fabrecation | 006 [Written]

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006 [Written]

[Now that Luke can stay awake for more than an hour, he'd really like to get back to the people of Auldrant as well as the friends he made here in Luceti. He still can't hear anything, but... well, maybe no one has to know that. As long as they don't try talking to him, he'll be fine.

And being bedridden for these past few days has been extremely boring.

So, he grabs his journal and writes.]

Hey... I'm back.

[... Yup. Not much to expand on there. So let's go on.]

Anyone have any good stories to tell? Or... Actually, what's the most fun you've ever had? Here or in your world.

[Filtered to Asch; 15% Unhackable]

Asch, can I talk to you?

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[If Luke was expecting some kind of extreme reaction to this reveal, he'll be sorely disappointed. Ion just stares at Luke for a moment or two before letting out a small sigh of relief.]

"Why didn't you just tell me that in the first place?"

[... Now that he thinks about it, he isn't so sure. Luke glances at him, shoulders bunched up a bit with nervousness from before, then lets out a little laugh as he starts to loosen himself up.]

I don't know... I guess it's because Asch didn't want anyone to know while it was happening. And I was with him for a few days, so... It kind of rubbed off on me, you know?

[That brings a smile back to Ion's face.] "That was a very kind thing for Asch to do. I'm glad you didn't have to spend all that time alone."

[Or rather, he's glad Luke wasn't conscious the whole time they were experimenting on him.]

Yeah, just don't tell him that. [He just knows that Asch would come up with some excuse, and that Luke would believe it, and the thought of Asch protecting him would be whisked away in favor of some stupid little reason.

Now that they're on this topic, Luke starts to think about it some more. He kind of misses Asch and all, now that he's away from him after being with him 24/7.]

We... protected each other, sort of. I could tell when all those... things weren't real. I couldn't see a lot of it. My body came back when it was over, and he still kept me with him until I was healed.

[Pause, then he gives a forced little smile as he rubs one of his ears.] Well, mostly.

[Ion manages to return that smile, but finds it a little difficult following that "until I was healed" remark. Luke must have been in bad shape for Asch to refrain from sending him back right away, on top of the loss of his hearing. That makes his next remark all the more difficult to write:]

"I don't mean to imply in any way that being kidnapped is a good thing-" [On the contrary: just the idea of it left a bad taste in his mouth.] "-but I am relieved you didn't have to completely experience what happened last week. I pray the next few weeks will be more peaceful."

[Luke doubts that. He'd rather completely experience everything, even facing the illusion of all the people he'd killed in Akzeriuth or anything as long as he didn't have to go back to that place. With all those sounds, he felt like every fonon in his body was racing out of control, crashing and colliding and causing pain and exhaustion like he'd never felt before-

But he shakes his head to himself. It's fine now. He's back, and he's okay. And that Halloween experiment is over, so there's no point in talking about it. You can't walk forward while looking back, after all.]

"I think they will be. For everyone else, too."

[The choice between two evils was never an easy one. Ion smiles and nods to Luke's reply before looking up at him, wondering what to say back. He certainly didn't want to keep talking about this subject, but with his mind already there, it was difficult to just jump into something less painful...]

[And so, almost without thinking, he randomly draws something down on the paper.]

[Luke stares at that for a second before he looks over at Ion with a smirk.]

You're asking for it, Ion! I'm a master at tic-tac-toe!

[And he'll take up Ion's challenge by drawing in a circle.]

[Ion doesn't say anything, but he does giggle; hopefully it was visible enough for Luke to notice. He draws in another X.]

[Luke grins and leans over to...

to...

...

Did he just lose in one turn.]

[It's okay, Luke. You aren't a bad player, you just can't compete with Tic-Tac-Toe Master Ion. He smiles and leans over to write.]

"You should see the books I used to study at the Cathedral in Daath. The margins are full of tic-tac-toe boards."

[Well, there was only so much a person could do when they were locked up inside all day. Reading ancient texts just isn't as interesting the 5th time through! Then again, Luke probably knows how that feels, too.]

Edited 2010-11-09 01:46 (UTC)

[B-B-But he was locked inside all day too! And played tic-tac-toe with Guy all the time! ... Guy probably let him win most of the time BUT STILL.

Luke gives a bratty POUT, but reading what Ion says makes it start to go away, even though he tries to keep it up.]

Who played with you?

"Usually Anise, whenever I saw her getting bored while she sat with me in the library. But Maestro Tritheim taught me how to play."

[Then, after a moment, he adds:] "He said it was strange that I didn't know how, but thankfully never asked about it."

[Oh, he knows that feeling. Luke glances away to the sheets at that.]

Sometimes the maids would wonder why I couldn't do simple stuff, or wonder what basic things were... [But he'll still smile as he tries not to dwell on the worst parts of this replication business.] But Guy never really asked. He probably wondered, but he just taught me everything and put up with me. He's the one who taught me how to play tic-tac-toe.

[A pause, and then he adds on with a little smirk:] Maybe that's why I lost so fast.

[Ion smiles fondly. With most people, even those who knew what he was, Ion had a tendency to avoid bringing it up or even acknowledge that he was a replica, mostly out of habit. Being able to talk openly was nice.]

"There's a lot of luck involved in playing tic-tac-toe. I bet if we played again, this time, you'd win."

[It's kind of the same with Luke; talking about being a replica will always be a painful subject, but with someone who's like him... It's not so bad.]

You think so?

[Rather than answer, Ion just draws up another board and makes his move before looking up at Luke with a smile.]

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006 [Written]

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