His eyes blinked as he looked over the glass case in front of him. He tilted his head from one side to the other, not sure what to do. He never knew there would be so many options! "I umm... that one.." Just as the employee began to dish out a scoop of ice cream he shook his head back and forth. "No.. umm... sorry.. that one? No... um... that looks good too.."
Ariel often found herself out looking for a good treat after a good session of sword swinging. She was waiting patiently in line, or well she had been. She was behind a guy that just couldn't seem to make up her mind. usually, she could handle it. But she really needed some ice cream right about now. She stepped up next to him to peer at the flavors he had been looking at. "You should try that one!" She pointed toward the cookie dough flavor, mostly for the fact that it was her favorite. Everyone liked cookie dough!
Roxas blinked a bit when the girl burst into his vision. At her suggestion, he gave a small polite smile and then looked up at the employee in front of him. "Umm... what she said then!" Tilting his head to the side, he smiled at her again. "Thanks." He lifted a hand to scratch the back of his head. "I've never been to a store on my own before.. Sorry about that." He peered over to see a line of people that were thumping their foot against the floor. Right.. maybe he should learn to be more decisive next time.
Ariel gave him a sweet smile, she had been one of those people thumping their foot against the ground. But seriously people. get over it. She ordered her own scoop in a waffle cone and then stepped back form the counter with her treat. "Did you say this was the first time going to a store on your own?" That seemed, surprising for a Fox his age.
As the employee offered the cone, he grabbed it and rummaged through his pack until he found the appropriate change to pay with. Though his body was reminiscent of a teenager or young adult he was fairly younger than that, in a way.. though his origin wasn't one he usually shared with a stranger. "Ahh, yeah. I guess you could say I don't get out much." He gave a smile, "Thanks for the suggestion." And with that he took a lick of the ice cream. It was sweet. Much sweeter than he was use to. It was a deeper and richer flavor than the one he usually had with Axel and Xion before he came to this world. Despite that, he couldn't help but find himself taking yet another lick.. and another. "It's really good!" He wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "My name is Roxas, is it alright if I ask yours?"
Ariel eyed him funny, closing one eye and peering at him. She wasn't exactly sure what to make of this guy. She wasn't used to shut-in types at all. She was glad he liked the ice cream though, and that put a smile bakc on her face. "Well, my name is Ariel. Better remember it, I'll be famous one of these days!" She gave him a wink and then looked for an avaialble seat. "Wanna talk over some ice cream?"
He took her lead, giving a curt nod as he followed her over. "Ariel, I'm sure I won't forget." His smile was soft but full of life. He slid into one of the chairs at a booth, sliding his pack into the seat next to him. "What are you hoping to be famous for?" He took another lick of his ice cream, nose wrinkling when he felt the cold touch it.
Ariel slide into the booth across form him and kept a good ice on him. She watched how he enjoyed the ice cream and observed his mannerisms. He seemed interesting, but she wondered if he didn't get out much what sort of things he liked to do. When he asked she she'd be famous for she gave a broad smile. "I'm going to be a famous Pirate!"
"Pirate..?" He blinked for a moment, staring at his ice cream as he considered. "Like Captain Hook..?" Wait. He seriously doubted she even knew who that was. Though to be honest he had no other ideas of what a pirate was to compare it to. Captain Hook wasn't incredibly evil guy, but he certainly wasn't a good one either. He eventually shook his head back and forth. "I... forgive me.. I.. The only pirates I seem to know are kind of jerks... I mean no offense, you don't seem like you're a jerk..?" He knew he was assuming things, and he could kick himself for it.. "Ah, I'm sorry, forget about what I just said." He flushed and took another lick of ice cream.
She was used to getting this sort of reaction out of people when she told them about her dreams. It's not like there were really all that many pirates out there anyway. Really, she just wanted to travel the ocean and she'd beat up anyone that got in her way. "I don't know, I was just into the idea so much as a kid. It's really stuck with me. I do know my way aorund a ship and a sword though. And I have to say, I'm quite sneaky." She licked up a glob of ice cream threatening to fall out of her cone and then looked back to him. "What about you? What's your...'thing'?" Everyone had some sort of goal in mind, surely this guy did too. Or at least she was hoping he'd prove not to be a total shut in.
He watched her carefully from above his cone. For that brief moment it seemed that all his childish attributes quickly faded. His head shifted to the side to stare out the window, deep in thought. "My... thing..." He frowned, nibbling on his lower lip. He wasn't sure how much he could say, it wasn't like she'd believe that he was a being from an entirely different world that was nothing but a body for his former self. That he was someone who used his weapon to vanquish monsters and that that life was all he had known before coming here.. "I guess you could say I'm a warrior.. Have been my whole life until coming here.. So I guess I'm still trying to find my place." He turned his head and smiled at her as if all his thoughts had been washed away.
Ariel couldn't help but getting the feeling he had a past he didn't want to get into, let alone with a complete stranger. She almost felt bad for having pushed him into it. At least she knew he hadn't always been a shut-in. "Hm, a warrior. I'm just going to turn what you said about me back onto you, you just don't seem the type." She gave a nod of her head and bit into her waffle cone, making a mess of it all. She quickly found a napkin to wipe off the ice cream all over her nose. "So you're new around here, eh?"
Turning his head to glance at her, he gave another wide playful smile. "Monster Hunter might be a better word for it. Let's just say that my world was plagued by many monsters.. And I fought them." He leaned forward in his seat, smiling at her before nibbling on his cone. His eyes returned to a more thoughtful trance though he tried to not let it show. To the next question he shrugged slightly. "Yes and no. I have been here in this world for a couple of years now... But let's just say that my adopted family prefers to keep away from civilization."
Ariel nodded her head, trying to wrap her mind around the idea of a world full of monsters. It certainly wasn't a place she'd like to visit...then again maybe she could kick some serious monster booty. It seemed like it would be better than sitting on the couch all day anyway. "I still think you look just a little too..." She thought about the word for a seocnd, wondering if he might be ebarrased before spilling it out, "Too adorable for that sort of carreer." She gave a quick now and puzzled over his next statement. "You can't stay couped up forever. There's a whole world of adventure waiting right outside those doors." There was a sparkle in her eye, just thinking about all the amazing places she'd see in her lifetime. Or at least, she planned on seeing. Some day, some way.
"Adorable..?" He blinked, seeming completely surprised by her choice of words. He certainly hadn't been called that before. "Perhaps searching more for the word 'naive'?" His shoulders gave up in a shrug, turning his eyes away. He didn't like thinking of himself as naive, but it certainly wouldn't have been the first time he had heard those words about himself. He placed a hand under his chin, his eyes distant yet again.
To her statement, he glanced back over, his more cheerful demeanor returning. "It's really not all that bad. Since I can remember all I did was jump from world to world to fight.. Sometimes it's actually nice getting to sit down and relax for a change. Not that I wouldn't mind some more action once in a while, but at least... here.. I get to live my own life and not have it being dictated by someone else." He took a another bite of his cone, finishing it. "See... things like this.. was all too rare where I came from."
Ariel listened to him talk, watching the look in his eyes as he drifted into that spiked head full of memories. She had a feeling a good number of them weren't exactly good memories. She nubbled up the list of her waffle cone and took a napkin to her face. She had a different look to her eyes now, she was honestly curious about the guy in front of her. She'd met people who were downright shut-ins and she'd met people who were adventure freaks like herself, but this guy was like a mix of those two. And, he seemed sad. Like he couldn't quite outrun whatever he had come from.
"I'm sorry to hear about that, I've certainly never had to go through anything like that before." She bit her bottom lip, and looked around the store. "Is there anything you like outside of ice cream?"
Shifting his gaze back toward her, he gave another smile, though his eyes were much more withdrawn this time. "I..." He hesitated, not sure how to answer. Would she think him more of a bore if he answered honestly. "I.. honestly don't know. Since being here, mostly all I've done is read, and learn about things.. I.. don't really think my adoptive family knows what it means to have fun." His smile was lopsided. He really couldn't be a judge, since he didn't know either. But since his adoptive family was from a world even less like this one than his, he had the feeling that really had almost no idea.
Maybe she was pushing him too much, he seemed to be growing more uncomfortable with ever glance her way. She knew she wanted to help him somehow, it really seemed like he needed something more to his life. She wanted him to loose that distant look in his eyes. Whatever happened in the past, it couldn't be changed. But maybe she could help him with his present.
"Say, how would you like to be friends?" She smiled at him, knowing the question was a bit out of the blue.
He froze. His eyes flicked in her direction, something almost dark seeming to glint in them. Awareness maybe. Searching. Or perhaps.. distrust. And then... with a glimmer it was gone again and replaced with a small smile. "I think.. I'd like that." There was something strained about the way he replied, though the thought was genuine. "Maybe.. could you show me around town? I'm sure you know more about this place than I do." He let his words slide out, and yet he couldn't help but think of the last person he allowed to be his friend and what it had cost him.
Ariel gave him a huge smile and lept to her foot. "You're not going to regret being friends with the pirate Ariel!" She gave him a wink and then waited for him to get up as well. "Oh course I know the town well, I grew up here with my father's." She bounded up to him and stook a paw out toward him, "A shake for new friends?" She usually preferred hugs, but he seemed a little too shy for that, or maybe shy wasn't the right word. Either way, she didn't want to push her luck too far.
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