[replica model] • LUKE FON FABRE (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
fabrecation) wrote2012-01-27 11:20 pm
fabrecation) wrote2012-01-27 11:20 pm
023 [Action] (Fourth Wall)
[Well. Luke wasn't expecting to pop up in the middle of the plaza relatively unharmed. Just a moment ago the Malnosso were preparing him for... he didn't want to think about it, really. But now he's here? He escaped somehow? And... there seems to be a huge crowd of people around him.
Huh.
Right now, he just wants to get home. So, he takes in a deep breath, then begins to try pushing his way through the mass amount of newcomers.]
Sorry - Coming through - Would you watch it?! - Hey!
[Gosh, this is giving him the strangest sense of deja-vu for some reason.]
Huh.
Right now, he just wants to get home. So, he takes in a deep breath, then begins to try pushing his way through the mass amount of newcomers.]
Sorry - Coming through - Would you watch it?! - Hey!
[Gosh, this is giving him the strangest sense of deja-vu for some reason.]
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[He's not sure why Luke is clinging so hard - he just saw him a few minutes ago, surely Luke wasn't that scared of being alone. But hey, what does that matter? For right now, have a hug in return, Luke!
After a moment, Guy take a hand and ruffles it across Luke's head. Wow, this feels weird... not that the short cut didn't look nice or anything, but when the hell did Luke have the time to do that...?]
Oi, what happened to your hair? I didn't think you wanted it cut.
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Luke's smile fades to surprise and confusion over that. How could Guy not... Unless he was from that far back?
He's not at all disappointed, considering Guy is Guy no matter what. He's just shocked. Why would they bring in Guy from that far back? Jeez, he's going to be so confused by Luke's behavior, isn't he...? After all, he's used to...
Well. He'll cross that bridge when he gets there. Right now, he finally leans back, though he keeps his hands on Guy's shoulders and just can't stop grinning.]
It's kind of a long story... I'll explain later, okay? Let's get out of the crowd first.
[And with that, he lets go of Guy's shoulders, only to take hold of his forearm and being leading the way through the crowd. Right now, the apartment is too far away, not to mention Asch being there... So instead, he'll just head for the forest. He's sure not many people will venture out there. And indeed, once they clear the buildings, the crowd's already starting to thin out quite rapidly.]
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Luke was. Well. Different. He was still Luke - he still looks the same, sounds the same, moves the same. It was his haircut that caused the first concern. Nothing too serious, right? No, it was the tone of voice that had slipped out of his mouth right before they left the crowd that had made Guy's brow furrow.
It was an odd mix of helpfulness and patience and... well... something else that Guy couldn't pinpoint. But it was certainly NOT the words he was used to hearing out of Luke's mouth.
What the hell had happened...
So when they've moved a good distance away and Luke starts to slow his pace, Guy can't help but let out an exasperated sigh.]
Alright, Luke... what's going on?
[Get to explaining, you redhead. Guy's looking more unamused the longer he sits here.]
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He reaches up to run a hand through the back of his hair, where he sliced Tear's knife through it. It seemed like so long ago now.]
Let me ask you something first. What's the last thing you remember happening before you came here?
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His tone is hard and low when he finally speaks up.]
Akzeriuth was just obliterated from the map. The last I remember, we were all still onboard the Tartarus, on our way towards Tear's home city.
[Is the phrase "Don't make me think any less of you" ringing any bells, Luke?]
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Luke has to duck his head and swallow back the bile in his throat, his arms crossed to cover the fact that his stomach just gave a nasty twist at that. Guy's... from there? Why did it have to be from that time? Even just a few hours ahead or behind would've been better...
Okay. Okay, Luke. Calm down. Don't think about the face of those people you've killed, don't think about Guy's retreating back, don't think about it don't think about it.
...]
This is... [He shuts his eyes - squeezes them shut, actually, for a second, and takes in a shaky breath before he lifts his head up. Yes, he can do this. He's not in Akzeriuth right now. He's in Luceti. He's in Luceti with a Guy who's very confused and needs his help.]
This is going to sound really weird and... kind of impossible, okay? But hear me out.
[...
Yeah okay he has to turn his back to Guy. This is hard, knowing he's from that time.]
This place is called Luceti. It's run by these scientists called the Malnosso. They take people from other worlds to experiment on them... I think they're using us to find a way out for everyone, even themselves. [His gaze on the ground darkens a little. They're no worse than Van.] We're not the only ones from Auldrant here, and there's a lot more people here who aren't from our world.
They can pull us from different points of time, too. [He subconsciously reaches up to touch the back of his head again.] Akzeriuth... That happened months ago for me.
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Luke was uncomfortable, that was certain. About Akzeriuth, maybe? It would be a welcome surprise, seeing his attitude towards it the last time they had spoken. But no... no, there was something else there. Even as Guy found himself looking at Luke's broad back.
Something had changed.
He had wanted to think that Luke could learn from Akzeriuth, that he could pick up the pieces and grasp at a sense of responsibility from the foolishness of his actions and attitudes. But he had never really expected Luke to change so drastically.
And he's not even sure how he could be looking at a possible future for Luke, anyways...
He doesn't know if he can really grasp it.
So his mind slowly sets on what Luke says about the Malnosso. Experiments? Using people? The idea of someone using Luke as a guinea pig for their own measures is hardly sitting well with Guy. Especially as he glances to Luke's arm as the redhead messes with the back of his hair...
No. No, no, no, that was not a mass of scars he was seeing.
Guy strides forward and stiffly grips Luke's wrist, yanking it down. His tone is icy as he speaks.]
Luke.
How long have you been here... and what the hell have these people been doing to you?
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Don't make me think even less of you.
He shuts his eyes. At least Guy's anger seemed to be directed towards the Malnosso and... not him... but it still catches him off guard, it still makes that icy feeling in his stomach spread to his heart. He doesn't want to be here, he doesn't want to keep seeing the sea of sickly violet mud, he doesn't he doesn't]
About... eight months or so. [It took him a while, seeing how he had to think of it in Auldrant's time. A little over a year here, and it's just a few months in Auldrant's time.] I don't - I don't think I can tell you everything.
[Kidnapping, making him deaf for a while, sending him to wars, a stab to the stomach, turning his best friends into monsters... The thought makes him pull his sleeve down on the arm Guy is holding.]
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Eight months?
They hadn't even been away from the manor for a few weeks, and yet... Luke had been trapped here for almost ten times that amount of time?
Was he thinking correctly? Surely that wouldn't be right.
But no. No, his reactions were serious, and they were upsetting. Watching Luke tense up and turn away, pulling his sleeve down... it's confusing. Frustrating. It hurts, just a little. It's as if Luke was frightened of something.
Of him?
...
No... no, probably not, not with the way Luke had jumped on him earlier, not to mention his body language would have been a little more contained if he'd been afraid of Guy. There wasn't any reason for it, anyways.
But why... why was he hiding? He could easily try and blame whatever these scientists might be doing to his best friend, especially seeing Luke's reactions to Guy observing his arm. And the more he thinks about it, the more his gut churns and the more he just wants to pull Luke along and blindly find a way to get them both back to Auldrant.
But that wouldn't help anything, would it?
As much as he wants to yell right now... as much as he wants to yank Luke's arm back up and demand answers... he knows that it isn't what will get Luke to talk to him. Not with the way the redhead's face is clenched up, unable to look Guy in the eye.
It takes him a few moments, but he slowly tucks his anger away, his grip on Luke's wrist loosening and releasing.]
Okay... okay.
[He pauses, letting out a couple breaths and willing his expression back to something passive and calm. His isn't about to ask about the scars. About the scientists. About how the hell Luke managed to be here for so long without anyone noticing he was gone. It would drive him mad to go without answers, but if Luke was handling this so badly, then... then they wouldn't talk about it right now.
He swallows and turns his gaze back towards the redhead, his voice stiff, but softer in tone.]
You're alright now, though? You're doing okay?
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It's that Guy is from that time, a time that Luke frequently has nightmares about, a time that so drastically changed him. A time that felt hopeless and crushing and lonely, a time that Luke will never forget in the back of his mind.
He keeps his back to Guy, and he gives a stiff nod.]
Mm.
[After a pause, though, he shuts his eyes tightly - sees a corpse with a disfigured face thanks to his skull being crushed by the fall no no - and jerks his head to the side.]
I've changed, Guy. [His voice wavers, and his fists clench and shake.] When you get back, I'm going to find out a lot of things about myself, even though I might not want to hear it. I'll finally realize that Akzeriuth was my fault... all of it. And I'll want to change. I'll have to. I'm going to stop letting people pull me along and never listen to anything else. I'll do everything I can to make people happy, or at least put as much effort into it as I can.
[... It's easier, saying that. That he's changed. That he will change in Guy's time. That he'll start to attempt atoning for everything he's done, even though he knows it's impossible. He starts to relax, finally.]
... That's why I'm like this. Why my hair's short, why I'm... probably acting a little weird. [He quirks the side of his lip up in a half smile. There's nothing behind it, though.] Sorry if I freaked you out.
1/2
Not with words, at least, although he manages a stiff nod. With everything that was spilling out of Luke's mouth -- what could be said? Could anything be said right now and still allow any part of this situation to make sense?
...
His jaw sets firmly, and he slowly starts to raise a hand towards Luke's shoulder, almost as if he's reaching to grab Luke and turn him around. Part of him still wants to. Part of him wants to be able to look Luke square in the eye and--
But no. No, there was something else he needed to do right now.]
2/2 (SOB my whole day, ahaaaaa)
As frustrated as he's been acting, Guy doesn't care how drastic your personality is right now, Luke - how much you've changed or how different you look isn't what's important.
It's that you're still Luke.
And if he really is a portrayal of the Luke that Guy is going to see in his future,... well, Guy just knows the boy probably needs this right now. This wasn't the friend that had been complaining and whining. This was someone who'd seen more. Possibly more than Guy could understand right now.
He already wanted to believe that Luke could make things right. And he wants to see the Luke he remembers speak with the heart of the Luke in front of him. Even if it doesn't happen right away.
As much of an idiot he had been or would continue to be, Luke was still his best friend. Even right now. And as far as Guy figured, that wouldn't be changing any time soon.]
I don't plan on going anywhere.
[His grip tightens, ever so slightly.] I knew you had it in you somewhere, you idiot. I'm not about to give up on you.
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So it comes as a complete surprise when he feels Guy's arms gently wrap him up in a hug. He even gasps a little as a result, and finally opens his eyes. Guy was... hugging him? But he just... From where Guy's from, he... no amount of whatever Luke says should be enough. It's... he deserved it. All of it. He deserved to have everyone turn their back and leave, he deserved their glares and that resentment that he could see in their eyes as they passed him by.
And Guy's hugging him and telling him he's not going anywhere, that he won't give up.
Of course, Luke knew that. He's from after that time, after all. Guy came back for him, told him he had faith in him. Even gave him advice on what to do with himself.
But after knowing Guy was from right after Akzeriuth, before Luke learned of what he was, when he left Luke broken on the deck...
Knowing this, knowing how Guy felt and him still hugging him and not giving up on him -
Luke squeezes his eyes shut, and his shoulders tense for a different reason. Could be that shuddering breath he took, or how his lips press into a thin line to fight back that pain in his eyes and throat. Or how his fists shake again, or how one hand reaches up to press against his face.
Even though Luke should have had everyone in the world give up on him, Guy still didn't. What did he do to deserve that...]
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Call it mercy.
Call it pity.
Call it insanity. Many of their teammates probably would have thought that of Guy, for even trying to think positively of the boy after all that had happened.
Or hey.
Maybe just call it friendship.
It wasn't forgiveness. He knew it would take time for true forgiveness for something this gruesome... But that's where loyalty came in, didn't it?
Even though Luke had made a mistake - probably the biggest mistake he could ever make in his life - Guy still knew, somewhere in his gut, that Luke could bounce back. That Luke would someday learn from his mistakes. That, even though he still contained anger and hurt and disappointment over the redhead's immature and naive actions, he could still learn to lead and find a reason for life outside the confines of his own desires.
He was going to have faith in him. Even if it might have been blind.
Hah. Natalia would call him soft.
But maybe soft was what Luke needed right now.
And as Luke begins to shudder, Guy loosens his grip just enough to take a couple steps and slip his embrace from Luke's back to circle around and hug him properly from the front. Here, Luke. You are going to have a shoulder to cry on. Metaphorically and physically.]