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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Hmmmmm, so you think it's possible for them to do it again?

I wouldn't worry so much. They're probably tired of you, anyhow! [ ... Peony logic :| ]

Okay. I'll, um... I'll see you in a few minutes.

[And off he goes... but don't worry, it's not to yell at you, Luke.]

[... Huh. The cut isn't such a pain anymore...

But that's forgotten in favor of Asch's fingers running along his wings. It makes him tense up, frown and... start to flap his wings. He lets out an irritated sigh afterwards - he knew this would happen. The only person who could touch his wings without them freaking out like they are now was Guy, and he wasn't here anymore... Of course they'd twitch and flap and evade Asch's touch.]

I might've gotten them kind of dirty... [More like he'd lie back on the ground, scowl, yet pay no attention as he'd relax outside or on the roof. They're probably dirty and ruffled, thanks to all of that.]

... I know.

[It's so hard, though... He isn't even sure if he's really changed. And then the Malnosso had to go and do that...

He glances at her, one side of his mouth quirking up in a half smile.]

Anything else I can do besides mope?

... It hurts more than anything.

[He has nightmares every night... relives the day he destroyed that city every day. He's certain that he'll never get over it... just as he's certain this will stay with Noel, too.

Luke shuts his eyes, lowers his head... then straightens, and opens his eyes to look at her. They're wide, almost scared, and he looks so sad.]

But I wanted to let you know that you aren't alone in this. I know what it's like...

[Those eyes match her own almost, but not quite; sad, though the fear has since washed away. At this point, she's just... really upset. That the both of them had to endure and put up with the same horror to this day. Even if Noel thinks her situation wasn;t as bad as Luke... it's the same pain, isn't it?

And right now, more than anything, she wants to do something to quell that pain. If she wants to be stronger, then... what could she do for Luke?]

... If that's the case, then you aren't alone either, Luke. [...] If you want... neither of us have to keep the pain to ourselves anymore.

[Luke purses his lips and stares down at the ground. The fear's left his eyes, but he still looks sad. To think that they have so many things in common... including being weapons, losing control, making others suffer. Why did it have to be them? They were just a couple of replicas who got used, only a few years old...

It's with that though that Luke steps forward to hug her. He's shut his eyes now, though he's sure she doesn't have to see that hurt in his eyes. It's much the same as hers.]

... All right.

[...looks like Luke read her mind; he only did what she was too nervous to do. Truth be told, she... doesn't really mind this at all. In fact, it's more than welcome.

It comes as a surprise at first, but soon enough she's returning the hug. Noel doesn't think there could be anything that could take away from the pain the both of them feel, but at the very least being able to share it and stand like this with each other is a little comforting.

...she won't say anything. Not yet.]

[Kind of dirty, he says. Geez, what a child. Guy used to do this for him, didn't he? And without Guy around he's just gotten lazy about it. He presses his hand at the base of the wings, where they meet in the middle, trying to halt the motion without just grabbing them.]

Stop moving, you'll just make this harder. You need to take better care of these things.

I can't help it, they keep moving on their own! And how am I supposed to reach back there?

[The pressure against his wings makes them stop flapping for the time being, but they do stick straight out and shake, as if straining. After only a few seconds, first one flaps, then the other, like they're trying to ward off Asch's hand. Hence the other reason why Luke barely bothers with it; they freak out on him, too.

Maybe he is controlling it, a little. He just doesn't like people touching them.]

It's because you have no self-control, dreck. [Asch's tone is impatient, and after a moment of watching the wings twitch and move around like that, he lifts his hand away, scowling.] They don't move on their own, they're a part of you. That's like saying your eyes move because they want to look around.

But they're sensitive! It feels weird when people try touching them or anything like that; don't your eyes blink when something gets near them?

[Now that Asch's hand is further back, the wings settle down, slowly tucking against Luke's back. His own tone sounds frustrated, though not from the argument. He's tired of his wings reacting this way, and he'd like to get a little more control over them. But damn, it feels weird when they freak out, too!]

Of course they do, but I actually took the time to learn how to control them.

[Well, so much for trying to help, not that he expected to get much done. Or even wanted to do. If the wings are going to flail around, it would do more harm than good to pick at them. He turns away, cleaning up the hair materials instead.]

[And yet again, Luke wishes Guy were here. Guy would take up all kinds of measures; steam to open up the pores, a towel to distract the feeling of being plucked, and they'd talk about everything and nothing to distract even further... No wonder the wings would settle down around him.

But he isn't here, and he can't have that luxury. Thinking on it, that's exactly what it was: a luxury. Luke hadn't even thought of it like that, and here he'd been refusing the way everyone else had been doing it.

Sort of like how he was a few days ago.

With a frown to himself, Luke leans his head down to rest his chin on his arms, which rest criss-crossed on the back of the chair.]

Fine, I'll try to keep them still, okay? If they look that messed up, then I need to figure out how to control them and not let them get like that again.

[Asch's brows furrow, glancing over his shoulder at Luke. Well, at least he's being compliant instead of just arguing and making excuses. It was no easy task, looking after the damn things- and even harder was learning to deal with them in the first place. Luke's been here long enough that he ought to know these things. It's just... something that has to be done, that's all.

One more shot, and if it fails again, Asch is leaving it up to him to deal with it. He's not Guy, and he isn't some kind of damned nursemaid. The only reason he's doing this is because of Guy, anyway.]

Try talking. Distract yourself. I used to read while I was getting used to mine.

[Luke pauses for a second as he tries to think about just what to talk about. It was easy with Guy, considering they were both interested in each other's lives. Asch usually didn't want to hear what Luke had to say. And with that experiment being fresh on his mind... He's sure that Asch doesn't want to talk about how he was when he had long hair.

Maybe something about Auldrant, then? But that could potentially turn nasty, too... Nothing about Guy, nothing about Natalia, nothing about Luke's home life. Hmm... Well, he'll just talk about the first thing that comes to mind.]

Have you ever spent time in Keterburg? [He remembers seeing Asch there once, before they went off to fight Van. But it was only briefly and at dawn, so he isn't sure if Asch actually spent time there.]

No moping. It's absolutely not allowed. Whatever it is, you have to face it head-on.

[Miyabi waits, watching the slope of the hill. She's wringing her hair nervously, but when she sees Luke, really sees him, her worries seem to just burst like an overly ripe cherry. His hair was short again! So that must mean he wasn't returned home...and he remembered her. He remembered her.

A large weight lifts from Miyabi's chest and she's on her feet in a matter of seconds, bounding her way toward Luke to launch herself at him and wrap him up in a tight, loving hug. As far as she's concerned, her brother just came back at last. And oh, how she missed him.]

[Asch lifts his head at that, glowering, though like probably can't see the expression. "Talking" did not mean "Make Asch talk", dammit. It meant "start talking so I can work and ignore everything you ramble about".]

Why are you asking me that?

I just wanted to know if you saw everything there. [He looks up at the window with a faint smile.] It's constantly snowing there. It's kind of weird... I asked Nephry if it ever stopped snowing, and she said it only barely did in the summer. The summer, Asch!

[If Asch starts working on his feathers now, Luke's wings tense and shake, and occasionally move away in a slow manner, as if Luke's trying to stop them from doing so. But at least they're not flapping wildly... Not unless Asch plucks one of his feathers, which would make even Luke shout and give Asch a look. For the most part, however, they're pretty still.]

I guess it'd be weird for the people there if they moved anywhere else... I know I didn't want to stay in Keterburg long. It got too cold! I felt like I was going to freeze my stomach off.

[He shuts his eyes, and nods after a few seconds.]

... Right.

[It's not something he can promise - moping is what he does best, after all. But he'll try.]

[In a way, Luke doesn't want this pain to go away. Sure, it's hard, but at least he has a life to live. Unlike the thousands he took away... And for them, he wants to do something with his life. That's what that pain always reminds him of - those people he silently promised.

After a moment, Luke loosens his hold and leans back.]

Let's work on making sure that kind of thing doesn't happen ever again. [For everyone's sake... for theirs, too.]

... That was still me, though. I acted just like that not long ago... I've been trying so hard to leave that behind me, and they can just... dig it up so easily.

[Uuugh, Sokka, why did you bring that up? Luke lets out a groan and covers his face with one hand, trying to hide that embarrassed flush in his face.]

It's fine, that sort of stuff doesn't bother me anymore. [.............. Mostly.]

Who cares about that?! What if you weren't fit to rule, but the person below you is? What about the citizens of the country? They're just as important as the ones in the higher society!

[Natalia. She was outed as a normal citizen of Kimlasca, unrelated to the king. But everyone still loved her fiercely as their princess.]

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