030 [action ; voice]

[fabrecation]

[It felt like dying. It felt like being caught inside a large, ringing bell and being unable to escape.

It was something he walked into willingly. And yet as it was happening, he wanted to stop, and yet he knew that he couldn't. To stop would mean the deaths of millions of others, and what's one life compared to that many?

Nothing, nothing at all. But...

Then the ringing stopped, but Luke barely noticed. Instead he was falling, falling until he fell not onto the hard floor of the tower, but the soft earth of another world. He loses consciousness before he's even aware of that.]

[Later, he can be found at the clothing shop and the item shop to pick up some things, and after a run-in with Sync and Ion, Luke had briefly visited his old apartment before he decided that he just couldn't stay. He sits heavily by the fountain, bent over with his head in his hand while the other hand holds on tight to the only item she'd left him.

He's a little hesitant to do this, and it makes him glance at his journal a couple of times, before he makes his decision. He opens up his journal, turns on the video function, and - clears his throat awkwardly first.]

This is how it works, right...? [Ah, right. He glances away and runs a hand through his (shorter, more unruly) hair before he gives the journal his attention again.] Um, hey. My name is Luke fon Fabre, and - and I was here before. I think it was just last week? It was a lot longer for me...

So... I'm back? And I'm sorry for leaving. I guess that's all I have to say...

[Except it's not, and it's just as he starts to shut the journal that he remembers.]

Oh yeah - [And he throws up a hasty filter.]

[Locked to House 1 residents (Nephry, Jade, Tear, Anise, Florian, Ion)]

Hey, uh... do you guys mind if I stay with you for a little while? It doesn't have to be for long or anything, I just - I need to find another place to stay. That's all it is.

Comments

[Voice]

[yourfononsarewhack]

[There's no mistaking it. Luke. Back again. Alive again. So that's the way this world can work - this almost slingshot effect. A week ago, he had to face that Luke had gone home to that uncertain fate. One of the few he would call a friend - whom he was certain that he actually valued the life of - would give himself up to free Lorelei.

"It was a lot longer for me.."

How much could he have lived through? Luke had seemed so embarrassingly behind before, how far could he have gotten? Depending on the time, there could be cause for concern.

Eventually, he asks with a Curtiss dose of sarcasm.]

Who is this?

[Voice]

[fabrecation]

[In the past, Luke might have given a healthy dose of insecurity at that, enough to wonder if Jade had really forgotten him.

Now, though, now that he really realizes that Jade sees him as a friend, and now that he's alive...

He pauses, allows that little unsure stab to gnaw at him anyway, before he feels the corner of his lips turn up.]

What, did you forget me already?

[Voice]

[yourfononsarewhack]

[Back-sass? Jade takes that as a good sign. He'd seemed like such a depressed shell before... it had been hard to tell if he had truly gone through the changes that earned Jade's respect. Perhaps now it would be a different story.]

Now, now. Let's not overestimate how memorable we may be. It could give you a big head. But I suppose you may be ringing a few bells...

[voice]

[seleniahymn]

[The sinking sensation in her stomach since she returned to news of Luke's departure last week had hardly left her, especially when she knew what would be waiting for him in Auldrant. It reflected eerily on the discussion she had had with Jade when he arrived, leaving her wondering if it might have been better to have told him. They were foolish thoughts, but she couldn't stop herself from missing him ever since.

And now here he was, that voice, his words unmistakable to her. Her body becomes still and her breath falls silent, mind holding tightly to that echo of his words. She doesn't know how much time passes, the sounds of the quiet library around her falling on deaf ears still listening to him. He was back here, and she...

Her eyes shut, and she exhales slowly as the corners of her lips pulled. Irritation, happiness, she didn't know what it was. But here was Luke, sounding so much better, and he was reaching out to them. The only thing to do, what she wanted to do, was reach back.]

Idiot, why are you even asking?

[voice]

[fabrecation]

[The instant he hears her voice, there's a pang of something; guilt, happiness, he's not sure. He knows that the last time he heard her voice, she was trying despite everything to stop him from essentially ending his life, and all he could think about was how she told him she'd never forgive him if he went through with it...

But there's relief, too, when she asks him that question. He lets out an exhale of his own, eyes shut, and gives a gentle smile. That's good to hear... as is her voice now, soft and happy and not at all desperate and despairing.]

Tear... thank you. Are you sure everyone's going to be okay with it?

[voice]

[seleniahymn]

I can't think of why they wouldn't be. [There was more than enough room for all of them, and if they had been willing to extend the invitation to Dist, why would Luke be denied? It would be silly to think about if she weren't feeling so relieved, even though that brought with it some feelings of guilt. She shouldn't be happy, but she was just a little...]

How are you feeling?

[ voice ]

[bowgunner]

Excuse me, but...[ incoming new feather confusion in 3, 2, 1... ] You were here? But then were gone? And now you're back?

[ because she has a question and who better to ask: ] Is it true -- what they say about time back home freezing for us?

[ voice ]

[fabrecation]

... Now that you put it that way, it does sound really weird. But, uh... yeah, I guess that's right. I went back right from when I was pulled here, too. I just didn't remember anything about Luceti until I came back here.

[Just as well. Luke doesn't think he'd be able to do nearly as well if he remembered all of what he went through in Luceti.]

[ voice ]

[bowgunner]

Nothing? Nothing at all?

[voice]

[silversnowfall]

Of course you can, Luke. You're always welcome here.

[She's glad to see him back and in one piece.]

[voice]

[fabrecation]

[It's been a while... He'd almost forgotten the matronly role Nephry had taken with most of the people who came from Auldrant. The affirmation makes him let out a sigh of relief, and he smiles slightly for the journal.]

Thanks, Nephry. Are you sure there's enough room and everything?

[voice]

[silversnowfall]

If necessary, I will make my brother sleep in the living room.

[There's space. And Luke sounds like he needs someone to be comforting.]

You can stay for as long as you feel you should.

voice;

[entreats]

It happens to more people. [ Ange's voice is surprisingly direct and to the point, but she means well.. deep down, either way. ]

They leave here and it feels like they've hardly been gone when it's actually been quite some time. Or the other way around. I guess time flows strangely here.

voice;

[fabrecation]

... Yeah, I guess so. I mean, time didn't flow back on Auldrant either, so maybe it goes both ways. Still doesn't make it any less weird.

[Now he's imagining someone going back to their world for like, a minute, before they come back. It's kind of sad to think about.]

voice;

[degleamed]

[ A smile forms on her face the second she hears his voice. ]

Luke! You're back! Oh, I missed you so much!

voice;

[fabrecation]

[He knows that voice!]

Rapunzel, hey! I haven't - I mean, I missed you too! Are you near the fountain at all?

[ voice ]

[universal_charm]

<sub>[ Hey, he remembers you. You told him where to get a cute plush for Spock, since it seemed the Vulcan had a soft spot for things that had no business being as adorable as they were.

Is it bad that's he's kind of sorry you're back? Not that he dislikes you, but he'd rather be home himself than here, so when people leave, he almost hopes they never come back, free of their little bird cage. ]</sub>

It's not like it's really your fault for leaving since we can't on our own anyways. Don't worry, I think most of us forgive you.

[ voice ]

[fabrecation]

[Now that Luke hears the voice, he remembers this guy too, though he's a little blank on the name behind it. But he knows this guy talked to him about random things when he needed it the most, so he's grateful for that.]

"Most of us", huh... Does that mean you don't?

[fonic link]

[dissonates]

[Asch had been asleep when he'd felt the dull hum at the back of his mind, dozing on the sofa with a cat curled up in his lap, and he lurched upright at such a speed that he'll be nursing scratches on his stomach for a week. He pays no attention to his pet, however, focusing inward instead. It could have been a fluke, a dream, a stirring of memories, because it hadn't felt like that in a long time. So weak and fluttering and underdeveloped and-

....real, nonetheless. Asch grips the couch as he straightens up, closing his eyes, and reaches out with his mind, a quiet but insistent prodding.

He's back.

But which version of him is it this time?]

[fonic link]

[fabrecation]

[Even unconscious, exhausted as he is from his fonons draining out of him so quickly, the prodding still pierces through. In the past, the fonic link between Luke and Asch had developed enough that it didn't hurt at all to be poked like that. But now, he snaps awake and quickly curls up on his side, hands gripping at his head with gritted teeth.]

Ow...!

"Asch?!"

[What is he doing? Is he trying to stop him like this? He can't - He can't do this! Luke's already...]

[voice]

[generalflirt]

Oh, now there's a voice I wasn't thinking I'd hear for a while.

[Does that mean Xion will be back too. He can only hope]

[voice]

[fabrecation]

[...

He can't put a name to this guy.

So why does he want to punch whoever's behind it?]

... Well, here you are. Hearing it. I guess.

[Action] /GETS TO BE SPECIAL

[distressedude]

[Not long after all of this went down, Sync was gone, leaving Ion and Luke alone in the plaza, with the shattered remains of Ion's chair nearby. But as upset as Ion is over the loss of his chair, all of that just feels secondary to Luke being back. And okay a small part of him was happy to see Sync too but replibros before repliNOs.]

Luke... you saved me. Thank you.

[Action] /THE SPECIALEST OF THEM ALL

[fabrecation]

[Luke glares after Sync, fists and teeth still clenched. He may be feeling weak from the hyperresonance he was pulled from, but he was still itching to keep up the fight.

It drains out of him at Ion's words though. "You saved me". Luke's back is to Ion, so the other replica thankfully can't see his expression, shocked and crushed like those words just punched him in the stomach.

It's the words he wished he heard the last time he saw Ion on Auldrant. "You saved me".

They make tears prick at his eyes, and they make him turn and drop to his knees and throw his arms around Ion's shoulders, face hidden in one of them. He wants to ask if he's okay, but those words made a lump in his throat that makes him not want to try until it's gone.]

[Action] /bursts in here like a boss

[knightofratatosk]

[Given that Emil heard Asch's announcement not too long ago, Luke is probably the last person he expects to see sitting near the fountain as he makes his way to the store. As a result, he does a double-take before veering off his original course and making a beeline over to his friend.]

Luke! You're back!

[... wait. First things first.]

... you remember who I am, right?