013 [Voice/Actionish] (Backdated to the day before the event)

[fabrecation]

[Ever since that battle with Vanitas and his talk with Asch afterward, Luke had been feeling absolutely exhausted. He'd spent all day, all night, and then all day again in bed, which surprised him a little. Hyperresonance had never worn him out that much before... Then again, he never actually tried it in Luceti apart from his training with Asch, and never in combat like that. It's the next morning when Luke finally feels energized enough to get back to his daily routine.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at first. Sure, there was no breakfast, but it's not like that was too unusual. Maybe enough to make him raise an eyebrow, but he shrugged it off and made himself some toast with butter and cinnamon. That seemed to be one of the few things he couldn't ruin, even if the meal wasn't all that fulfilling.

It's as the day goes on that something seems to be wrong. The silence could always be from Guy managing Good Spirits, but a quick check made him see that Guy wasn't even there. Sure, he could be somewhere else, but... without even checking in on him? Even at his worst, by this time Guy would always come by to see if Luke was okay and if he needed anything. It was always a little annoying, but... it was routine, too. A routine that's never broken easily.

It's late in the afternoon by the time Luke flops down in one of the chairs and frowns as he stares worriedly down at the floor. Something about this feels wrong. He's kind of afraid to check on Guy, because what he finds might just be everything he feared. It'd be easier to just pretend things were okay, to think that Guy's just off somewhere and that he'd be back later. Maybe he finally went to bring Asch back from wherever he was. Maybe he just went to do some errands. ...Very long errands.

But he can't keep doing that forever. He shuts his eyes, then stands and heads towards Guy's room.]

Guy? Guy, come on. [Luke's at the door now. He raises his hand to push it open... turns it into a fist, and brings it back down to his side.] ... Look, whatever I did, I'm sorry. Just... open the door, okay?

[No response. Luke purses his lips and tightens the fist at his side, then forces himself to relax it enough to raise his hand and open the door.]

Guy...

[Somehow, a part of him was expecting this. It was only a quiet, little part of him though, one that would be pushed firmly away by denial and what he felt was rationality. Even now as he stares into the completely empty room, a wave of rejection comes over him. No, maybe Guy just cleaned his room way too nicely. It continues even as Luke steps slowly into the room and looks into the closet, checks the drawers, even peeks under the bed: No, Guy's just having a massive cleaning day. He just moved to another room - Luke even tries to make sure by checking all of the other rooms, his steps quickening into a run by the time he goes upstairs, calling his name uselessly. No, Guy's just...

He's just...

Luke finally stops at what used to be Natalia's room. It was just the same with her: Everything was gone. All that was left was an empty space where his dear friend used to be... Just like Guy's room.]


[It takes a long while before Luke thinks to at least let everyone know what happened. He'd sat on what used to be Natalia's bed with his head in his hands and quietly thought of things that would take away the fact that Guy was gone and mentally berating himself every time his breathing hitched.

It takes another few minutes for Luke to actually get up and go to his room, where his journal lays on the nightstand. He rests one hand on the journal while the other reaches up to wipe at his face, trying to make himself look at least somewhat presentable.

... But when he does that, he just wants to cover his face, turn away and leave. To get away for a while, because now the house felt too empty, but... He shakes his head to himself and flips the journal open, keeping his head ducked down to hide whatever emotion he might be feeling.]

Guy... went back to Auldrant.

[That's all Luke can say before he shuts the journal and leaves it behind.]


[[ooc: Just a fair warning, Luke might not reply to some of the responses. Null and void since I am terrible at that. 8| He's a sad puppy right now and all. He can be caught wandering around the village, though, if you want to talk to him!]]

Comments

[filtered]

[silversnowfall]

I'm sorry to hear that.

...Would you mind company, or would you like some time to yourself?

[when there is no forthcoming answer after a while, Nephry will assume the latter.]

[action]

[fabrecation]

[It's much later that Nephry gets a reply, though not in the way she might be expecting. Luke's a little hesitant, unsure if he should try this late at night... But he doesn't want to go back to his house right now.

So, after a moment, a soft knock comes from her front door.]

[Action!]

[niponpettinzoo.livejournal.com]

[This wasn't something Miyabi expected nor wanted to hear so late at night. Certainly she had her own issues, what with turning into all her gods at random, but this...this was so much more pressing. Because she knew what it was like to lose someone she cared for to the wills of the Malnosso. She knew how much it hurt, and how appealing withdrawal seemed. And she knew how much Luke possibly needed someone to comfort him right now.

Luck was on her side as she galloped the short few minutes from the sakura to house five. But instead of a horse peeking through the window, a white wolf presses its nose to the glass and whines quietly.]

[Action!]

[fabrecation]

[Miyabi's in luck; She caught Luke just as he was pulling his jacket on and... zipping it up, for once. It's as he's walking past and heading for the door while wrestling with the zipper that he hears that whine, which makes him stop and look towards it.]

... A wolf?

[ action ]

[fourteen]

[ ... she doesn't respond.

she knows better.

instead without a word she leaves. goes looking. she has an idea as to where he might be. she doesn't have any caramel apples with her ... but she does, on a hunch, have an extra scarf.

and of course, her idea proves to be right, when she finds him on That One Bridge. but she doesn't say anything as she walks up. only hugs the emerald green scarf to her chest and simply ... watches him, for a moment, in silence. ]

[ action ]

[fabrecation]

[A few people had simply passed him by, figuring that something heavy was on his shoulders and that he should be left alone. So when Xion's footsteps come to a halt by him, Luke blinks and looks back at her - he looks tired, distant and sad - before he lowers his head and watches the river again. Though he might not be showing it, he's... really glad she's here. He doesn't like dealing with these kinds of things alone... it's a wonder why he sometimes tries to isolate himself when they happen.]

[emp3thy]

[Minato didn't know Guy well, but he can understand Luke's feelings at the moment. Thus he decides to leave the redhead alone. The next time he runs into him maybe they can talk, but for now he probably wants to be let be.

However that meeting comes a lot sooner than he expected. Though Minato has been sticking close to home for the past few days, today he decided he should check on the cherry tree hill and see if the flowers are starting to bloom. Somewhere along the way, he notices bright red hair instead of pink petals.]

[fabrecation]

[Luke had only been to the cherry tree hill a few times, even though it really was a beautiful sight. Today, though, he decided to go there, just... another way to get away from that house. The one that used to have Guy and Natalia...

It's kind of therapeutic, standing there looking up at the branches. He can let his mind wander a little like this.]

[Voice]

[knightofratatosk]

Luke...

I, um... I know it's not going to make you feel better, but if there's anything I can do to help...

[Voice]

[fabrecation]

[It takes Luke a long while to get back to the journal, and with Emil's reply...

No. He should respond, despite how much he'd like to just close the journal and leave again. It'd be rude to just leave him hanging like that...]

... Thanks for the offer, Emil.

voice; filtered 100%

[byakkoyagirl.livejournal.com]

[She only talked to Guy briefly once, but just by the way he sounds when he delivers the message Paprika can tell he meant a lot to Luke. She puts up a courtesy filter, just in case.

'Will you be alright?' No that sounds too casual...]

What is Auldrant like? ...Is it a good place?

voice; filtered 100%

[fabrecation]

[It's several hours later that Luke finally returns to the house long enough to look at the journal. He almost didn't bother - it was too painful, and hearing those responses just confirmed his beliefs, but... there's Paprika. It's been a while since he's seen her, and... somehow, she's always made him feel better about everything.

He sits down on the bed and sets the open journal to the side. Maybe he can talk to her for a little while, at least.]

I guess it can be. It's a lot bigger than this place... Heh. This village kind of reminds me of Engeve. It's one of the smallest villages in my world...

[after Nephry's thread?]

[seleniahymn]

[Once Luke is done talking with Nephry, Tear will be waiting silently in the hall, watching him with a relatively blank expression expected of a soldier. Trying to hide that it's another emotional blow to her, too, so soon after Cirno... Even if she wasn't anywhere as close to Guy as he was, the blond had still been a trusted companion and friend, someone who understood what Luke meant to her.

Now... she would have to look after the redhead for him, like she did back in Yulia City. She would have spoken with him earlier, but when she saw him he had gathered others to comfort him, it seemed. It was best to give him that time with others first, but she would not allow him to his thoughts on his own.]

[after Nephry's thread /o/]

[fabrecation]

[After talking with Nephry, Luke just sat on the couch and stared down at the floor. Sure, it was an exhausting day... but Luke hadn't gone to sleep this early since back when he had long hair, not to mention that he still had so much on his mind. Asch probably heard that message - how would he react? He thought he didn't want to know, but now that enough time has passed, Luke's found himself even more worried for his original. And Guy... What's happening to Guy now? Is he okay? Is he... with himself now, throwing an arm around his shoulder and telling him that he'll take him to a circus or something?

Those thoughts scare him, especially since Luke has been suspicious about what happened to him in Guy's time for a while now. He's so lost in his thoughts that he doesn't notice Tear there at first.]

[....]

[dissonates]

[Asch hasn't really been checking the journals much; he hasn't had much to check, after all, and he's kept himself occupied with his books and his training, anyway. How else is he supposed to distract himself from the mess his life has become?

He's looked at it randomly now and then in case of some kind of emergency, but never really reads anything in detail. But when he sees Luke's entry, hears his voice, what he says...

Unintentionally, his finger brushes over the voice option, which is why the journal catches three things: a sharp, sudden intake of breath, a flash of red hair, and a dull thud as the journal drops from limp fingers.

It's quiet for a while after until the recording cuts off- he doesn't bother picking it up again.

That's it. It's over.]

[Silence/Action?]

[fabrecation]

[It takes a long time for Luke to actually return to the house and check the journal. He didn't want to - it was too painful to look at all of the sympathy, all the people who Guy had been friends with grieving over his disappearance... Still, Luke felt like he had to.

And Asch's reply hurts the most. Luke even winces and holds his head; he could've sworn he felt a whiplash of such crushing shock and sadness, though it probably came from he himself instead of Asch. Still... It prompts Luke to turn around and head to the mountains. He might've been scared to face Asch in whatever state he was in, but right now, he was determined to find him. This was his original. This was Asch. The one he was connected to. Even if Asch might not want him there, it'd tear at Luke to abandon Asch when he might need him most.

Of course, Luke forgets about the fact that Asch can spot him and avoid him easily. But even if he remembered, he'd still try. He has to try, at least.]

[Voice]

[hisdarkmark]

[He's never spoken to Luke, but he's Very Aware of who the redhead is. It helps that he had a decent "friendship" with both Xion and with Guy as well. Because he's Draco, he's not going to think much on the fact that Luke's very much not up for talking right now, but he has to ask anyway.]

...but how are things in Auldrant now? Actually I suppose it doesn't matter if he's going back to being a servant. [Not that there's anything with Guy being a servant...but Guy's a servant. It's better than saying he's going to miss the blonde needling and prodding at his life though.]

[Voice]

[fabrecation]

[It's a very long time before Luke gets back to his journal, if only to take it with him to house one for the night. He checks the responses, mostly because he felt like he should...

Draco's reply makes a small amount of irritation rise up - sure, Guy was a servant, and he enjoyed his role, but... these days, Luke hated calling him that, or for Guy to call himself that same title. Still, he keeps it out of his voice - Guy didn't mind it, after all. Heck, he probably proudly told Draco all about it. ... Of course, that thought makes his reply more somber than he planned.]

I... I don't know how it is back there. He's from my future, so...

[Action]

[distressedude]

[When Ion saw the entry and watched the initial replies go unanswered, he knew he wasn't going to find Luke anywhere near his journal. He makes his way over to House 5 and tries looking in to see if Luke was there, but he had already left. It isn't until he wakes up the next morning that Ion finds Luke, asleep on the couch in House 1. And really, it isn't all that surprising to see him there, all things considered.]

[He isn't going to wake him up. Ion knows what it's like to lose someone so close to you... at this point, it seemed as though few people in Luceti didn't know how that felt. Sleep generally meant a few hours of peace. But Ion still finds a place elsewhere in the room to be in, so Luke wouldn't be waking up to a seemingly empty house. Regardless of how long he sleeps, Ion will be sitting in a chair across the room, reading a book but not really able to concentrate on it.]

[Action]

[fabrecation]

[Though Luke had slept earlier than usual, his exhaustion still made him sleep for quite a long time. It's about three hours after Ion finds him that Luke starts to stir and crack his eyes open, only to widen them and look around in confusion. Where was he? Where - Oh. Oh, that's...

... Oh.

It's clear that he remembered what happened, as he sinks back onto his side with a long sigh and stares out ahead of him with a look of depression. But out of the corner of his eye... is that...?

It was. He lifts his head a bit to regard Ion reading there, and he isn't sure whether to feel embarrassed or relieved to see him.]

Ion...

silence

[oda-hates-me.livejournal.com]

[... How cruel is it that Sanji's not upset by Guy's departure? Heh, the thoughts involved with that guy...

But he knows someone who will be upset, and after everything that's happened, thinks this is a bit of news best put off for a few days - until things calm down.

Nami, he hopes you don't mind your journal disappearing for a few days.

As for Luke, Sanji will leave Xion and his friends to talk with him. It doesn't feel like his place to say anything]

[Voice]

[fonon-professor.livejournal.com]

[Guy... Gelda really liked Guy. He was very bright, kind and great at giving advice. That's why, when she responds, the sadness in her voice is pretty apparent.]

I'm sorry, Luke. I know you two were close.

[Voice]

[fabrecation]

[Just like with all the other responses, this one goes without a reply for a long while. It's only when Luke comes back for his journal after several hours that he notices the reply, and as much as he'd like to just shut it and get back to what he was doing... He can't just leave her hanging like that.]

... Thanks, Professor.

[written]

[antlioncyclone.livejournal.com]

[The context of this is hard not to get.

It's about time Mewtwo checked up on his fellow "creation", too.]

apologies for this

[written]

[fabrecation]

[It's the same as the other responses - the reply doesn't come until much later. Luke certainly wasn't expecting a written response, but the handwriting makes it clear who it is. Even though he hasn't really seen the mystery adviser, Luke still trusts him enough with this kind of thing.]

Thanks. To be honest, I feel kind of selfish for acting like this...

[ voice ]

[herotypical]

You're sure?

[ it's a stupid, stupid, stupid kind of question. why would someone make the announcement if they weren't sure? she's been in those shoes often enough. buffy's voice is thick and sad and hurt: ] I mean -- oh, God. I'm sorry to hear that.

[ voice ]

[fabrecation]

[After a long time of clearing his head and talking to others, Luke finally returns, if only to fetch his journal and see if his message went out. And it did, and Luke just wants to shut the journal and leave already, but... He can't just push these people away. Some of them were Guy's friends, some of them were his friends; he couldn't just ignore them at a time like this.]

I... I'm sorry, too. You're one of his friends, right?

[Voice]

[cruxofapotter.livejournal.com]

[They didn't always get along and tended to argue about all sorts of things, but Harry didn't mind it all that much.]

Er... I'm sorry to hear that. Will he be okay?

[Voice]

[fabrecation]

[This must be another friend of Guy's... It's several long hours before Luke replies with a tone of uncertainty, yet also the discomfort of having to answer a question he isn't entirely sure about and doesn't want to think about.]

I don't know. He's from my future.

[ voice ]

[hippocraticly.livejournal.com]

... I'm sorry to hear that, kid.

[ voice ]

[fabrecation]

[... And here he was sure that Dr. McCoy hated him in some way. The reply honestly surprises Luke a little, if only for a short time, before he falls back into the same depression that he's felt with everyone else.]

... Thanks, Mr. McCoy.

[tintobrat.livejournal.com]

Guy Cecil? [A sigh.] I see.

[She really liked him. But maybe it's better this way. She doesn't need her 'ex' hanging about potentially complicating things.]

[fabrecation]

... Yeah. [He says much, much later with a hint of reservation. He'd battled with himself over all of the replies, not wanting to acknowledge them... But he knows that it'd be even worse if he just ignored them.

This must be one of Guy's friends... Luke certainly doesn't know her.]

[Jade is a creeper, so, after Tear's thread?]

[subethical.livejournal.com]

[Jade of course, hears the message, but doesn't quite act on it just yet. When Jade passes by Luke's house, it's obvious it's empty. But Luke being Luke, it's not exactly difficult to figure out where he'd be at a time like this. The others would have a better time with telling Luke what he needs to hear either way, so he leaves the matter alone until a time when he assumes Luke would have calmed down some.

So sometime late at night, Jade arrives at his sister's house. There's still the soft flicker of a fire through the window, and Jade doesn't necessarily want to bother with the trouble of waking the entire household, so he lets himself in the door.

I hope you're still awake by this time Luke, because you have guest.]

[CREEPER. 8| And yes!]

[fabrecation]

[Luke had had the blanket wrapped around himself while he laid on his side and started at the fire. Back when he had long hair, it was easy to fall asleep early - in fact, that was his schedule. But once his hair was cut, once he had to deal with Akzeriuth and the fact that he had to kill human beings to save even more of them... He was never able to sleep that early again, nor have a good night's rest since then. So, it's no surprise that he's still awake and hears Jade walk into the house.

Not knowing that it's Jade at first, Luke sits up swiftly, tensed and ready to fight whoever walked in... But once he sees who it is, he lets out a sigh to relax himself, then shifts to get into an easier sitting position.]

Jade...