024 [Voice/Video]

[fabrecation]

[When the journal opens, there's a redhead who looks as if he wants to do nothing more than climb into a bed and sleep. A good explanation for that should show itself just as he opens his mouth to speak.]

Hey –

[Because he suddenly lurches forward and coughs harshly, though he tries ducking out of view of the camera. There's a slight sniffle before he leans in again, just after he wipes his mouth and nose with the back of his hand. His cheeks are slightly flushed, too, with signs of a fever.]

I'm back. Anyone know what day it is? [And he ducks his head again to cough, though not quite as hard as before. As for the question? Because he'd really like to know how close it is to that accursed Valentine's holiday.

... But now that he's got that journal open, he pauses, looks off with an expression of uncertainty towards the village and flexes his left hand, then squints slightly as he works on a filter. Ugh, it's hard to work with this stupid foggy ache in his head. Yet he knows that it'd be dangerous otherwise, especially with the topic of his questioning.]

[Filtered to Jade... and Dist//100%]

Could you take a look at me when I get back to the village? Something happened to me back there... [He does hate getting examined, especially for medical reasons. But this is extremely important.]

Comments

[voice]

[silversnowfall]

Luke! ...You sound sick. Will you be able to get back home on your own?

...February sixth.

[voice]

[fabrecation]

[He very nearly tensed up with Nephry responded because oh god what if it's Valentine's and she's the first one - ah. Okay then.]

Oh, good... [And on to other things... by bringing his hand up to rub his palm against his burning forehead.] I'll be fine. It's just walking.

[voice]

[seleniahymn]

Luke... [She could answer his question easily, but that wasn't the point right now; he sounded terrible.]

Where are you and what did they do?

[voice]

[fabrecation]

[He pauses to cough a few times, and consider the question. To tell her what really happened would just worry her... Especially when Luke is already unclear about what's going on as a result of it.

So, he'll just give a white lie.]

They just gave me a cold. [He lets out a groan and rubs his forehead. Uuugh. He should get moving. But he really doesn't want to move.] Somewhere in the woods, I don't know...

[moelle]

[That's a voice she knows. She'd gotten wind by this point that Luke was missing, plus that cough didn't sound good at all.]

It's the sixth of... February, I believe. [Crazy people here with their crazy calendar. pause] Luke, are you alright? Are you near the village?

[If you're sick, you need to get inside, it's still freezing out and there's even some light flurries. She may not be the best help if Luke needs support, but she could at least help him find his way back, if need be.]

[fabrecation]

[omg noelle does he sound all right D| He won't bother answering with that, even though his sickness and his confusion has made him slightly bitter. He's at least glad that he got here before that holiday... ugh.]

I don't know... I'm somewhere in the woods. [Groooan he doesn't want to get up to look either.]

[Filtered]

[failazure]

Luke! Are you-- [...

No, wait. Before she can say anything, Noel needs to set up a filter. She can't have certain people connecting Luke to her, as sad as that sounds. So she'll do just that! ...awkward as the pause is.]

There. Are you okay, Luke? You look sick. [As she's saying this, she'll take a stand.] Where are you?

[...

...DERP.] Oh! And... it's the sixth of February.

[Filtered]

[fabrecation]

[Well okay then, he'll go along with it and bring up his own filter, too. That's a lot of things to have to answer, though, so he just squints and runs a hand through his hair, then shuts his eyes and coughs. Uuugh. Just moving hurts. He's so tired...]

I don't know, somewhere in the forest... I'll get back somehow.

[Voice | Filtered]

[its_rose_damnit]

Contact me the moment you're within the village boundaries, regardless of if you get in touch with Jade or not. [In fact, he'll probably talk to Jade about this either way. Dist has valuable information about the replica that jade may want to take a close look at. It could help.]

What has happened? You need not go into detail. I'd prefer to speak without threat of interference. [Dist just wants to be sure that it's what he thinks it is.]

[Voice | Filtered]

[fabrecation]

[He nods slightly with a frown. Much as he doesn't like Dist, he still respects the guy and what he does. Hence why he thought to contact him, too. Besides, Dist examined him earlier, too. He knows how much Luke can take and how much he can't.]

I'll tell you later... I don't want to talk about it over the journals. Is that okay with you?

[Voice]

[drawnbythesword]

Eh? [What's today's day? It's...] ...Today's the sixth, of February.

[Voice]

[fabrecation]

[YOOOOOOUUUU except he's too sick to care and is kind of glad to hear other people.]

Oh, good. So it's not - [COUGH COUGH] Valentine's yet...

[video]

[blazing_heart]

It's February sixth, but... are you okay? You sound sick.

[video]

[fabrecation]

... Good. It's not that day yet. [He shuts his eyes and rubs his forehead; ugh, he feels like he can barely sit up at this point.] I'm - I'll be fine. It's just - [COUGH uugh.] Just a stupid cold.

[voice]

[trueknight]

I'm sure you know the date by now.

[Or at least he's figuring other people got to Luke before he did.]

You gonna be all right there?

[voice]

[fabrecation]

Heh... yeah. The sixth, right? [Doesn't stop him from responding the same way. Luke's not all there, and getting reminders of what day it is is a-okay with him as a result.]

It's - It's just a cold. [He coughs a few times into his hand, a rather nasty, rattling one at that.] I need to get inside, that's... that's all.

[Voice]

[knightofratatosk]

Are you all right? You don't sound so good...

[Voice]

[fabrecation]

I'm okay, it's just a cold. [It's sure what it feels like, even though he feels way crappier than he's ever felt the other times he had one.] I don't know why - [COUGH COUGH hold up COUGH okay okay] I don't know why they gave me something like that...

video;

[meritocracy]

Luke..? [that's really all that can come out as Natalia's large hazel eyes peer worriedly into the screen. ]

You sound unwell..--what did they do to you?

video;

[fabrecation]

Natalia... [COUGH COUGH. ffff.]

They just... gave me a cold, don't worry. I'll be okay.

[Voice // Filter: 100%]

[subethical]

I'd be happy to take perform an examination when you arrive, if one has not been preformed already. Would you like to meet within a medical center, or would you prefer a more private location?

[Since to filter is also directed to Dist, Jade will have to prepare to meet with him, possibly at their location as well. He's certain this will ignite his curiosity, which was slightly irksome, but he can deal with that matter later.]

[Voice // Filter: 100%]

[fabrecation]

[Frankly, Luke trusts Jade a lot more than Dist, especially with something like this. But this is important, so getting two opinions from people who are considered geniuses in fomicry would be good for him.]

Dist told me to meet him at the Battle Dome's clinic... We can meet up there. I think there's some equipment you can use, too. Is that okay with you?

[voice]

[fourteen]

Luke!

[ Strained, and definitely scared. How many times is he going to come back unwell?

She's late to this, she knows it. She can hear the other replies already. Has someone gotten him? Why did she have to be late to this, of all things? ]

Where are you? Are you okay?

[voice] 1/2

[fabrecation]

[It takes him quite a while to get back to the journal, what with being rescued and then having to go to the clinic and then getting that... diagnosis. The thing he least wanted to hear. And he gave himself time to calm down so that he wouldn't have any new replies with a pale, stricken face, lest they figure out something's terribly wrong right away.

So it's about three hours since he first posted that he opens up the journal -

And then shuts it.

It's her.

He should've expected Xion to reply. As soon as she heard it, she would, he knew that like he knew there was snow on the ground. But somehow the sound of her voice made such a shock go through him, and he sits with one hand over his mouth and the other covering his journal.

... What does he say to her? A part of him wants to come clean and tell her what happened, tell her what's going to happen. But... She lost Axel recently. She lost one of her best friends. And while Luke would be back after a week - at least he hopes so, she'd still lose someone else. Someone she cares deeply for. And to give her that knowledge, and for her to look at him with that sad face, the one that always breaks his heart to see -

He's sure he'd just be terrified, just as much as her.

So, he gives himself two minutes. Two minutes to push the urge to tell her back, to bury that fear and hide the pain. He can do it. He's done it for a good while back on Auldrant, and he's gotten good at it.]

[voice]

[meteorical]

The sixth. What's going on? [Kairi thinks it's better to just flat-out ask than go through the cycle of 'are you okay?', if only because she thinks Luke will be like Sora and say he's fine when it's clear he's not.]

[voice]

[fabrecation]

[Like with Xion, it takes him a good few hours for him to return to this. Once he does, he's... somewhat calmed down from the news, enough to face Kairi with a smile on his face. It's not really all there, but he's trying, at least.]

I'm at the clinic... Still trying to recover a little. [He coughs a few times, speaking just after he's done.] Sorry for making you worry.

[Action]

[dissonates]

[So. Eventually, Luke will come home, correct? Because when he does, Asch is waiting for him, reading a book at the table with Tsuae curled up and cozy in his lap. He'd heard the journal entry, so he knows that Luke is back, but he's been hesitant to contact his replica via the fonic link, ever since their last connection during the abduction itself. He'd seen very little of it- something had interfered, cutting off the deeper link as only the Malnosso can, but he'd witnessed an awful lot of miasma, so Luke's illness is no surprise to him.

He's not sure whether or not to expect Luke's return to the apartment tonight, but there's a pot stewing quietly on a hotplate in the kitchenette area, just in case.]

[Action]

[fabrecation]

[It's night by then, and thankfully after some rest, warmth and care, Luke's able to return. The apartment is closest and doesn't have as many people who'd fuss over him, so it's the best place for him to go to. Especially now that he wants some time to himself.

If the door being open isn't heard, then the coughing should be. Star snuggles up to his leg with a worried little "mieu" anyway, and Luke allows it for a moment before he walks on to find his original. When he finds Asch sitting there... That hot white panic that he'd managed to get out of his chest starts to leak back in. Asch is his original... Would he know what's happening to Luke right now? He wasn't sure just how in tune Asch was to his replica and if he could tell what's happening to his fonons as a result of that hyperresonance. It scares him to think about, and he almost wants to turn and get out of the apartment.

But no. He purses his lips and shuts his eyes, then moves forward again, this time to sit at the table across from Asch. His hands grip into his knees, and he stares down at the floor, mindful of that extra weight in his leg pocket.]

Hey.