[Action]

[Today if anyone's wandering into Seventh Heaven, they'll find Kairi sitting at a table by herself. Thanks to Sanji, she's agreed to pick up a few shifts at the restaurant as a part-time waitress. She's just finished her shift for the day and she's got her Luceti-provided journal open in front of her, along with a sheet of what looks like purple paper. She had leafed through the pages of the Luceti journal, checking on the village, but now she's occasionally writing lines on the purple page. If anyone were to get close enough to look, they'd see:

Thinking of you, wherever you are. It's been a little over two months since you left...almost three, actually, but I still think about you every day. I think we all do.

[She pauses in her writing then upon realizing two things. A.) This is very much like a letter she wrote to Sora about fifteen months ago and B.) It's been almost three months since the brunette left. It felt weird the longer she thought about it, thinking about how close she had become to some people and how distant she was starting to feel from the boy who was...no, is her best friend.

It disturbs her, in a way. Enough to cause her to push the letter aside, turning her attention back to her Luceti-journal to address the public. Her voice is pretty casual, but anyone who knows her well enough may notice there's a slight hesitance.]

[Voice]

What would you consider a good balance between making a life here in Luceti and keeping your life in your own world in focus? I mean in the sense of...well...let's talk about jobs for instance. Do you think it's important to make yourself useful here, or would you rather wait until you go home since it may not matter once we leave anyway?

Or friends, even. Do you only call people from your world your best friends, or have you made new best friends here?

[She pauses, trying to think of how to wrap this up. Keep it casual, keep it light.] It's not really a big deal, I'm just kind of curious what everyone thinks.

[Filtered to Riku]

...can I talk to you about something? Just when you have some time.

[Like any other day, Kairi finds herself waking up in her room of KH house bright and early. She gets out of bed, makes sure everything is calm and well with her housemates before grabbing her Keyblade and heading out for the barracks. No sense in wasting time when she could be training. She was hoping to get in a good session before the rest of the house woke up for breakfast.

She proceeds to go through the motions of swings and combinations, swinging Destiny's Embrace up and around. She's focused in her routine, sure that she's alone.

However, what she doesn't notice is a pair of golden eyes watching her from the shadows. As she turns her back toward the eyes, the figure slips away from the wall, drawing up his sword and poising it above his head.

She catches the figure then out of the corner of her eye and swings around with her Keyblade, clashing the blade into the blade of the sword and coming face-to-face with a red-haired boy.

All she does is frown.]

Luke!

I told you to be careful while fighting. [Luke doesn't seem to be too amused. Kairi shakes her head, lowering the Keyblade.]

I thought you were still at the house. [She just turns to leave the barracks, motioning for Luke to follow. Training could wait just a bit if it meant spending time with the boy.] Come on, let's go make breakfast for the others.

[And so anyone is free to bump into the pair as they head through the village back toward house 14. Everything looks normal, save for the fact that Kairi's still carrying her Keyblade with ease and Luke's eyes are glowing that eerie gold. She interrupts her conversation with the boy, the Heartless form of her brother, to remove her journal from her pocket.]

Good morning! Would anyone like to spar a bit at the barracks later today? [She sounds pretty cheerful, but she's been aware there's something going on.] I'm not sure what's going on this time, but it's best to be prepared, right? Anyway, if you want to come join us, give me a shout. Luke and I will be out there all afternoon.

[And of course, members of House 14 will find Kairi soon back to work preparing a pretty lavish breakfast. Girl needs her strength, after all. Luke will also be nearby, hovering and helping any way he can.]

[ooc: Hi! You can read more about Kairi's AU with Luke Fon Fabre here.]

[She's not oblivious; Kairi's been keeping an eye on the calendar the last couple of weeks and knows that Valentine's Day is fast approaching. The problem is that she's not exactly in the mood to celebrate this year...last year she had Jacob. The year before that, she had Sora. And the year before that, she had Axel, even if it wasn't someone she wanted to have at the time.

This year though? There's no one. Axel and Jacob are both gone, and Sora doesn't...

...maybe it's not important. Maybe she just had to move on, keep busy.

And so keep busy she did. For the last few weeks, housemates might have noticed that Kairi's been in her room a lot with boxes and boxes of beads, stones, strings, jewels and other things she's been collecting scattered on the floor. Housemates might also have noticed that the kitchen's been filling up with homemade cookies and candy.

It's on this day though that she realizes that she may have gone a little overboard trying to distract herself. When you reach a point where there's jewelry hanging off the walls and there's no counter space in the kitchen, you start to notice that you should probably cool your jets. With that in mind, she opens the journal to address the village at large.]

All right, I'll come out and say it. We all know Valentine's Day is next week, but how many of you still need presents for that special someone? Or even just presents for your friends? The only reason I'm asking is because I have an offer for you all. [And she'll turn the journal so the camera can capture the large stack of cookies and the display of jewelry she set out. Mostly handmade bracelets, necklaces and charms.]

I'll even extend the offer and say if you're interested in learning, I can teach people how to make things themselves. I know it's not a lot but it's something, isn't it? Let me know.

[Otherwise, yes, she's going to avoid talking about the holiday at all. She'll be at her house in the kitchen, once again baking to keep herself busy. This time it's truffles.]

[Private, 90% Unhackable]

I know a lot of people are already planning on how to make the best of this and make sure we have a good strategy, but why do I feel like that might not be enough this time? I was hoping they'd skip us this time, and right around Christmas? Thanks a lot.

I guess...I just have to make the best of this, too.
[/Private]

Well, guess that means I have to bump my Christmas plans back a little further. [She's trying to make light of the situation, even though she's really not that happy. She's pretty worried, actually.] Underground this time, huh? I'm not sure if that's better or worse. But why...you'd think they'd learn from last time, I'm not really a combatant.

I want to be better this time, and I'm not going to get knocked out early this time. I'm...I'm really good with healing magic now, and some of the other magic, too. And I'm a little better at combat for back-up support. [But definitely not for the front lines, she thinks.] I want to help. Just tell me what to do.

And for something a little less depressing...who's planning Christmas parties this year? I've got some ideas, but we'll see how those go.

Wish us luck.

[It hadn't been a very pleasant surprise when she first found out, but she wasn't falling apart at the seams either. She knew that what he told her in his letter was true; they really were under the same stars. She knew she'd see him again someday. Maybe not someday soon, but someday.

Despite that, it didn't make this much better, and it didn't make it any easier to admit that he was gone. But she knew she had to be the one to do it. It wouldn't be fair to leave people guessing. The words are written in a fine, neat print, appearing slowly one after the other.]

I don't know how many people already know, but for anyone who doesn't? Jacob Black was sent back. Don't worry though...we'll see him again someday, I know it.

So let me ask you this, Lucetians. How do you really feel when people are sent back? I know this question's probably been asked to death, but humor me anyway. Please? Debate's good.

[She leaves the journal open next to her, but it's not what she's looking at. Instead, she's sitting in her bedroom at house 14, staring at the desk in her room. Sitting on said-desk are two small piles.

On the left, there's a box, several small carvings, and a simple letter. There's also a charm that looks like her original one, a star made with beads and feathers, the representation of a promise for safe returnings.

On the right, there's another box, a music box in fact. With that music box there's a hand-made card with drawings on it, along with a necklace. There's also her original lucky charm made of thalassa shells.

She's not saying anything, really. More like she's just staring at them. She soon grabs her journal again before scrawling out a few filters.]

[Filtered to Sora and Riku]

Let's go out and do something, just the three of us.

[Filtered to Axel]

I want to ask you something. No chickening out, okay?

[Hey. How ya doing? Are you out in the village today? Then you might notice a certain redhead dressed a bit differently than her usual attire running through the village with a satchel at her side. She darts around a corner, hiding for a few minutes before peering around to make sure she's not being followed and she sneaks back out into the middle of the village square. She'll be wandering around, casually glancing for new places to hide and guarding that satchel.]

Welllll...looks like the brothers just couldn't keep up. [She'll pat her satchel, making sure her prize is still inside.] Guess that means I'll hold onto this for safe keeping.

This place just got a little busier, didn't it?

[Perfect for an attempt to blend in, in fact. So you may run into her as she's prowling the village, also making sure there aren't any wanted posters. Oh, and don't mind her trying to get her smolder on around you fine people. Who knows, maybe on her walk she'll accidentally run into a princess or three, or even the authorities.

Let's hope it's not the palace guards.]

[She's been back from the battle for a couple of days, and even though she spent the first few resting on and off and visiting with people, Kairi's starting to grow restless.

Having a broken leg really doesn't do much for her activity.

Thankfully, Mia made it seem (and feel) as though it wouldn't take long at all to heal.

So today, Lucetians, if you were to open your journal you would probably be greeted with a bunch of stars. Stars of all shapes, sizes, colors and designs. She's currently drawing and then coloring in the outlines.]

So just how old is too old for coloring books anyway? Don't laugh, it's a real question. I'm running out of options...I mean the company I've had has been nice, but I'm not going to force them to stay here.

Let's pretend you were stuck inside your room for a while. What would you do to entertain yourself?

I've been thinking about what to do when this is over though. I think I'd like to start getting involved more, helping people. [Sora and Riku were both part of the Blue Rogues at one point. Xion wanted to become a doctor. What was she doing? What should she be doing?] I just wonder what the best way to do that would be. I guess I'll look over options later.

[And so she'll go back to drawing. Anyone who knows where House 14 is is welcome to visit her. Otherwise she'll be listening for anyone speaking to her.]

[It was quiet in the area around KH house. Everyone in the house was sound asleep, or at least pretending to sleep. Kairi herself was in that same boat of being asleep when a high pitch scream suddenly awakens her. She bolts up into bed, glancing around her room and out her window. She pauses, reflecting briefly as she tries to think of what could have possibly caused such a sound. Was it a dream? It must have been.

...still. She quietly slips out of her bed, opening her bedroom door and stepping into the hallway. As she makes her rounds, silently checking on each of the boys first, she soon approaches Xion's room.

Of course, the fact that the girl isn't in her room when Kairi opens the door raises a few alarms.

Okay. Okay, don't panic. Kairi was aware that Xion sometimes would leave the house if she felt uncomfortable. That was normal, sure. But this...she couldn't get that scream out of her mind. Another wave of uncertainty crashes over her as she slips on a pair of shoes, grabs her journal and heads for the front door, stepping out of the house and looking toward the road.

It's then that she spots her; her likeness, her friend, covered in injuries, blood and...burns? Not a time to question. She bolts down the porch of the house, throwing herself down and checking the girl for consciousness. She attempts to shift the girl's body, ignoring the blood that was starting to stain her hands in favor of whether Xion held any signs of life. Realizing that the dark-haired girl wasn't responding, she whips out the journal immediately and flips to a new page without thinking.]

Axel! Come on, wake up! I really need your help out here...it's Xion. She's...it's bad. There's so much...it's too much. I know you're not really asleep, I checked. Hurry!

[And while she waits for Axel, she keeps an eye on Xion for any signs of movement, completely oblivious to the fact that she forgot to filter that message to only Axel.]

[[ooc: Action threads will be responded by Kairi, all voice will be responded by Roxas unless someone specifically spoke to Kairi.]]

I think today's a good day to do some reconnaissance of the beach and the ocean. It'd be good to have that info for when the boys get back...they should be back soon, right? Everyone who went into battle a few days ago? I hope so. And hopefully all in one piece. I guess I can't worry about it too much. I've done everything I could for now, so it's not that bad of an idea. [She may sound a little wary of that, seeing how she thinks there has to be something else, something bigger she can be doing.]

How's everyone else keeping busy? Tell me about it.

[There's a beat as something suddenly occurs to her. Sora, Riku, Xion, Roxas, Ven, Terra...and she'd rather not know where Xigbar and Vanitas are despite knowing she's opening herself up to be taunted. Axel's with her, so that just leaves...]

...Kohan? You out there somewhere? [She knows he likely won't respond if she called out to him as a replica, but maybe using his chosen name would work.]

[And of course, as soon as she's finished her message she'll be getting up and stepping out to the main part of the house, hunting for a certain Nobody. Redheads unite please.]

[Standing in front of KH house is. Well. It's pink, and pint-size, and currently busy staring up at the door, trying to determine what's the best way to reach the door. It soon starts fumbling with the journal, opening it after a bit of effort. Once she gets to speaking though, it definitely doesn't sound like a Kairi at all.]

Come on! Can't they ever turn me into something that has thumbs? I don't want to keep sitting here...

[There seems to be a "Wark!" of agreement from a large bird wandering around the property. It doesn't seem too concerned with anything at the moment, merely scratching at the dirt.]

...thanks, Roxas. Anyway, anybody have any good ideas for how to open a door when your hands are kind of useless? Maybe I'll just hang out outside for now. At least it's not raining.

[Don't mind her, she's just grumbling to herself a little.] Vanitas is wrong. Valentine's Day is still special, even if a person doesn't have someone else to celebrate it with. It's seeing everybody else happy that makes it worth it some days. [But she's done fuming about it. Happy thoughts, happy thoughts.]

You know, I kind of miss the day-after sales on holiday candy back home. With everything being free here, it's not quite the same.

Anyway, hope everybody had a nice holiday! From the sounds of it a lot of you really are getting into the spirit of things. It's great. What was the best thing about yesterday for those of you who celebrated? I think mine was just seeing love in the air.

I think I've spoiled myself with this box of chocolates though.

...hey Aqua, are you busy? I thought maybe we could get started on that thing you and I talked about a while ago.

[ooc: first comment reserved for Jacob ♥ Tag in at your leisure!]

[Well Luceti, today you are in for a surprise. That surprise being a giant wolf wandering through the village, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. However, though some might think this is one Jacob Black, the different colored wings are sure to be a give-away that it's someone totally different. Kairi keeps the journal clamped in her...jaws, basically, as she attempts to make her way to KH house. She hasn't quite figured out how to transform yet.]

...you know, I remember about two years ago I was turned into a bunny? I'm not sure which was better. [And she's just going to keep an eye out for anybody who might know her. And maybe Jacob in case he can help her transform back. That'd be nice.

Of course, when she does turn into a human again, she's in for an even bigger surprise.]

[ooc: At some point in the threads, Kairi will be responding in both of her forms. o/]

[It's Christmas Eve, and though she may have gotten a late start, Kairi's no stranger to Christmas spirit. Maybe she was hoping Sora would come back before now, but without the appearance of her familiar brunette, the redhead has chosen to take things into her own hands.

Without any warning or real explanation, she's rounded up her three favorite victims to torture boys to talk to. Here's lookin' at you, Axel, Riku, and Jacob. More than likely Roxas was dragged in to be an elf. She's got the boys posed in the center of town in various states of holiday dress, and she herself in a Santa Clause dress and giant bag of small wrapped presents at her feet. She's shivering a bit, but that's not gonna stop her as she picks up the journal to make an announcement.]

Hey guys! Let's lighten the mood a little around here...it's Christmas, after all. Come down to the middle of the plaza, my elves and I have something for everybody.

[And then just for good measure? Yeah, Sora's "Santa does exist" sign is once again making an appearance and is staked into the ground in front of her group of misfits.]

[ooc: Threadjacking encouraged, various KH cast kids will answer threads...you never know who you'll get!]

( Cut for the letter that housemates might read over her shoulder (Might have some BBS spoilers) )

[As soon as Kairi's finished writing her letter, she's busy rolling it up carefully before slipping it into a glass bottle. Without saying anything to her housemates, she heads out to the river just by the house. It's snowing lightly, but nothing that bothers her a great deal. The problem is the frozen river. That's troublesome. But thanks to Aqua, and thanks to a little bit of her own practice, she's gotten a bit better at her fire magic. She focuses intently on creating a small hole in the ice to shove the letter-bottle into the water. It takes a little bit of effort and patience, but soon there's a big enough hole to tuck the bottle into the river and press it under the remaining ice. Whether it sails, well, she won't know for a while.

She starts to rise up to walk back into the house when suddenly she catches a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye. Down, down, down at the bottom of the river...what is that? She leans a little closer, peering down into the dark water at the shine of blue and pink. She glances around to see if she's alone before rolling up her sleeve and plunging her hand into the water. It's cold, of course, but she's still scooting forward and grasping for the object.

She gasps suddenly as her hand wraps around the hilt. A familiar hilt, even. As soon as her hand grabs it, it disappears and she quickly pulls her hand out of the water. She holds her hand in front of her then and concentrates, remembering the things she's been taught.

And then? It appears. Destiny's Embrace. Her Keyblade she's been patiently waiting almost two years for.]

...yes! [She gives it a test swing, more fluid than the last time she used it. Saying she's pleased is a bit of an understatement...guess that changes her plans to go home. Time for some training at the barracks.]

[ooc: Housemates can find her either inside the house or by the river, other villagers can find her at the river or on her way to the barracks. Sorry for the tl;dr]

[Kairi has found herself at the items shop today, digging through and looking for something in particular. Everything that's happened over the course of the last three weeks is still rather fresh in her mind, specifically her run-in with Vanitas. She stops looking though long enough to pull her journal out and thumb through to record a new message.]

Question for everybody. If you've been waiting for something to show up for over a year, what are the chances of it actually ever showing up in the items shop?

[It's a vague question, and she's not sure many people are going to have a good answer, but that's okay. For now she's going to continue roaming the shop. She'll leave soon enough though and wander out to the plaza hoping for another idea. Feel free to run into her at any time.]

Decent weather? Check. Day off from school? Check. Babysitter for the kids? Ch--well, I guess Axel kind of counts...check anyway. Two best friends? Not check.

Sora? Riku? Today is officially an us-day. I'm going to grab some things and then I'll meet you at the raft. Bring food and blankets and anything else you think we're going to need. Even if we can't set sail, the least we can do is sit on it, right?

And for everybody else? This might be sort of early, but what do you guys have planned for Halloween? Just curious.

[There's some shuffling in the background as Kairi tears through someone's room, flipping over blankets and opening doors and all. Her journal happens to fall out of her pocket as she crawls to look under the bed.] ...can't even keep track of how many times I've lost one of them anymore. It's like they alternate, Sora and Riku. I hate it. Thanks for the warning, Malnosso. Riku disappears. Then Sora. Then they both come back, and now Riku's gone again? Come on.

[Some more bumping and shuffling before there's a sound of surprise. And then a sound of confusion.]

...hey, Xion. Are you busy?

[During Xion's all-out village fight, Kairi stayed behind with Sora in their apartment. Currently she's more or less keeping a vigil over the still unconcious brunette but she'll occasionally glance out the window to watch what's happening with everybody and Xion.]

Well, at least they're keeping it away from the village a bit. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be more worried about, the people fighting her, or the fact that they're trying to kill her.

Riku, you could have told me you were going to go before you just ran off.

I'm not even sure who's out there fighting, but knowing that Riku, Axel, and Roxas are out there definitely isn't that settling. Who knows who else is risking themselves right now?

I have no idea if the ones fighting her are going to have time to check this, but if you're reading this later? Let me know.

...well, that's just depressing. Um. Hey! What's everybody else doing? Somebody change the subject for me. Please?

And I thought that storms on the island were intense...at least everything seems to be calming down.

Hey, who knows a lot about wood? Specifically the trees around here and how well they hold up.

Let's see...as captain of the Black Pearl, I've decided that we're going sailing on Saturday. Riku, Sora! Start getting the rations together and packing things up. We'll probably only go for a few days at the most, okay?

[Filtered to Sora only]

Hey, I'm out by the raft. Come find me when you're free.

[At first, there's nothing but quiet as the sounds of Kairi humming and talking to herself] I'll have to send the boys after some new logs for the raft I think.

Hey So-[And suddenly the door opens and Kairi sounds really kind of annoyed.] What are you doing he-let go of me!

[There's a bit of a struggle before the journal's picked up by somebody else.] Sorry, Keyblade Master, but your princess is in another castle. [And with that, the journal snaps shut. Where Axel's taking Kairi? Who knows!]