One Misstep...

[melodiouspacifist]

 The mission was extraordinarily easy, on the surface. Get in, steal a book from the library and get out. It was the kind of non-combattive mission that suited Demyx best. The problem was, the place he was meant to enter, was the Light's stronghold, King Mickey's castle. He had no idea why Xemnas wanted the book, the man was not that informative, but he did. 

He let out a long sigh, opened his portal and vanished from The World That Never Was. By the time he'd set foot in the gardens, he'd pulled his hood up over his head. He listened, crouching behind a topiary, trying to sense if anyone was around. 

The coast was clear. The hooded figure slipped to the next one and did his best to remain out of sight. There had to be guards somewhere, right?

Avoidance was the name of the game and he was intending not to get caught. In his mission packet, it had included a small, helpful map. He needed to break in through the side door, head up a flight of stairs and it was at the end of a long hallway. If he was quick about it, he'd have time to sneak off and relax before getting back.

Demyx slipped out around the bushes and into the next cluster, crouched low and peering around the side of it.

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[melodiouspacifist]

There were voices in the courtyard. There were not supposed to be voices in the courtyard! This was supposed to be easy, in and out with no complications.

Ugh. Demyx thought to himself and flattened his form against the ground and the bush he was hiding behind, trying to quiet his breathing. They were talking, the door was closing again...good. Good, he was alone. If he waited to give them time to clear the area-

Minnie's voice interrupted his impromptu plans and he covered his mouth to stifle a surprised grunt. She hadn't gone inside, like he'd thought. He peered out from behind to look around just a little bit. He could see the queen, but the others were gone. No guards. One little queen couldn't be much of a threat to him right?

Demyx shook his head a little bit. No, she was likely to have unanticipated powers. He couldn't even complain this task wasn't in his wheelhouse, it was. He briefly considered abandoning it, but Saix would kick his ass left, right and centre if he failed again.

He exhaled. Perhaps he could sneak in behind her back.

He waited. When she had her back to the door, and him, he made his move, a mad scramble to leave the area that ended in the most graceful of maneuvers, him tripping over a hedge and hitting the ground with a pained yelp.

Of all the bad luck...

[queenoflight]

The flowers drew a smile back to her face. She wasn't planning on tarrying in the garden for long but it would have been a shame to have let this quiet moment pass by. She righted herself and praised the foliage a little more. "Carry on, we'll want everything to look nice and inviting for when our loved ones return." Sure it was a little silly, but it's not like she had an audience!

Alerted by the muted thud and the subsequent exclamation that came from behind her, Minnie's hands flew in front of her mouth as she turned toward the sounds, her skirts swirling as she moved. "Oh my stars!"

"Are you all right?" The words spilled off of her lips before she really had a chance to identify who she was speaking to. She moved closer, but stopped short when she spotted that iconic long black cloak. There really shouldn't have been anyone out in the gardens at this time, that coupled with the outfit made her extra suspicious as to his motivations for being here.

Still- that looked like a painful faceplant.

[melodiouspacifist]

It wasn't the most comfortable experience to say the least. He sat up and rubbed his arm a little, shaking off his awkwardness. He heard her question and got to his feet. As he dusted off his coat, he was trying to figure out what was the best course of action.

"I'm alright." Demyx answered finally, turning around to face her. He was going to play it casually and hope for the best. Anything to avoid an actual fight, preferably not with her honoured guards.

He didn't drop the hood, not then. He was trying to seem as intimidating as he could, although his posture wasn't very helpful with that. He wasn't terribly tall or broad.

"Just a little awkward." Demyx laughed nervously. He shuffled back and forth, shifting his weight from foot to foot. At this point, was scrubbing the mission worth it? He was weighing his options carefully.

[queenoflight]

The peculiar nature of their encounter was throwing them both off. Minnie folded her hands together before her, not taking her eyes off the the stranger. While it was true that he hadn't done anything ... wrong, that she knew of she still wondered what had brought him into the gardens at all. For now, her curiosity was outweighing her apprehension.

"Thank heavens for that," She replied soon after. The guards would certainly have been able to put up a valiant fight, if called upon to do so but despite how meek she might seem, Minnie possessed a striking power of her own.

Despite his posture, there was still something about not being able to see all of his features that was a little concerning, like why would he feel the need to conceal his identity at all if he meant no harm? Also, he was taller than a mouse!

"There's nothing to feel embarrassed about," Minnie added."We all take a misstep or two along the way". Awkward indeed. "So.. uh.. " She emitted an airy giggle. "What brings you to the castle?"

[melodiouspacifist]

He would have thought she was going to panic, but she didn't. She seemed to be pleasantly talking to him. It was unusual. He rubbed the back of his neck, under the hood.

"Yeah, I guess." He let out a nervous little laugh. He would rather not fight if he could manage it. He exhaled, still hiding, but wondering why considering he'd already been seen and possibly botched his mission.

"I came to pick something up." It was a diplomatic way to say 'steal from them', but it was the best he could offer. He couldn't apologize, it was his hide or their book.

"A book, I mean."