011 [Voice]

[fabrecation]

[Filtered to Guy//Ridiculously hackable Unhackable]

Hey, Guy? My hair's getting kind of long... Could you come cut it for me? I'd do it myself, but I can't really see back there...


[Filtered to Ion//So hackable it hurts Unhackable]

Ion, can I talk to you? It's important.

[/Filter]


[Now that those are out of the way, Luke rests his chin in his hand and stares off to the side, lost in thought. The thing he wanted to talk to Ion about... It's been weighing heavily on his mind ever since he heard it. Luke isn't sure what to think of it, or even how to feel about it. There's a sort of happiness inside him, sure, but... he can't deny the hesitation and confusion he feels. So, after a few minutes, he opens up the journal again to ask the general populace:]

What do you think it means to have a soul?

Comments

[Action]

[fabrecation]

You're a replica, like me... And I have a soul. So why shouldn't you?

[Action]

[distressedude]

[But a soul would imply something more than just living, wouldn't it? Something that continued to exist after death.]

[Ion doesn't remember anything after his death.]

[Not even from when he was sent back.]

[...]

I'm just having a hard time wrapping my head around all of this.

[Action]

[fabrecation]

[And, of course, Luke has no idea what's going on in Ion's head. He just looks back at the flower with a half smile.]

It took me a while, too. But... she even told me what it looked like. A soft green color... and younger than I look. Everything I thought about souls... It sounds all wrong now.

[Action]

[distressedude]

[A soft green color... despite Ion's own thoughts, that makes him smile a bit. Even if he can't quite accept having a soul just yet, knowing Luke has one, that the possibility is there, might just be enough.]

What did you think before?

[Action]

[fabrecation]

[He sounds a little like he's scoffing now - more at himself, because now that he looks at it, it just sounds so... naive.]

I thought you were just born with it. When you die, it lives on, that kind of thing... But I don't think it's like that anymore.

[Action]

[distressedude]

It would be hard to think of it as anything else when you can't see it or prove it's there. To think there are people here who can is almost unbelievable...

[Action]

[fabrecation]

Yeah...

[He squints a little at the flowers, a bit lost in thought.]

I think a soul... is what makes you you. The soul is the reason why we're ourselves even when we're in different bodies. I don't know if that's right, though...

[Action]

[distressedude]

[His next words are said slowly, as though he were carefully considering each one.]

If that were the case, it would mean you and Asch would have different souls from each other... right?

[Action]

[fabrecation]

[There's a long pause. But then...]

... Yeah.

[Action]

[distressedude]

[And Ion falls silent. That pause... did Luke not know for sure? Ion didn't want to ask. He almost felt afraid to. After all, if it wasn't true, that would mean Ion shared the same soul as not just his original, but 6 other replicas... all of whom, as far as he knows, have died.]

[He needs time to think. He still needs to talk to someone, but with what Luke doesn't know... maybe Luke can't be that person right now.]

[His voice is quiet when he finally manages to speak up.]

Is... that all you needed to talk about with me... Luke?

[Action]

[fabrecation]

[He's not really sure... Not yet. Luke has a good idea that yes, they do have different souls - why would Luke's look like a child if the opposite was the case? But there's still some doubt, and that doubt can eclipse any kind of hope a replica might have.

Luke glances at Ion once he speaks - hears that hesitation, that softness in his tone. Ion... probably doesn't believe what Luke is saying about souls, or he needs time to think about it. Luke can't blame him; It took him a couple of weeks before he thought to ask everyone about it. So, he looks at the flower again and speaks:]

Yeah, that's all.

[He wants Ion to stick around, maybe talk with him more. They're replicas, they'd understand each other better than most. But... he can tell Ion wants to go.]

[Action]

[distressedude]

[Just as much as Luke wants Ion to stay, Ion doesn't want to leave. He wants to talk to Luke. He wants to talk to someone who would understand... but he can't. He can't let Luke find out about his death. It would only bring him needless pain...]

[And that is why Ion stands to leave.]

Well, I... I should probably get going, then. I wouldn't want Anise worrying about where I disappeared off to...

[Action]

[fabrecation]

Okay...

[But before Ion can walk out the door:]

Ion. [Luke turns away from the plants to look at Ion - replica to replica, which is the effect he's hoping for. He wants this to get through...]

I think you do have a soul, one of your own. Yours is different from your original's, and all the other replicas. At least... That's what I believe.

[Action]

[distressedude]

[Ion doesn't turn when Luke calls to him, but he stops. He stands in the doorway, his hand gripping the frame for a few moments before turning back to Luke.]

[While there is a smile on his face, it's insincere. His words, however, are not.]

Thank you, Luke. For believing that...

[..."even if I can't" goes unsaid.]

[And before Luke can respond, he opens the door and lets it swing shut behind him with a soft click.]