For the dozenth time, she reflected on recent events surrounding the Organization. This included her place among them. The day she joined their ranks was fresh in her mind, there hadn't been much of a choice then. If the girl knew what she did now, perhaps her decision would have been different from the one made. Lost, she wandered the darkness in search of someone who couldn't be remembered. This was until he found her; he was the superior of Organization who presented her a newborn Nobody before those who joined the group before her. It was on that day she was given a new name, title and rank. She was number XIV- The Silent Beauty. Back then she was compared to a doll, due to her lack of a personality, after all, Nobodies didn't have hearts and therefore could not experience emotions. But that was something she might argue now. There were instances where she believed she had felt something, albeit something small. Would her thoughts now count as something? This thought lingered in her mind for a second more before she shook it away. She returned back to the place she and all Nobodies call their home. The World that Never was. Stepping out of the dark portal that carried her here, the girl was met a familiar environment.This world was one of endless night. It was quiet. Something which she could relish in. Her heeled boots kicked up dirt, as she travelled down a familiar path. At one point she stepped into a puddle, telling her that it had rained sometime prior to her arrival. But, this didn't deter her stride which continued for a few steps more until a feeling suddenly passed through. Her lips pressed into a firm line in response to this. It had taken her a moment to realise that someone had just entered the vicinity. A pair of cat-like eyes peered out from underneath that dark hood, lazily they would dart back and forth taking in their environment once more. Who was it? It could be one of the other members returning from a mission. If that was the case then let it be that and the two of them could go about their respective ways. Mayaxe wasn't one for their nonsense.
To say that things were unsettling around the Organization was a bit of an understatement.
He never understood it, but right from the first day he joined Organization XIII he knew he didn't fit in. Despite being relatively numb, he was able to feel even that. The other Nobodies looked at him as if he were some sort of alien species, although there were two who didn't think of him differently. Roxas didn't feel right lumping them in with the others. Axel, his closest and dearest friend in the Organization since day one, never seemed to care about nor understand his differences.
Him, and number XIV.
Number XIV was exactly as he was when she came into the Organization. Somehow, he felt empathy for her. When he tried to explain it to Axel, he didn't understand what that meant. Only Roxas knew it was real. So, with that in mind, he tried his hardest to make her feel welcome, despite Xemnas's insistence otherwise. He wasn't entirely sure how effective it was, though he still tried. It still remained to be seen how well it was going, considering how quiet Mayaxe was. He understood.
Roxas wasn't a fan of doing missions on his own, mostly because he was so heavily hunted by the Heartless due to his ability to wield the Keyblade. It was always so draining to do missions alone, so when it came time to return to The World That Never Was, Roxas was more than relieved. As he walked through the dark portal, he brought his hood down and carded fingers through his blonde spiky locks. Blue eyes opened and caught sight of the small cloaked figure some distance away. Immediately recognizing the form to be number XIV, Mayaxe, Roxas meandered slowly towards her direction but not exactly towards her. She appeared solemn, as usual.
"You on a mission, too?" he inquired quietly, passing her.
She examined her environment once more. There was no sign of anyone at first until a silhouette suddenly appeared within her line of vision. Mayaxe squinted as she tried to make out who the figure belonged to. It wasn't until the person came a little closer that she recognised who it was. Rank number XIII, but commonly known as Roxas but the rest of the Organization. Out of all the members, he had to be the strangest she had come across. Perhaps, not the strangest but he was on the top of her list. The reason? Well, it was simply this. Everywhere she turned there he was at her heels, almost like a puppy. He would stare at her with those large, blue eyes and try to speak with her. Even sometimes dare she say accompany him and that friend of his. He was another one she regarded as odd. Perhaps, they were rubbing off on another? She wouldn't know. She couldn't say since she had entered the Organization after both. Regardless of their labelled oddity by her, they weren't truly as bad as some of the others she'd met. It was simply that she didn't understand the fascination with interacting with her. Her, of all people. Then, again him and his friend didn't share the same reaction the others did to her arrival. It was strange how humane Roxas treated her in comparison to the others. She didn't understand. Then, again emotion wasn't something that she was supposed to understand. In her case, it was ironic in many ways, but she would not dwell on that.
She rid herself of those thoughts for the time being and instead focused on the boy. It was hard to tell what he was thinking. Instead, she was simply left to speculate. It was silent between the two of them until he uttered a few words to her in passing. She tilted her head in the boy's direction, his pace slow as he walked down the same dark path she once did. She began that trek once more but only this time she was not alone. "Was" she corrected the boy who questioned if she was on a mission. "I returned not too long ago," she added as she sauntered behind the boy. The silence that surrounded them before returned but not for long. "And you…?" she inquired softly. Where had he been? Surely, he had been off on some mission assigned to him. Also, it must have been a solo mission because there was no one else in sight. Not even his friend. She took in her environment once more before turning her attention back to the boy who now walked in front of her.
"Was, too," Roxas replied simply, his hair bouncing right back up even after heavily carding his fingers through it. Unlike the rest of the members who returned from a mission relatively unbothered, he seemed to appear slightly exhausted most of the time. The Heartless were relentless this time. It felt as though they came out of nowhere and in huge masses, though Roxas took care of them no problem. Still, the gratitude was evident almost as clearly as the exhaustion for him to have returned home. It was his luck to have run into Mayaxe as well. He wasn't so sure he'd have the tolerance or patience for anyone else besides her or Axel.
Together, they made for the castle. Before either of them could do what they wanted, they needed to report back to Xemnas that the jobs were done. As per usual, the headquarters was eerily quiet with its stark white walls and massive spaces that always seemed so under decorated. Such a space always made it so easy to spot other members, too, which made it difficult for people such as himself or even Mayaxe to avoid their eye when they wanted to be alone.
"Xemnas sent me to Hollow Bastion today. It felt like a tidal wave of Heartless that never seemed to end." A sigh escaped him for a moment. "Honestly, all that got me through was thinking about getting some sea salt ice cream when it was all done." It was a light joke, but it was effective in making the young blonde smile just slightly. Turning his gaze back to look at the smaller female wandering behind him, Roxas extended that smile to her. "Care to join me? I'm sure Axel will be there, too. You can tell me all about your day if you want to."
She waited for an answer to her inquiry, which came in the form of a simple answer. It would seem he too had been sent on a mission and only now was returning from it. Mayaxe didn't speak but she did nod, showing that she acknowledged his answer. She couldn't say that there was anything odd about that. All of them had their assignments and depending on what it was, you could be gone for a short amount of time or a long amount of time. She counted herself lucky that she hadn't been subjected to such. Although, sometimes, she worried about the possibility of it occurring. The reason? Well, there were a few. One, had to wonder the reason she thought about things such as this. Her current thought was placed to the back of her mind and turned her attention back to Roxas. She noted the expression that decorated his face. He looked tired. She could only imagine how many Heartless he faced. Regardless of this, the boy still managed to produce a smile. Something, which had caught her off guard. Where had this come from? Again, she said nothing and instead continued to stare. Unlike, him and his friend, she wasn't what one would call social. She lacked communication skills and therefore didn't get certain cues. It was one of few things that made her awkward. That is if Nobodies could be awkward.
For a second time, she was rendered confused after she was invited to join Roxas. The Nobody had expressed his desire to leave from here and meet up with Axel. Somehow, she expected this would his plan of action. After all, he was down with his mission for the day and had the remainder to do as he pleased. Where did that leave her? Mayaxe often retreated to her room when she wasn't required to present anywhere else. She picked her head about what she might do. But, the thought was short lived. Roxas offered that she joins him. She blinked, he wanted her to join him? She stood there for a moment, attempting to gauge the boy who stood before her. Again, he had managed to confuse her. She was sure this wouldn't be the last time. How did she respond to this? She almost wanted to ask why? But, the look on his face kept her silent. Instead, she gave him a stiff nod. "Where do you intend to go?" she asked the boy. The question that now rose in her mind was where he was going. She would admit, this would be the first time that she chose to accompany him.
Honestly, Roxas didn't mind the quietness from Mayaxe. Everyone in The World That Never Was talked too much, anyways. Or, at the very least, they always expected him to talk back. When he first arrived with the Organization, it was too much to ask for. He was so numb at that time and only through interaction with Axel did he actually manage to open up. Roxas couldn't help but feel as though it were the same with Mayaxe - perhaps she just needed a little coaxing like he did. Besides, he could relate to her. It was easy to close off from the rest of the members (even now, if he was being honest with himself), but he wanted to open her up. Make her feel as though she belonged somewhere.
He had never shared those thoughts with anyone, though. He did it all through action simply because no one understood what it was like to feel, well, anything. Roxas was odd in comparison to all the members because he did feel something, even right from the beginning. Before Mayaxe had arrived, he had been witness to countless occasions of the other Nobody's acting out things that they once experienced when they were humans, as if to try and remember what it felt like to feel something. He never had to try. Somehow, Roxas could only suspect that maybe Mayaxe was the same.
"Ever been to the clock tower in Twilight Town?" Roxas asked, looking down at her with that same friendly smile. "We always go there. That town has the best sea salt ice cream." Together, they walked into the main hall where all of their high chairs stood to find it empty. Usually, that was where they needed to report to Xemnas, but it appeared as though their leader was out somewhere. Pursing his lips, Roxas turned to look at Mayaxe and he gave a playful shrug of his shoulder. "Looks like he isn't here. May as well head to Twilight Town, then?"
