fabrecation | 016 [Action/Video]

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016 [Action/Video]

[It had happened that morning. Luke, in this time period, had a much easier time of sleeping and waking early, and so he was in the weapon's shop when it hit him.

All those memories that had been buried thanks to the Malnosso. Traveling with Tear, meeting Jade and Anise, killing his first human being, Guy, Master Van...

Akzeriuth... Cutting his hair. Trying to save the world he screwed up. Killing his own master. And the long month afterward... He can even feel the link he has with Asch flaring to life again.

Luke freezes in his spot, holding a fancy sword in his hand. How... How could he have forgotten all of that? How could he have acted like such a jerk to everyone? Such an ignorant, thoughtless... He was so nasty to everyone whom he considered his friends, and now... they... who knows what they thought of him now? This boy who had to relive who he used to be, the person he's ashamed of.

The sword in his hands trembles, and without thinking it through at all, Luke suddenly brings the sword back to slice through his hair, cutting the back of his neck and leaving only a small piece of the long hair behind. The rest is clenched in his hand, his knuckles almost white from the strain. All those terrible things he said to everyone, to Xion and Asch and Ion and...

Noel.

"You're a criminal?"

His face pales, and the sword in his hand clatters to the ground. Thankfully for the staff of the weapons store, he doesn't drop the mass amount of hair.

But he does abruptly leave, and he runs back to Community Housing Building 2, head lowered the whole time so that no one can look at him. He doesn't want anyone to see him, the leftovers of a massacre that he created. Ashes of the sacred flame...

... Asch.

It's that thought which makes him pause just outside of the door to his apartment. He barely even realizes that he made it there until now. Would Asch accept him back? He hadn't tried contacting him since the link came to life again... What if he just ruined whatever progress he made in their already strained relationship?

But... this was still his home. So, he keeps his head low again as he knocks on the door, hair still unknowingly clenched in his other hand.]

[A few hours later, the video option of the journal is activated, and Luke's face appears on the other side. He's not looking at the journal, and he keeps brushing his hand through his now short hair, so very similar to how it used to be. He looks... tired, depressed and stressed, as if a whole ton of weight was just added to his shoulders.]

Everyone, I... [How does he even start? He didn't have to do anything like this after Yulia City.] I guess I don't really know what to say. Heh... pretty pathetic, right?

[No, that's not good enough. It sounds like an excuse to not talk to anyone. He shuts his eyes and takes in a deep breath.] ... I'm sorry. A lot of you saw me with long hair, and... I probably treated you badly. That...

That person was who I once was. The Malnosso did something to me to make me forget everything that happened back in my world. I... [Killed hundreds. Thousands. I was manipulated and betrayed by the only person I trusted at the time, and I was tossed away like a piece of trash, and I was abandoned...] ... went through a lot to make me who I am today. I'm still not a good person. But I learned in my world... I guess you could say it made me open my eyes to who I was.

I'm not going to be that person anymore. I promise all of you that. And... [I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry -] I know I can't apologize enough for everything I said or did, even though I want to. But I want to do anything I can to let everyone know that I won't ever be like that again. I'm not that person anymore. [I'm not even the real Luke.] So... If anyone wants me to do something for them, anything, or... has any questions, just... talk to me.

[He finally looks at the little camera.]

... I'm sorry.

[After another hour or two to himself, Luke walks out of the apartment building and tries to find whoever he met when he still had long hair. Whoever he was particularly nasty to... to apologize to their faces. To own up to what he did and take responsibility, not from hiding behind a book, but face to face.

He especially looks for Noel. After what he said to her... He needs to see her now.]

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[His shoulder tense when she interjects. No, Noel, don't interrupt him... Don't make him think any different about himself. When she trails off, his shoulders relax, and he opens his eyes a little to stare down at the river. He's never talked about this with anyone except for Xion...]

... I have this power inside of me called hyperresonance. If it's used correctly, it can create or destroy any matter. [He doesn't want to launch into all of the details, like he did with Xion. But even keeping it short like this, it... it hurts to bring up. It's still like undoing a huge lock around his very soul, like uncovering his deepest and most terrible secret. And in a way, it really is just like that.]

My master, he... [He shuts his eyes again, and his hands clench into fists.] He tricked me into using that power to...

[Miyabi will be at the tree, like usual, under the branches. She's larger, idly watching the Lucky Mallet bounce around the tree's trunk as she braids her hair. Ugh, it's gotten so long now! She can barely keep it all in her cap anymore! She's going to have to get it cut again, soon. It was pretty, but such a bother...

A few paints and scrolls are around her as well, each smaller slip of paper decorated with a scribble or two. She doesn't seem to notice anyone approaching, her mind wandering.]

[Selphie smiles sympathetically. If the Malnosso had erased her memories, she'd be right popping mad about it.]

Just try. You can't help what the Malnosso are going to do to you.

Luke...

... where are you right now?

[Asch glances back at him, biting thoughtfully on the toast as he eyes the bundle of hair Luke's holding. It's true that his current hairstyle is a mess, and someone's going to have to fix it. And he'd much rather that Luke ask someone else, but...

...well, Guy's gone, Tear's gone, and Xion's in the hospital. And unfortunately this is not an unfamiliar job to him. Eventually he turns away again, fetching the butter.]

Throw that out before you drop hairs all over the apartment. And get a chair, I'll cut it outside. I'm not sweeping up your mess afterwards.

[Since he can't make Luke do it because he'd TOTALLY DO IT WRONG okay.]

[Noel's hands cling to the railing, both eyes now on Luke as he continues his story. She doesn't say anything, but it's becoming more and more apparent how difficult this all is for him as he speaks. It's hurting him; that much is clear.

The opportunity to interject again is strong, but she refuses to allow herself. Telling these kind of things are hard, she knows, so... it's okay, Luke. Go on.]

[Well Luke isn't wrong or anything. Sokka wasn't much better, really.]

Do? Like what... and why?

... Right.

[He heads out of the kitchen, and out of the apartment buildings entirely. It had been a nice, ordinary day, though gusts of wind would blow at times.

This is one of those times. Luke stares down at the hair in his hands... Then shuts his eyes and opens his fingers, feeling the strands slide and be caught by the wind.

And with that... he says goodbye to the person he once was.

Once he goes back inside, he grabs a chair, holds it under one arm and goes back to the kitchen.]

I'm ready when you are.

... Whatever anyone wants me to do for them, I guess. I can't just do something and expect someone to be happy with it. I want to ask first... and let me know what I can do.

So it was one of those experiments Jay mentioned.... [ Trailing off, don't mind him, he's just speaking into the journal after he hears this heartfelt confession ~~speech~~ from Luke. Not particularly offended at all. ] Makes sense.

[Minato didn't find anything Luke said during that time to be particularly nasty, but if Luke wants to talk he can still be found outside today, enjoying the weather. He'd been thinking of walking to the hill, but only made it halfway to the square before taking a break on a bench in the shade and falling asleep.]

[By the time Luke's finished, Asch has finished his snack, washed his hands, and located a few things: a sharp pair of scissors, a spray bottle (for keeping Star out of the houseplants, totally), a brush, and a comb. When Luke returns and fetches the chair, Asch just nods and steps past him, wandering out the door to stand outside one of the windows, setting up his little collection of equipment on the ledge.

HE IS READY FOR HAIRCUTTING. Are you sure you want to go through with this?]

[Miyabi is certainly one of those people he's looking for. She'd been so kind to him, and in return, he was just as unkind. The first place he looks is at the cherry tree, and thankfully, his instinct was correct.

He calls out to her first, as he travels up the hill towards it.]

Miyabi?

I'm at my apartment right now. I'm about to go out, though...

[... Oh god Luke's face pretty much matches Peony's icon. It's Peony! He - He was really here! And he DISSED HIS COUNTRY.

adslfjadfk;ljl

Luke bows his head respectfully and tries to hide how nervous he suddenly feels.]

Y-Your Majesty! I'm sorry, I didn't...

[ If it was Karl, you'd have many problems, Lloyd.

But since Peony has no fake beard, and definitely isn't hanging onto to mistresses... well, you're pretty much safe. ]

What's this now? [ Honestly, he isn't even sure why you're apologizing. It wasn't you, right, Luke? Well, not in your right mind. ]

[Luke follows him outside, and he stands still for a second, just watching Asch fiddle with the hair cutting equipment. Really, was he ready?

After all that's happened... yes. He definitely is.

He shifts the chair under his arm, and when Asch seems to indicate that he's ready to cut his hair, Luke nods, then sets the chair in front of Asch, sinking into it and straightening his back automatically. He places his hands on his knees, too, and shuts his eyes.]

... Okay. [Come at me bro.]

[Miyabi blinks, and her first emotion is uncertainty, and even unease. She gathers together her paints and parchment and puts them away, under a tree root. It was probably a terrible thing to do, especially since she was afraid Luke might accidentally knock over, break, or ruin her work or instruments. It wouldn't be so bad, honestly, but having him care so little, definitely, would have her seeing red...and she didn't want to get mad at him now.

But wait. How did Luke know she was here? Did someone tell him? Did he...remember suddenly? She's not sure, though hopeful and somewhat scared, but the tone of her voice is easy to read - she's nervous more than anything else.]

Y-Yes? I'm up here...

[Even if he didn't say anything particularly horrible to Minato, he still had to watch him be... like that.

So when he sees him in the square, Luke immediately thinks that he should talk to him... before he realizes that Minato's asleep. With a little sigh, Luke goes to sit on the ground beside the bench, pull his knees up and wrap his arms around them, then rest his chin on his knees. He'll just wait for a while.]

[H-How can he just dismiss that...]

I... I was rude to you, and I said some pretty ba - ... disrespectful things about Malkuth. So... I'm sorry.

You were under the influence of the Maltese, right? [ ...Yes, the Maltese (http://www.dreamdogs.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/maltese_puppy.jpg), Peony. Either way, ignoring that mispronouncing and recalling of the word, he gets the big picture. ]

How about a decent hello, and we'll call it even.

Then can I meet you outside?

[It's okay, Luke called them the Molasses for a while. The remark, however, makes him lift his head in surprise.]

Huh? Oh... [He shifts in his seat.] Uh... H-Hey, Your Majesty. [WAS THAT GOOD?]

Edited 2011-07-15 05:14 (UTC)

[ Clearly Auldrant men can't pronounce these strange words. It's fiiine.

A chuckle. It's acceptable. ]

When did you cut your hair, anyway?

[G-Guh, Peony makes him nervous, though Luke has no idea why. Even when they're just talking over the journals!]

Just a little while ago. Actually, Asch cut it for me...

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