her favorite place to come and find frogs back when she had been in the Organization.
They then spent ten minutes looking around for frogs. Admittedly, Ienzo had fun. Unfortunately they did not find any frogs. Xion looked a little bit disappointed.
“Here we are! It’s so fancy looking, huh? Maybe after we finish eating we can swing by the movies!” Olette seemed particularly excited about the movies part. Ienzo had to admit he’d never seen the movie they had here before. It must’ve been something fairly new in this world. He wondered if the technology progressed the same way it had back in Radiant Gardens.
“One thing at a time, kid.” Lea chided, placing a hand on Olette’s head and ruffling her hair. She bat at his hand playfully and tried to return the hair ruffle to little success. “Let’s see if we can convince ol’ Scrooge to give us free lunch.” This was directed at Isa in particular, who rolled his eyes but otherwise said nothing.
“I’d hope so, we’ve got a lot of mouths to feed.” Xion remarked. Ienzo counted the group silently, coming to a total of eight people. The group itself was already rather large, not even counting himself in. He really hoped they wouldn’t run into any trouble…
“Speaking of Scrooge, there he is.” Pence pointed the duck in question out as he came waddling from inside the bistro, in the middle of flipping through a book of some sort. “Hey Mister Scrooge!”
“Aye, look who it be. Ya can’t possibly be comin’ back so soon for work. I’m sure I could use ya in the kitchen, but really, ye’ve already done quite enough for me ol’ establishment.”
“Actually, Mister Scrooge, we’re here to eat!” Xion explained. Ienzo tried to keep staring to the minimum, not wishing to accidentally insult the entrepreneur before him. Really something like a talking duck shouldn’t surprise him so much. There were somethings you don’t get used to he supposed.
“I see. Do ye have the coin for that then? I’d be surprised if ye did.” Scrooge’s tone was coy if anything. The kids shuffled awkwardly in response. Lea rubbed the back of his neck and laughed lowly.
“Aw, come on now Scrooge! Don’t be like that. We were hoping that in exchange for all the help we’ve been doing for you that you’d give us a little something. You know?”
“Aye, and I did! Munny! Ample compensation for your hard work and then some, since I know ye kids be needin’ a little bit to get by.” Ienzo noted that Scrooge didn’t sound annoyed but rather amused. He supposed the group was on better terms with the restaurant owner than he realized.
“Please, Mister Scrooge? We brought a friend with us this time just so he could try the food. What better advertisement is there? He can go back home and tell everybody in Radiant Gardens how good the food here is.” To say he was surprised at Roxas pulling such a move was an understatement. Ienzo couldn’t help but laugh slightly at it. Roxas, trying to weasel a free meal out of someone by talking about the financial benefits of it? Truly unexpected.
“Yer here all the way from the Gardens, eh?...” Scrooge seemed to be actually considering it and Ienzo couldn’t help but grin in amusement. He nodded and folded his hands before him.
“Yes, sir. I’m apart of the research team that recently reinstated themselves in that world. I take you’re a very seasoned traveler to know of other worlds! It’s always nice to meet someone as learned as yourself.” Scrooge puffed up slightly at Ienzo’s praise, seeming rather pleased with himself as he adjusted his cravat and smiled. Ienzo caught Lea grinning at him.
“Well, a fine lad you are! I suppose I could give you all a little something for your trouble, since ye did bring him all the way out here just ta try m’little chef’s cuisine. He’d be right tickled ‘m sure to have news of the bistro spreadin’ out beyond even Twilight Town. I’ll go get ye menus. Feel free ta seat yerselves.”
The group cheered in unison at this, giving Scrooge their thanks as he waved them off and turned to go back inside. Ienzo couldn’t believe that had actually worked. Roxas seemed the least bit smug about it as he high-fived Lea.
“Nice thinking, Roxas! That was really smart.” Olette commented as she pulled up an extra seat so that everybody could sit at one table.
“Yeah, right? I wish I’d thought of that.” Hayner chimed in. Lea took a seat and leaned back, arms crossed behind his head as he folded his legs. Isa took a seat next to him and propped his elbows on the table.
“Here, Ienzo, you can sit by me and Xion.” Pence offered, pulling the chair next to him out. Ienzo was grateful for it and took his seat with a thank you.
“Man, I’m starving. Can’t wait to chow down. Maybe before we hit up the movies we can get some ice cream?”
“Do you have ice cream money, Lea?” Isa asked, perhaps speaking for the first time. Hearing his voice with genuine emotion in it surprised Ienzo more than it should have.
“Eh… Do you?” Isa rolled his eyes but pulled a wallet out, sliding it Lea’s way. Making a surprised noise, he grabbed it up and peered inside. A smile split his face and he playfully slugged Isa’s forearm. The look of surprise on Isa’s face made a small trill of fear play down Ienzo’s back. He’s not Saix. Not anymore. He reminded himself.
“Wow! Look at you! What would we do without you, Isa. When did you squirrel this away?”
“I know how bad you are at saving any munny. Let’s leave it at that.”
“Thanks Isa, it’s really nice of you to step up like that.” Olette spoke. Hayner nodded, scratching at his temple.
“I can’t wait-- I’m already getting excited!” Xion admitted, jittering in her seat with a giggle. “Lunch at the bistro, ice cream, and a movie?”
“Don’t forget this is for Zexi-- Uh, sorry, Ienzo.” Roxas flushed slightly at his mistake, looking away pointedly.
“It’s alright. I’m really flattered that you’re all doing this for me. If I can admit, before you came in I had been considering that I needed a break. A particular difficult portion of code had been keeping me occupied for a little too long...a It’s very refreshing to be out doing something else.”
The group didn’t seem terribly surprised at the admission. They all smiled kindly at Ienzo which admittedly was making him perhaps a little flustered. Positive attention as still new for him.
“Well, I’m glad we caught you when we did then! Maybe we take you back home I can try to help out with that code? I’m not an expert but maybe a fresh pair of eyes can bring some perspective.” Pence offered. Ienzo was grateful for it really, but a part of him wanted to do it himself. He’d have to consider the offer.
“Well, I promised myself I wouldn’t think about work anymore today; We’ll see! I do have to ask though, since you all are more familiar with the menu than I am…”
When they had said the food at the bistro was good, Ienzo had expected great. He hadn’t expected phenomenal. It was otherworldly-- which as ironic as the wording was, was the truth. Ienzo was almost so overwhelmed by the dishes that he could have cried. He managed to rein himself in enough to not sob in public but he wouldn’t lie that he was misty eyed.
By the time everybody was done with their meals, the thought of ice cream was probably the last thing on anyone's mind. They had been thoroughly stuffed. Xion was leaned back with a hand on her stomach, groaning softly. Hayner was nursing his drink absently, leaning onto Roxas who had his head in his arms and seemed perfectly content in the moment. Even Isa had been bested by the meal, seemingly afflicted with a bad case of post feast drowsiness.
They lingered at their table for sometime, all trying to get the will to move. They chatted about casual things;They all carefully avoided asking Ienzo any questions about his work and instead focused on things like how he had been doing and if there was anything interesting happening in Radiant Gardens or how the others were.
Ienzo found himself truly relaxed, muscles untensing and laughter bubbling from himself freely as time progressed. He hadn’t expected Isa to be so funny. Admittedly Lea was the butt of many of his jokes but there wasn’t any hard feelings between the two. He was rather used to Saix’s caustic wit and it was a nice change of pace.
It was an eventuality that the group had to leave the bistro. It was their luck that the ice cream vendor was nearby. Although when the group started to rush off in some direction with the ice cream, Ienzo was caught off guard. He skipped into a jog to keep up but was still in the back of the pack with Isa and Xion.
“Where are we off to in such a hurry?” He panted out. He’d never been one for rigorous physical activity. Even jogging around like this was getting him embarrassingly winded. Xion smiled at him widely, slowing down a bit to jog at his side.
“We have to get to the clock town before the ice cream melts! It’s our spot, you know? You’re going to love the view! You can see the whole town and even farther.” The excitement in Xion’s voice was infectious. He found himself grinning despite himself and found he didn’t even falter when he turned to look at Isa. The fact the man was smiling back was comforting and strange in a way not wholly bad.
“I’m honored that you all would share something like this with me. You’ve already done so much for me today, really. I’ll have to repay you somehow.”
“Don’t worry about it, Ienzo. Your company has been pleasant. The kids are all having a lot of fun seeing you in person again.” Xion giggled and flipped her bangs back.
“Yeah, what Isa said, but not so old sounding.”
“You should respect your elders more, Xion.” Seeing Isa and Xion interact so casually… The world was so strange and new now. When they arrived in the square, they regrouped. The clock tower loomed above them, gigantic now that they were so close. Ienzo couldn’t imagine being up so high and hoped there was an elevator or something up there. He doubted the ice cream would survive the trip if they took stairs.
“Man, hurry up you guys! I want to eat my ice cream before I have to drink it out of the bag.” Hayner fussed. Roxas was right at his side, breathing heavily but seeming lively. Olette was snickering about something, which was a bit suspicious but Ienzo dared not question it.
“Last one to the top is a sore loser.” Lea challenged, the bag with the ice cream suspended on his wrist. Isa lurched forward from Ienzo’s side, not giving anyone else a second to hesitate before nearly the whole group went running.
“Aha! They’re so competitive sometimes. Here, I’ll take the elevator with you, Ienzo.” Xion looped her arm with his before Ienzo could even begin to thank her, leading him in after the others. The sound of rapid and heavy footfalls from the stairwell was mildly amusing. Ienzo was just glad elevators even existed in this world. He really couldn’t imagine going up all those stairs, competition or not.
“Thank you, Xion. That’s very nice of you. I only wish I could keep up with you all. I’m afraid that, ah, running was never my strong suit. Even before all of that...” Xion laughed goodhearted at Ienzo’s explanation and punched in the floor number closest to the top. It seemed they’d still have to do a bit of climbing to meet up with everyone.
“That’s okay! I usually take the elevator too, if I’m going to be honest. I’m so glad they installed one! They’re so useful.”
“My, my… You used to climb all those stairs? That sounds like a chore to do every day, if what I understand of your past is correct.” Xion rocked on her heels as she regarded the decorative glass ceiling of the elevator box with absent interest.
“Ah, I guess. I didn’t mind so much knowing that Axel and Roxas were waiting for me…”
“Yes… Having good friends at the end would make it worth it, wouldn’t it.”
“That, and sometimes I’d just portal up there.” Xion snickered, sticking her tongue out and winking. Blinking in surprise, Ienzo couldn’t hold back a surprised laugh. Of course! Creature of darkness things aside, the dark portals had been good for something. If for anything, getting to otherwise cumbersome locations was a definite plus.
“That’s smart of you, Xion… I suppose that would have been the quickest way to get up there, even now. Shame.”
“I don’t mind too much! Getting to wear something outside of a stuffy, old coat is a fair trade to me.”
“Ugh, I’m glad it wasn’t just me. Wearing actual clothes and colors is nice. I will admit that I miss the boots a bit.” Ienzo sighed. Xion seemed pleasantly surprised at this and hid a laugh behind her hand.
“You’re so much more fun as Ienzo. I’m glad we got to meet again, properly. Is that alright for me to say? I don’t mean it meanly.” He shook his head, reaching a hand up to sheepishly brush some hair out of his face.
“No, no! It’s fine. I understand the sentiment completely. I also think I’m more fun as Ienzo. When I was Zexion… Everything felt so muted. All I cared about was working as quickly and efficiently as possible so I could get to the next task at hand. No matter how I need do it… It’s… It’s good to feel again. To be myself again.”
Xion stared at Ienzo for a long moment. He flushed slightly, unsure if he had said too much or not. He didn’t want to ruin the conversation. They had been enjoying themselves and if he had messed that up…
“I’m glad. That you’re happy. That we’re all happy, really. I never thought… That I’d get to live. You know? There’s a lot to get used to, but I think that things were meant to be like this. So! Cheers!” The door of the elevator opened then and Xion exited in haste.
“Oh-- wait up!” Ienzo called out, going after her speedily. She laughed at him and cast a glance over her shoulder, disappearing into the stairwell and running up.
“Hurry! Last one to the top is a sore loser, remember?”
Surprisingly, Ienzo and Xion were not the first ones to the top. He had thought for sure that they would be given they took the superior form of transportation. He’d really have to give more thought to how fit the others were. At the moment, Isa and Lea were both already there.
They were both too out of breath to do much more than grunt to acknowledge their presence, but there they were. Xion took a seat on the edge of the tower and swung her feet, patting the empty spot next to her for Ienzo to take. He looked down and felt himself go dizzy. They were very high up.
“It’s okay, you won’t fall. Promise!” Hayner and Roxas burst forth then, bumping into each other and collapsing in a heaving fit. Olette came soon after with Pence bringing up the very rear. He was flushed red and had broken out in a sweat.
“Gaugh! No fair! How did you two make it before the rest of us?” Hayner complained, gulping down air as he pushed himself up and stared at Xion and Ienzo.
“Well, we decided not to be silly and took the elevator like smart people. And we had a very nice talk as we did so! Maybe you should join us next time, Hayner.” Xion replied cheekily. Roxas laughed at Hayner’s embarrassed expression despite being just as much a guilty party.
Slowly, they all took their seats on the edge. Isa and Lea sat shoulder to shoulder with Isa on the end and Lea next to Xion. Ienzo had Xion on one side and Pence on the other. Then Olette took a spot next to Pence with Roxas on her other side and Hayner book-ending the group. The ice cream was passed out once everybody was seated. Ienzo couldn’t help but note the color and wonder.
“Man, this never gets old.” Roxas sighed, staring out over the horizon. Olette hummed in agreement as she sucked on her ice cream. Ienzo took a tentative lick of his own and recoiled despite himself. Lea laughed loudly at this, giving himself away.
“It’s sea salt. A group favorite! It might be an acquired taste, but it’s sorta a staple around these parts.” He explained. Ienzo licked his lips slowly before trying again. This time the saltiness of the treat wasn’t as jarring and he could actually taste the sweet undertones. It tasted like a memory. Like home.
“It’s… strange. I haven't had it in so long. It's better than I remember.” He admitted. Pence chuckled next to him.
“Olette was betting you were going to spit it out at first, but I told her you’re too mature to do that.”
“So that’s why she was looking so devious earlier.” Ienzo mused. Olette huffed, cheeks flushing a soft pink. Roxas grinned at her and nudged her. She muttered something to him and shook her head.
“This is so great.” Xion said after a moment of peaceful quiet. Hums of agreement met the declaration. Ienzo had to agree wholeheartedly. This was perhaps the most fun he’d had since becoming Someone again. He even found himself swinging his legs with Xion and Hayner, finishing his ice cream sooner than he expected of himself. Some span of time was spent just enjoying the view, which Ienzo found was as marvelous as Xion told him it would be.
It wasn’t for a while until Lea stood and stretched. The others started to get up as well, slowly getting off the edge and making their way back towards the stairwell that lead down.
“You know the drill, kiddies-- Last one down buys everyone a pretzel!” The race was on; Ienzo was at the head of the pack.