#Kimbri Nocturne

[kingdomkeykitsune]

KHOC WEEK 2023 DAY 7: HAPPILY EVER AFTER

It's always so bittersweet to come to the end of @khoc-week, but we couldn't have a more fitting prompt.

So, the thing about endings is that they don't really mean everything's over, they're just a good stopping point. When Kimbri's journey comes to an end, when all of her loved ones are home safe and sound and she's free to settle down, it's only the start of the next chapter of things. She shifts her focus more fully onto the restoration efforts, ending up stepping into a bit of a community leadership role. She repairs her relationship with Ansem, even letting him walk her down the aisle at her wedding. She also becomes a teacher, passing her hard earned knowledge to the next generations. Speaking of which

As mentioned on day 3 she becomes a mother. She loves her children more than anything, and of course they and their friends have their own stories, in which she features heavily.

Happily Ever After is really just the beginning.

[kingdomkeykitsune]

KHOC WEEK 2023 DAY 5: Light or Darkness

The short answer for today's @khoc-week prompt?

Balance.

After the Fall of Radiant Gardens Kimbri spends a very long time fighting back and trying to contain or reject her darkness, terrified to succumb to it and potentially hurt somebody. But with the damage done to her Heart that method of approaching the situation is extremely detrimental to her well being. It effects her mental and physical health and leads to more problems than it solves. Inevitably she always reaches a breaking point and her Darkness overflows far worse than it would have if she would have just accepted it.

And when it does overflow she doesn't like the person she becomes. Sure, it comes with extra strength and power, which can be handy if she's in a tight spot, but it also ends up amplifying all the other things about herself she tries to repress. Anger, jealousy, pettiness, grudges... It all comes rushing to the surface, worse than it ever is under normal circumstances

It takes years for her to reach the realization that Darkness is not inherently evil, but is something that exits within almost every Heart to some degree. What matters isn't how much Darkness you hold within yourself, but what you do with it. And even once she reaches this conclusion it takes a long time for her to reach a point where she no longer gets overwhelmed or associates it with her worst traits. She has to learn to manually release the pent up Darkness. To this end she asks the Good Fairies if they could imbue her clothes with the needed Darkness protection so that she can use Dark Corridors as a means of short range travel, as that gives her a non-destructive way to channel the Darkness into something productive. She also learns to incorporate using Darkness in her fighting to additionally help release it.

Of course she also has to be careful to keep her Light at a healthy level too. After all, as we see in several Final Fantasy games too much Light where there's meant to be balance can be just as detrimental as too much Darkness. She has to strike a careful balance, ensuring she never ends up with too much of one or the other in her Heart. But once she finds that sweet spot she's much happier and healthier over all, and she actually goes on to teach future generations the importance of Balance, wanting to insure that no one else ever has to face the same struggles she did.

[kingdomkeykitsune]

KHOC WEEK 2023 DAY 1: INTRODUCTIONS

Back to our roots this year, huh @khoc-week ? Then I think it's time I circle back around to my oldest KHOC, Kimbri. Maybe you know her, maybe you don't, but regardless some things have changed, some of which is new while others are resurrected concepts from her early days given a new spin, so sit back and enjoy! To go with the changes to her story she got a bit of a redesign, and in doing so I brought back some of my favorite things from earlier KH character design, excessive belts and zippers. (And, yes, for those of you who remember who she's shipped with, she did steal some of her partners aesthetic)

Now, I do want to issue a disclaimer, throughout July I was doing Art Fight and balancing the busy season at my new (as of March) job as a Youth Library Assistant (a job I've been chasing for years, so yay me!!) so I didn't end up getting much prepped in the way of new art so we might be seeing some really old art this week that won't match the updated ref, sorry! I'll try to do a couple more pieces on my days off, but other than that it might just be a lot of me talking this year.

Posting her ref sheet info under the cut in case peeps can't read it

Kimbri

A scholarly young woman from Radiant Gardens with a big heart and a difficult past. Ansem the Wise's niece, she spends most of her days doing work for the Restoration Committee and searching for her missing brother.

Age: 26 (As of KH3)

Homeworld: Radiant Gardens

Occupation: Restoration Committee Member

Likes: Magic, Archery, Reading, Rainy Days, Cuddling, Chocolate, Long Walks

Dislikes: Cold, Close Range Combat, Heartless, Maleficent, Nightmares, Her Darkness

Special/Other: Her Heart was damaged in Apprentice Xehanort's experiments, this causes issues at times allowing Darkness to overwhelm her temporarily. She isn't aware but there was also a being created from a sliver of her Heart that broke off.

[kingdomkeykitsune]

KHOC WEEK 2023 DAY 6: BONUS

So, like I said I the previous @khoc-week post for today, I'm a sucker for romance. Well, I'm especially a sucker for soft domestic scenes. So please accept this offering of another short snippet looking in on the alternative version of things where Leon, Kimbri, and Cloud are a triad. (Also I call Leon Squall in this because I like to think that in these soft domestic moments he'd let that name be used, as a way of letting his guard down and being intimate)

I Miss My Lover, Man

It was late, well past midnight, when Squall woke up to an empty bed. Sighing, he got up and shuffled out to the living room. Just as he'd expected that's where he found Kimbri, curled up in their window seat and staring out into the dark street with one of Cloud's jackets tucked around her shoulders.

"Missing him?" Squall asked, sitting across from her. Kimbri jumped slightly and looked up at him before turning her attention back to the street with a heavy sigh.

"I thought he'd be back by now… I mean, tomorrow is all of our anniversary, you'd think he'd want to be home for that." She said, tugging the jacket tighter around herself. Squall reached over and took her hand.

"You know how he is when he gets like this. At least he took his phone this time, we can try calling him tomorrow. If he doesn't just randomly turn up at some point, that is." He smiled softly. She met his gaze for a moment before her eyes dropped to her lap.

"You're right, I know you're right, I just…"

"You still want to wait here." Squall finished and she nodded. He gave her hand a squeeze before getting up and heading back to the bedroom. Kimbri watched him go before curling up even more, thinking he'd gone back to bed. 

Suddenly, she was scooped up into a blanket before Squall took the spot she'd previously occupied and settled her in his lap, wrapping the blanket around them both.

"Wha-! Squall, you don't have to sit up with me…"

"I'd rather be out here with you than in that bed alone." He replied and snuggled her close. Kimbri tried and failed to suppress a smile as she turned her attention back to the window. Squall closed his eyes and settled in for a little more sleep, glad they'd chosen to make this window seat as cozy as possible.

~☆~

"Cloud…?" She mumbled and he chuckled softly.

The sun dawned warm and rosy the next morning, finding the pair fast asleep in the window seat. Of course, it wasn't the only one to do so.

Kimbri stirred slightly at the sound of something thudding onto the floor nearby, but didn't truly wake until another weight settled onto the window seat, warm, chapped lips pressing against her forehead. She blinked awake slowly and rubbed at her eyes.

"Hey… Happy anniversary." Cloud smiled softly at her. At the sound of voices Squall began to stir behind her and Cloud leaned over to give him a kiss as well.

"You two take your time waking up, I'll take care of breakfast."

"Can you do that without catching the house on fire?" Squall quipped drowsily and Cloud rolled his eyes.

"Yes, though for that I might overcook your bacon." He snarked back. Kimbri sighed.

"Boys, be nice. 'M too sleepy for this…"

"Alright, I won't burn his bacon." Cloud chuckled and kissed her softly again. "I'll make coffee first."

"Mmm… Coffee…" she smiled and snuggled into the blanket. Cloud gave an amused smile and went to go get everything ready.

It was a very good morning.

[kingdomkeykitsune]

KHOC WEEK 2023 DAY 6: ONE CHOICE, NEW LIFE

So, today's @khoc-week prompt is one I was really excited for! As stated on Day 4, I've explored a lot of alternatives for Kimbri, this includes a lot of different paths her story could have taken based on her choices. From things like ending up Maleficent's Apprentice (An AU I call "A Constellation of Crows") or embracing her Darkness instead of running from it, to choosing not to return to her homeworld, I've explored the gamut. But there's one alternative I'm a sucker for everytime, and that's different pairings. because I'm a huge multishipper even for my OCs. So I thought today I'd give a small glimpse into one of the AUs where she chose to pursue Cloud instead of just letting him walk away without a fight. (Don't worry, she still ends up with Leon in this AU too, hell they actually end up in a proper triad with the boys dating too, he just doesn't come up in this snippet because this is specifically about Kimbri and Cloud)

Anyway, set in an alternative version of KH2 we have:

Chasing Love

"I'm sick and tired of having to chase after you all the time!" Kimbri growled, grabbing hold of Cloud’s top and jerking him around to face her. Her face was twisted with uncharacteristic anger that surprised him, she so rarely actually lost her temper, especially with him. He sighed heavily and offered the simplest solution to her complaint.

"Then just stop following me." He stated with a shrug. Kimbri’s scowl deepened and she shook her head.

"No! You need to stop running!" She insisted, her grip on his shirt tightening. Tears glistened in the corners of her eyes, much to Cloud’s alarm. He didn't think he'd ever seen her cry for anything less than the total loss of their home world. “Don't you get it? No one cares if you have darkness, VERY few people are completely free of it! We care about you! We love you, Cloud, I-” her voice cracked and she had to clear her throat. “I love you, deeply and truly. If you're so determined to find a light then let me share mine. It might not be the brightest but it's better than running off into the void all the time.” She said, pink dusting her cheeks. It had taken a lot of courage to make such a declaration and she was already wondering if maybe she should have just kept her mouth shut. Cloud stared at her for a long moment then sighed and tucked her hair behind her ear.

“There you go making bold declarations again… You really are something else, but I guess that's part of why I feel the same way for you.” he said, the smallest smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “But this is something I have to do, I have to go.”

“I really can't change your mind then? You're going to do this either way?” Kimbri asked, looking sad, but resigned at this point. Cloud nodded and she sighed. “Fine then, so be it. If you have to leave again, at least take this.” She reached up around her neck and unfastened the star pendant she always wore, pressing it into his hand. The one he knew was one of the only things she had left of her parents, of her mother. Cloud shook his head and tried to push it back to her.

“Kimbri, I can't, I know how much this means to you-”

“Exactly, that's why I know you'll bring it back to me. Let it be your guiding star.” Kimbri smiled softly at him and he couldn't help but smile back. Leaning down he pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek.

“Thank you, I'll make sure we both come back safely.”

[kingdomkeykitsune]

KHOC WEEK 2023 DAY 4: ALTERNATE UNIVERSE

Alright, so, Day 4 of @khoc-week ! Old af art, I didn't have time to redraw it, but the outfit designs hold up!

I had a plethora of choices for AUs with Kimbri, I've come up with a fair few over the years, but I decided to pull out an old favorite, my untitled Modern Fantasy Slice of Life AU! You might remember this setting from... I think it was Year 3? I posted a drabble about Vanitas vs The Gremlin at Exhaustion Departure, the coffee shop. Well Kimbri just so happens to work at Merlin's Books right next door in this AU! It's a magical place that holds WAY more books than it should be able to, while also playing host to it's own resident magical creatures, in this case mostly colorful pixies who live in birdhouses around the store! They're definitely a bit better off in this regard than their neighbors, lol. Other members of the staff include Merlin himself, Ienzo, another OC of mine, Lena, handyman Cid, who also owns his own garage down the street, and part-timers Pence and Olette.

Below the cut find a drabble I wrote set in this AU. Enjoy some warm, fuzzy goodness in:

Sweater Weather

Ienzo frowned as another strong gust of wind rattled the windows of the overstocked book store, causing the resident pixies to scatter back to their little houses. Judging by the drafts it caused, it was high time Merlin got the windows resealed, though he remembered thinking something similar around this time last year. Sighing, he tried to return his attention to the inventory sheets in front of him, trying not to shiver as a draft blew down his neck.

A few moments later the bell over the door rang, signaling someone's arrival, but he paid it no mind, knowing that if whoever it was needed help they'd come to the counter to get him. A moment later he regretted his decision not to look up when the only warning he got before his vision was completely eclipsed by something fuzzy and purple was the smell of salted caramel and espresso, the hallmarks of Kimbri's favorite drink from Exhaustion Departure. As he sputtered, startled, and fought his way out of his warm, lavender and vanilla scented prison he could hear his coworker and foster sibling giggling mischievously. Eventually he managed to pull the soft turtleneck over his head and turned to glare at the girl next to him in irritated confusion.

"Kimbri, what on earth possessed you to do that?"

"You looked cold." She shrugged with a grin. "Besides, I bought that for you, you always forget to bring a sweater when it first starts getting actually cold. I saw that the last time I went to the thrift store and it was just your size. Don't worry, I washed it twice before I brought it to you." 

Ienzo looked down at the purple sweater with an almost perplexed expression before finally pulling it the rest of the way on.

"Thank you Kimbri, I really appreciate it." He said once it was properly adjusted.

"No problem, what's family for?" Kimbri smiled again and took a sip of her drink. "Now let's have a look at these inventory sheets..."

[kingdomkeykitsune]

KHOC WEEK 2023 DAY 3: FRIENDS OR LOVERS

I will never not love this sketch and I'll pull it out any given opportunity I swear.

So, Kimbri has a LOT of interpersonal connections that mean a lot to her, but a little fun fact I've shared before and will likely share again is that it's thanks to @khoc-week that she has an official ship! Kimbri and Leon's relationship got it's start with the original KHOC Week's AU day prompt where I drew a silly little Shoujo AU where Kimbri had a crush on Leon. (I was a bit late to that prompt, didn't post it until the 6th but I drew it the day before so their anniversary is August 5th!) Things just grew from there, and now I couldn't imagine not having this ship!

Anyway, into the lore! I'll just hit the highlights about who her most important people are. These are listed in no particular order

Leon, of course. The love of her life, her sweet lion. Couldn't imagine a life without him at this point, and thankfully she'll never have too.

Aerith, her best friend and a sort of surrogate sister figure.

Ienzo, since they were both wards of Ansem the Wise she considers him her little brother.

Vega, her biological big brother who went missing during the Fall, he's the one she's searching for.

Cloud, a close friend (and in some AUs an additional romantic partner, poly ftw) She is often frustrated with his constant disappearing acts.

Sora, she basically adopted him as an additional little brother after meeting him during KH1.

Echo, in Sister AU Echo gets the same treatment as her brother, becoming a beloved ray of sweetness and sunshine in Kimbri's life.

Cid, he's been her surrogate father figure for the past decade or so since the Fall.

Vincent, also fills the role of a surrogate father, but in a different way than Cid does.

Rosa, the mysterious woman who ran Traverse Town's only restaurant, she provided a nurturing feminine presence in Kimbri's life that had previously been sorely lacking as all her parental figures since her birth parents passed had been men.

Merlin, he taught her most of what she knows about magic after she lost her memories of most of Ansem's teachings for reasons unknown to her.

Orihime, Sora and Echo's mother. She doesn't meet her until very late in the story but she quickly becomes very dear to her, reminding of her birth mother in the most comforting way.

Ansem the Wise, her uncle and guardian with whom she currently has a strained relationship. She loves him dearly but it's hard to reconcile that with the horrible things that happened under his watch, including her own trauma to do with the Apprentices' experiments.

And then there's a few that haven't been born yet

These are Leon and Kimbi's kiddos, who are of course some of her most precious people! Ariav and Nova are twins!

Ariav, the eldest, Mama's little helper who's always trying to fix things for her.

Nova, the middle child, strong willed and independent her mother is one of the few people who can reign her in without a fight.

Zephyr, the youngest, the biggest Mama's boy in the group, loves to sit and read or learn about magic with her. (He takes after Kimbri's father's side of the family so that's why he doesn't look much like the rest of the family. He also got Mama's "gets cold easily gene poor bab.)

[kingdomkeykitsune]

KHOC WEEK 2023 DAY 2: NEW WORLD

No applicable art for @khoc-week today, please enjoy this Destiny Islands Gif instead lol. Kimbri's story sees her headed to many a new world in her search for her brother, but today I thought I'd take a look at one arrival that didn't carry so much weight and urgency.

Also a shout out and BIG thanks to @luxmoogle bc your posts about the Destiny Islands mainland were absolutely invaluable for helping me develope a clear mental image while I was writing this.

Edit: I fixed an egregious case of autocorrect failure, Sora and Echo's mother's name is Orihime, not Origine. What the hell.

As New and Constant As the Tide

The tang of salt in the air was the first thing Kimbri noticed as she hopped out of the Gummi Ship and into the gleaming sun. Birds soared high above on the cool breeze and she could see the glint of water in the distance past creamy colored brick and stucco cottages and dense green foliage. Sand and gravel crunched under her boots as she hit the ground, still feeling odd beneath her feet despite all her travels after spending most of her life on grass and cobblestone.

Destiny Islands was just as beautiful as Sora had always promised it would be. Grinning, Kimbri took off her glove and reached back to help Vega out of the ship.

"You've got to see this." She said. Normally that would be an incredibly insensitive thing to say to a blind person, but her brother just chuckled and took her hand, activating the ability that would allow him to see what she could see.

"Oh... It's charming." He said, a warm smile spreading across his face.

"I'm glad you guys like it." A voice spoke and they both turned towards it.

"Kairi! Hey sweetie, how are things?" Kimbri smiled and reached to hug the redhead. As they embraced her nose was filled with the familiar scent of the sun cream Sora used. Coconut he'd told her it was. Familiar and comforting.

"Mmmm... Everything is good. We're just waiting for everybody to finish arriving before we head out to the Play Island for the party."

"We're not the last ones are we?" Squall asked, stepping out and carefully lifting Ombra to the ground as she followed behind him.

"Nah, not by a longshot, you're actually pretty early comparatively. We're still waiting on the Twilight gang and for Riku to get back." Kairi chuckled, shaking her head. "Which works out perfectly, Sora's mom was saying she wanted to meet the new members of the family."

"Wait, what?" Kimbri asked, brows furrowing.

"Oh c'mon, don't tell me you've been going around calling Sora your brother thinking it didn't go both ways or something." The redhead put her hand on her hip and grinned teasingly. "You guys have been adopted. Don't even think of protesting, Sora comes by his stubbornness honestly.

"Wha- I- Oh, honestly..." Kimbri sighed, shaking her head. "Well, in that case I suppose we shouldn't keep her waiting... Lead on." 

Kairi smiled and gestured for them all to follow her.

There seemed to be only one main road on this part of the Island, a long sandy strip bordered by lush plant life and charming lamp posts that almost appeared to have been cobbled together from spare bits. Kimbri smiled to herself as they walked, she recognized the plants from books she'd poured over in her uncle's library growing up.  Petunias, foxgloves, trumpet flowers, hyssop... All things that thrived in warm climates, which made sense given the climate.

There was also a mix of various varieties of palms and hardwood trees scattered here and there along the way, providing patches of shade in which to escape the intense sunlight, which she wasn't complaining about. Years spent living in a night world had a lasting effect and bright sun was still hard to take some days. Though her aversion to the brightness was nowhere near as strong as Ombra's, she was navigating the road exclusively by darting from one shade patch directly to the next. It might have been amusing if she hadn't seemed so uncomfortable. Thankfully Kairi promised there would be plenty of places to hide in the shade at the party, and they'd be hanging out at Sora's until time to head over so this would only be a problem while traveling.

Eventually voices started to carry towards them, the sounds of indignant yelping and laughter riding on the wind.

"I told Tidus to leave Echo alone before I left, but he never listens." Kairi sighed, shaking her head.

"Troublemaker?" Squall asked and Kairi shrugged.

"He just likes to think he's the strongest around. He's really not." She laughed. They rounded a corner onto a side path and the source of all the commotion came into view. Echo had a blond boy, presumably Tidus, pinned to the ground in a headlock as he struggled to get loose while another boy and girl stood nearby pointing and laughing.

"Stop laughing and help me!" Tidus grunted, but the others shook their heads.

"No way!"

"You brought this on yourself bro."

"Hey Echo, where's your mom?" Kairi called, and the younger girl looked up.

"Oh, hey Kairi! She's at home cooking, Sora's helping." She said, smiling like she wasn't actively wrestling one of her peers.

"Ah, that makes sense." Kairi nodded and walked past them without even a glance at the grappled boy.

"Kairi! Not you too! C'mon!"

Kimbri suppressed a chuckle and quickly stepped around the pair to follow Kairi. She led them a bit further, past houses and what appeared to be a couple small shops with striped awnings over their doors. Across a tiny creaking plank bridge fording a twinkling stream that babbled to them as they passed, then down another side path. Suddenly the smell of jasmine filled the air, the source easily identified as an overburdened shrub, leaning over a dilapidated blue fence surrounding yet another one of the cottages. Kairi unlatched the gate and headed into the yard without seeming to think about it, leading them towards the house. Stepping stones bearing the imprints of children's hands led the way to the door, which was flanked by vibrant, overflowing window boxes stuffed with more flowers than should have feasibly fit. And Kimbri had seen some very full window boxes in Radiant Gardens.

Kairi continued inside, calling out cheerfully.

"Mama, Sora, we're here!"

"Mama?" Ombra echoed questioningly and Kairi shrugged.

"We all call her that, it's just a thing friends sometimes do with each other's parents. If they're okay with it that is."

"I see… Noted." Her serious tone drew a few fond chuckles from the group as they headed into the kitchen. 

The smell of spices and seafood filled the air, eliciting a growl from Kimbri's stomach and reminding her of Rosa's restaurant briefly, but she was distracted almost immediately by the sight of a familiar blond man slouching at the green painted kitchen table, helping Sora wrap bundles of food in large, vibrant leaves.

"Cloud!" She cried out, beaming and rushing to hug him tightly.

"Hey, careful, my hands are messy." The swordsman chided gently.

"Sorry, I just didn't know you were coming!" She pulled back, beaming. He chuckled softly.

"I happened to be in the neighborhood." 

A melodic laugh filled the air, drawing all of their attention to a brunette woman tending the stove. She had long, thick brunette hair bound messily with a clip near her nape and she wore a turquoise tank with a white wrap skirt embellished with imagery of palm leaves.

"You must be Kimbri, Sora's told me a lot about you." She said, glancing over her shoulder.

"Oh, um, yes ma'am. And this is Squa- Er, Leon, Vega, and Ombra." She said, correcting herself at her fiancé's glance and gesturing to each in turn.

"It's lovely to meet you all, I'm Orihime, but you can call me Mama too if you want to. Please, have a seat, I'll have this batch done momentarily and then you all can eat while you're waiting, you must be starving."

"Ah, thank you very much!" She bowed slightly before taking a seat.

A little while later they were all sitting around, eating and laughing, and Kimbri couldn't help feeling that this place already felt like a second home.